Staying healthy during Eid

4 July 2016
Highlights
As Eid is approaching - and after a month of fasting - many of us are now concerned about staying healthy during an occasion marked by unlimited food intake! One thing that makes it difficult for people to follow a nutritious diet in the month of Ramadan and during Eid festivities is that Bangladeshi people are generous and hospitable which makes it difficult to refuse ‘food’ - when your host continues to stuff you with rich food and you just can’t say ‘no’!

However, it is important that you stay healthy during this special season so that you can spend meaningful time with your family and friends. Maintaining a healthy diet to stay fit is always important, not only during this time of the year. Here are some links from WHO that can help you to maintain a healthy diet. Also a little bit of physical activity will help. Walk everyday for at least 45 minutes or do some other exercise.

Consuming a healthy diet throughout the life-course helps prevent malnutrition in all its forms as well as a range of noncommunicable diseases and conditions. But the increased production of processed food, rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles have led to a shift in dietary patterns. People are consuming more foods high in energy, fats, free sugars or salt/sodium, and many do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and dietary fibre such as whole grains. An unhealthy diet is one of the major risk factors for a range of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other conditions linked to obesity. Specific recommendations for a healthy diet include: eating more fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and grains; cutting down on salt, sugar and fats. It is also advisable to choose unsaturated fats, instead of saturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids.

Improving dietary habits is a societal, not just an individual problem. Therefore it demands a population-based, multisectoral, multi-disciplinary, and culturally relevant approach.

Eid Mubarak to you all!