Much is said about a healthy lifestyle. However, some people believe that a healthy lifestyle means a healthy diet. True or false? Dr. Sabrina Oggionni, dietitian of Humanitas Gavazzeni, answers this question.
“False. A healthy diet is certainly an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle, but it is not the only one – explains the expert. A healthy lifestyle also means giving up smoking, not exceeding with alcohol, giving oneself the right rest and, above all, exercising properly and regularly. Regular exercise is particularly important: physical activity is now considered an important factor in the prevention and management of major chronic diseases, in weight control, which is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (heart attack and stroke), oncological and metabolic (diabetes). There is a lot of scientific evidence in this regard, which shows health benefits even for those who have never practiced a sport before.
In fact, even moderate physical activity such as walking (according to the WHO at least 10,000 steps per day should be taken), or planned sports activities 2-3 times per week, depending on the basic health conditions, contributes both to energy consumption and to the maintenance/increase of muscle mass and also to the improvement of metabolism.
Therefore, paying attention to what you eat or only engage in physical activity but continue to smoke and eat incorrectly for example does not mean having a healthy lifestyle. To adopt a healthy lifestyle you need to follow a varied diet that includes preferably whole grains, vegetables and fruit, fresh meats especially white, fish, legumes, avoid smoking, avoid excess alcohol and perform regular physical activity looking for every opportunity to move, walk or climb the stairs.
