Changing Lifestyle – Changing Health

“The foundation of success in life is good health: that is the substratum fortune; it is also the basis of happiness. A person cannot accumulate a fortune very well when he is sick” – P.T. Barnum

 Usually, what health meant to us is the physical condition of an individual. But according to World Health Organization (WHO), Health is defined as ‘ a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease’.

Our health has changed over periods from generation to generation. Looking back to our ancestors, we see that they visit hospitals or they fell ill once or twice in a year. But our condition is not like that. Our grandparents are still more young and fit at their age of 80 or 90, some may make it through 100. But in today’s generation which involve our parents and us, making through an age of 100 likely to be seen as impossible. Here the question arises – why our health and our ancestral health are so different? The answer is changing lifestyle. The way our ancestors lived is very different from our lifestyle.

We are what we eat!

Eating food, drinking water is important to maintain health. Moreover, what we eat and what we drink has so much importance for a good health. Our late generation ate the things that are cultivated in their own field- such as gourds, fruits and vegetables that they handpicked by themselves. Then they boil it and ate. They used pure fresh coconut oil which they bought from nearby oil mills and cook food. They don’t use food colors, ajinomoto, chemicals in order to feel the food much tastier. Because they know that eating healthy food is more important than eating chemicalized foods.

Gourds as Guards : Gourds being just a thing to eat, it offers so many benefits- which our generation miss, since we are not keen on eating gourds. Gourds maintain a strong immunity system, by being a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin C. It also reduces inflammation, manage diabetes, improve circulation, strengthens bones, protects eyesight, reduce the risk of gallstones, maintain heart health, promotes healthy digestion.

Today’s generation are not fond of these gourds and hate them. They are headed upon noodles, barbeques, fried  and spicy items and so on. They lend their eyes to these foods and reject the gourds.

We now buy fruits and vegetables from markets which are sprayed with pesticides and chemicals. Use palm oils instead of healthy coconut oil. Add food color and ajinomoto to the food. Use the cooked oil further and further which increases the risk of cancer in humans. Recent study found that  a toxin called 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) is formed when the cooking oils are reheated, and these toxins can cause increased risks of stroke, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, liver disorders, etc. Today’s young generation must follow the words: Eat to live, not live to eat.

Copper plate vs Glass plate

What we eat is important! Likewise, where it needs to be eaten is of high importance. Long years back, when our grand grandparents lived, they used to have their plates which is of copper. Not only the plates, the glass which was used to drink water, and all other utensils were of copper. Years passed, we were developed, and we further developed a habit of shifting from copper to steel and then steel to glass. We developed a mindset that people eating in copper were poor while those who uses glass are rich. This mindset travelled like a forest fire from people to people and most of them began to change their utensils to glass, avoiding copper. Glass utensils seems to be stylish when compared to copper for us. But that stylish dropped the stylish of our health.

Copper utensils have a high significance in our health condition. Copper can kill undesirable virus and bacteria. A group of British scientists from Southampton University found out that copper ions can kill bacteria such as E.coli at room temperature in just four hours, while the bacteria can live happily in stainless steel vessels for months together.

A human body needs 1.2mg of copper per day on an average basis. We usually get this by the intake of whole wheat, beans, green leafy vegetables, etc. However, storing half liter of water in a closed copper vessel overnight and drinking it in the morning can help our body to attain the required copper. Intake of these copper ions have many benefits such as- helps in anti-ageing, increase fertility, reduces acidity, helps people suffering from vitiligo, act as Brain Stimulant, anti-oxidant agent, anti-carcinogenic agent, cure- arthritis, internal wounds, piles, respiratory disorders, etc.

Electronics and Exercise

There is a great connection with electronics and exercise. Where there is electronics, there is no exercise! Nowadays, all the houses are filled with electronics such as grinders, washing machines, electric dish washer, etc. All these reduces the workload of the people who are dealt with household work. As a result of these, workload decreases but diseases increase. In the old generation, they used to do all the work manually, and not mechanically- which is a kind of exercise for them. This reduces the risk of diseases and makes them healthier.

Transportation has been improved in 20th C. As a result, the use of vehicles increased , which also paved the way to the risk of diseases. There were less transportation facilities when our old generation lived. So, they used to walk over long distances, covering miles and more to reach their destination. Walking is great powerful tool against disease, and further improves our health. But today we use vehicles to travel feet of distance. Moreover, the vehicles emit smokes of hazardous chemicals such as Sulphur dioxide, which when inhaled, lead to dangerous cardiovascular disease and more.

Sleep and Health

The beginning of health is sleep. The risk of diseases increases if we don’t get enough quality sleep. Babies and children must have 10 or more hours of sleep, while adults and people over 65 must have 7-9 and 7-8 hours of sleep per night as provided by National Sleep Foundation.

Late night browsing, playing video games, watching television just before going to sleep are the habits which are seen in this period of people. These habits may affect the sleep-wake cycle. They are fond of video games rather than playing outdoor games. Outdoor games offer huge benefits. It helps us to attain vitamin D in exposure to sunlight. It helps to stretch out our body. Moreover, it helps children to have a social connection with others which improve their health in terms of social well-being.

Mental health

Mental health means the way of attaining joy. Joyfulness is half our health. Today’s generation is iPod generation – earphones pierced into ears, not have any awareness about surrounding. They are in their own world. Less social connection is the greatest threat for not attaining mental health. Mental health is essential to personal well-being, family and interpersonal relationships. Mental health and physical health are connected terms. If we have mental health, then we have the ability to attain physical health. So, health in terms of physical, social as well as mental are very important.

Lifestyle changed into the way that people are less socially connected, they laugh less, sleep less, eat more, stress more – these all gave a direct route to disease and death!

                                                                      Authored By

                                                                          ADITHYA SURENDRAN