Why eating and living healthy is good for you

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Practicing a healthy lifestyle can be a major challenge especially when you live in a community with a food culture as rich and as ‘sinful’ as the Philippines.

But we forget that we thrive in a community where public markets sell affordable fruits and vegetables, which are definitely healthier alternatives than fast food or store-bought meals.

While we don’t have the well-manicured parks and highly-established trails compared to countries like Singapore and the US, Cebu does have a few parks and hiking destinations which address our need for an active lifestyle.

Why do you need to eat healthy and live healthy?

CDN Digital listed the reasons for you:

Minimize the risk of being sick. If you want to live longer without constantly shelling out money to pay for maintenance medicines and doctor’s fees, then you may want to consider ditching unhealthy eating habits and open yourself up to sustainable lifestyle changes. Besides, being sick is not only a financial issue, it can be a social challenge. Imagine the gatherings and events you will miss when you are sickly. Not fun!

Makes you glow. Want clearer and fairer skin? Eat more fruits and vegetables and don’t forget to exercise. Come to think of it, your skin is the largest organ of your body. It basically covers your entire physical body. Your skin shows when you’re exhausted. The good effects of the fresh produce you eat will show on your skin. Isn’t that enough motivation to get you in the healthy wagon?

Keeps you active. Eating healthy provides us with the right kind of vitamins and minerals that would get us through our low days. We will have more endorphins to keep us happy, alive and energetic. The body is like a well-oiled machine that will run smoothly when you fuel it with the right and proper amount of nutrients coupled with exercise and abstinence from bad habits such as excessive alcohol and chain smoking.

Puts you in a positive mood. You feel good when you’re healthy. When you feel good, chances are high that you will  look at things positively. A positive outlook will make you look forward to a productive day.

Restful sleep. Many people do not realize this but a restful sleep is needed to live longer. A study by researchers at the Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom revealed that “severe sleep loss jolts the immune system just as stress does.” For a restful sleep, always strive to eat a balanced diet of  fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat protein food which are rich in Vitamin B such as eggs, meat, poultry and dairy.

Living a healthy lifestyle is not expensive. You really don’t need kale when you have malunggay in your neighborhood’s wet market.

If you’re a busy bee and you have no time to cook, worry not. Eating healthy in Cebu is made easy with a new “budgetarian” place called The Green Canteen, which is located in Arlington Pond, Barangay Cogon Ramos, Cebu City.

Start living healthy and happy with the right kind of diet and lifestyle.

Before long, you will radiate positivity and influence people around you. / celr

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