Table of Contents
In the recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on the impact of lifestyle on an individual’s health. Many scholars believe that lifestyle choices have a significant contribution to people’s health. For this reason, healthcare providers have given attention to different lifestyle diseases and sought to determine how different populations can address their health issues through lifestyle changes (Stanley & Laugharne, 2014). The role of nutrition in promoting health is one of the important topics that have dominated health care research. There is evidence that the foods peoples consume have the potential to determine their health outcomes. Other lifestyle factors such as regular physical exercise are also significant influences on various health outcomes. Undoubtedly, lifestyle choices significantly determine the population’s health outcomes. This paper will demonstrate how different lifestyle factors register an impact on a person’s health.
Discussion
Many studies have demonstrated that dietary choices determine a person’s vulnerability to different diseases. Several diseases have been associated with certain lifestyle choices. Chronic illnesses are more prevalent in populations that have poor nutritional choices. Over the years, people have increased their understanding of how lifestyle choices can influence their health outcomes. Unhealthy eating is a significant contributor to the development of chronic illnesses (Chirinos et al., 2016). These chronic illnesses have registered a financial burden on the healthcare sector. For this reason, many scholars have focused on understanding how dietary choices affect health outcomes. The studies have sought to determine both short-term and long-term effects of different dietary choices.
The association between food and health is an intriguing topic of study that helps scholars to evaluate the impact of different foods on body functioning. Such an understanding is necessary for helping healthcare providers to reduce the prevalence of certain diseases. It is imperative to appreciate the body’s nutritional needs and how to meet them successfully. For many people, food choices do not depend on the nutritional values of different food products. As a result, unhealthy eating is a common factor among many people who eventually developed chronic illnesses (Kessler & Alverson, 2013). It is possible to prevent the development of many diseases by altering the foods that an individual consumes. The general population needs to understand the existing relationship between food choices and the increased susceptibility to different diseases.
Healthcare providers have an important role in helping communities and individual patients to recognize the impact of dietary choices on health. Healthcare providers carry out health promotion practices that create a platform for educating the public on the association between food choices and health outcomes. Healthcare providers serve as the only reliable source of information for many patients (Kim, 2011). For this reason, health promotion practices seek to define different lifestyle factors and their impact on body functioning. Healthcare providers need to prepare patients adequately before they can embark on healthier lifestyle choices. It is apparent that the long-term effects of a non-balanced diet result in the increased susceptibility to various diseases. In agreement with the available evidence, the only way to reverse such diseases is the adoption of healthier eating habits. The emphasis on healthy eating has its basis on the fact that people recognize the manner in which the food affects different body processes (Plowman & Smith, 2014). The metabolic rate is one of the unique aspects on which healthy eating focuses. Promote healthy eating serves as a reliable solution in reducing the risk of developing various diseases. As a result, it is explicit that lifestyle choices determine whether a person can enjoy good health and a longer lifespan.
Certain foods contain antioxidants, anti-inflammatory attributes, and other components that are responsible for promoting health. Understanding the value of such foods and their nutritional value can lead to wiser food choices. The wiser food choices often register a general improvement in the body’s functioning. Scholars have categorized some foods into Superfoods because of their unique characteristics that make them desirable foods for protecting an individual from diseases (Farooqui & Farooqui, 2015). Positive lifestyle choices register desirable health outcomes. Healthy eating is one of the positive lifestyle choices that help in the prevention of numerous diseases. Individuals who embrace healthy eating have better health outcomes and are likely to enjoy a longer lifespan. Such individuals appreciate the connection between food choices and a person’s health. Healthy eating involves a proper balance of the main food groups and the consumption of nutrient-dense foods at regulated portions (Plowman & Smith, 2014). Healthcare providers are usually keen on influencing patients to embrace healthy eating habits and enjoy numerous health benefits. Various studies have demonstrated that food is the most important element that determines a person’s wellbeing. Eating healthy contributes to weight loss and makes a person’s immune system highly competent. The emphasis on healthy eating has been a strategy for promoting positive health outcomes among vulnerable populations.
Unhealthy food choices pose a threat to people’s health. These foods include processed foods, fried foods, table sugar, sugary baked foods, and all products sold in fast food restaurants. The consumption of such foods leads to the accumulation of fat around the abdomen. Abdominal fat has been identified as the most critical factor in the development of chronic illnesses (Farooqui & Farooqui, 2015). Many of the fried foods only increase the cholesterol in the body, a factor that contributes to an increased risk of developing heart diseases. Unhealthy foods pose a great danger to the health of individuals because they are the major culprit in the development of obesity, type II diabetes, and various cardiovascular diseases (Plowman & Smith, 2014). Additionally, the consumption of unhealthy foods leads to an increased risk of developing cancer. In the twenty-first century, all researchers have linked dietary choices with health outcomes. Vulnerable populations are likely to consume unhealthy foods because they lack the required knowledge to make informed choices. The long-term effects of unhealthy eating often become a major burden to an individual.
Regular physical exercise is also a key determinant of a person’s life. Individuals who participate in 150 minutes of training are likely to exhibit limited vulnerability to developing lifestyle diseases. The participation in different forms of exercise serves a booster to human health. Regular exercise energizes a person’s body and makes it more competent in the prevention of diseases (Stanley & Laugharne, 2014). For this reason, healthcare providers have advised all individuals to engage in different forms of exercise. Such an engagement and the maintenance of an active lifestyle contribute to better health outcomes compared to the lack of exercise. Scholars agree that physical exercise is the main contributor to the enhancement of a healthy life that is free from diseases. Cardio exercises prepare the heart for higher levels of activity.
Smoking is an additional lifestyle factor that registers a major impact on health. Different studies have demonstrated that smoking is a major contributor to the development of different diseases such as cancer, respiratory, and heart diseases. Smokers have a shorter lifespan and are vulnerable to developing different chronic illnesses. Smoking is a predictor of negative health outcomes. Smokers are less likely to experience positive health outcomes when they grow older (Chirinos et al., 2016). The older adults who have been smoking throughout their adult life present negative health outcomes compared to non-smokers. Each study investigating the health effects of smoking has revealed that smoking adversely affects a person’s health and leads to complex health conditions. There are a significant number of people who are making efforts of quitting smoking after realizing that the habit registers the highest number of health risks.
Smoking has been identified as one of the risk factors in the development of chronic illnesses that require extensive care. Unfortunately, some members of the public do not recognize the potential effects of smoking. In their view, smoking represents one of the lifestyle factors that make one vulnerable to various diseases. Smoking enhances the adverse effects of asthma and can lead to death in individuals with certain fatal diseases (Plowman & Smith, 2014). The lack of quality health information explains why patients are likely to ignore the specific instructions of healthcare providers (Kessler & Alverson, 2013). For many years, healthcare providers have served as advocates of quitting smoking with the core objective of enjoying better life outcomes. Smoking increases the vulnerability to developing stroke and coronary heart diseases compared to all other lifestyle choices. Smoking, coupled with unhealthy eating habits, can register adverse health effects such as death or increased morbidity.
Smoking has been highlighted as a major risk factor for different types of cancer. Individuals who have a hereditary gene that may make them vulnerable to developing different types of cancer are at more risk of acquiring the disease if they are smokers. Quitting smoking serves as the most important step in the prevention of certain diseases (Kim, 2011). The healthcare sector has experienced a significant level of the financial burden associated with the treatment and management of cancer. For this reason, healthcare providers have emphasized the benefits of a smoke free life. It is imperative to understand whether the smokers feel at risk of developing different chronic illnesses. A smoker’s overall health is usually negative because of the adverse health risks. There is evidence that adopting a smoking a smoking free life can help an individual to attain numerous health benefits (Plowman & Smith, 2014). Particularly, quitting smoking makes respiratory infections less prevalent. However, the continued use of tobacco or cigarettes makes it impossible for the user to associate the habit with the observed negative outcomes.
Having an adequate sleep is also a lifestyle factor that may affect a person’s wellbeing. Particularly, healthy sleep ranges from six to eight hours. Unfortunately, a great percentage of the population does not recognize that the lack of sleep may bring about several complications. The normal cycle that the body follows is sensitive to any changes in sleep. Many people only sleep for a few hours, making their bodies unable to enjoy positive health outcomes. Disrupting the sleep routines represents an unhealthy practice that affects the normal mechanisms responsible for growth and repair (Farooqui & Farooqui, 2015). Many health care providers do not emphasize the need for healthy sleep. The most important aspect of promoting healthy sleep is to sleep and wake up at the same tie of each day. Such a plan is likely to reinforce a person’s commitment to have enough sleep. It is explicit that healthy sleep is a critical determinant of the health outcomes of different processes brought about by the development of an alternative option as a way of boosting healthy sleep (Plowman & Smith, 2014). Without sleep, the body is unable to rejuvenate and becomes prone to the development of various diseases. Adjusting to six to eight hours of undisrupted sleep is the only viable solution for ensuring that body mechanisms function well. Without adequate sleep, it is difficult to foster the health of the immune system as well as that of other body systems.
Lifestyle factors have a direct link to a person’s body mass index. Diet and body mass index have a direct relationship because poor diet increases the body mass index of an individual. Additionally, diet determines a person’s ability to keep away certain diseases and embrace positive behaviors that will reinforce the commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Substance abuse has become a major lifestyle factor that alters the cognitive abilities of users. Different studies have demonstrated that individuals who practice substance abuse may begin to increase their vulnerability to different diseases (Kim, 2011). Scholars have introduced recommendations on how to ensure that substance abuse does not become a major factor when discussing a person’s health outcomes. Some of the substances that people abuse can alter the normal body functioning and lead to addiction.
Addiction makes it impossible for the individuals to quit substance abuse. However, with therapy, individuals can develop a personalized program that helps in dealing with additions and increase susceptibility to diseases. Substance abuse is a potential cause of death for individuals who are unable to quit the habit (Plowman & Smith, 2014). There have been cases of substance overdose that lead to complications that are irreversible. Undoubtedly, substance abuse has been categorized as a significant lifestyle factor that can increase morbidity and mortality. It is imperative to quit substance abuse and embrace the use of natural foods that increase food outcomes. Recent studies have revealed that there is a need for an active strategy to determine the effects of the substance on the overall health of an individual (Stanley & Laugharne, 2014). It is apparent that abusing different substances affects the users in a manner that is unique to the victim. Substance abuse is treatable if the user gets access to an interesting and capable therapist who can take the patient through the entire process.
Conclusion
Studies that associate lifestyle factors with poor health make it clear that there is a need for people to adopt positive life changes. Negative lifestyle changes only worsen the health effects. However, it is imperative to understand how lifestyle factors may either increase or decrease a person’s vulnerability to diseases. Eating a healthy diet, having regular exercise, avoiding smoking, and other substances, as well as having enough rest and sleep may contribute to better health outcomes. The emphasis on lifestyle changes seeks to empower the general population to embrace a better understanding of how lifestyle choices may adversely compromise an individual’s future and lifespan (Kessler & Alverson, 2013). If people embrace positive lifestyle choices, they are more likely to enjoy well-being and positive health outcomes. The positive lifestyle choices include healthy eating, quitting smoking, having an adequate sleep, as well as avoiding substance abuse. Healthcare providers must help members of the public to identify the existing relationship between lifestyle choices and the development of the diseases.
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