How to maintain our health

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are diseases that cannot be transferred from one person to another. The four main non-communicable diseases are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. They are responsible for 75% of deaths worldwide, killing 38 million people each year.

Unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are amongst the main risk factors of NCDs. They raise blood pressure, increase blood glucose, elevate blood lipids and lead to obesity.

The last decades have witnessed a huge increase in meat, sugars, fats and highly processed food consumption. On the other hand, the consumption of fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, pulses and roots has been declining. This phenomenon is known as nutrition transition, it occurs due to globalization, urbanization and the development of the food industry that produces less nutritious food costing less money. NCDs can be prevented by following a heathy lifestyle through healthy eating and physical activity. This can be easy and doable by following some recommendations: