Health Promotion

The Basics of Health Promotion:

Control of your health starts with YOU!
What you eat and drink (and smoke) can influence your current well being and future health
By looking at your diet, alcohol consumption, exercise levels and habits you can help to prevent disease in the future
Preventative medicine is always preferable to reactive medicine (ie trying to sort things out when they have already started to go wrong)

Healthier Living:

Alcohol

Aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and/or vegetables a day
Look to eat more poultry and fish and less red meat
Try olive oil or polyunsaturated spreads instead of butter
Semi skimmed milk can be a palatable alternative to full fat milk
Limit your intake of cheese
Don't add salt to food there is already plenty in it
No more than 2-3 eggs a week and try not to fry them
Limit the caffeine, no more than a couple of cups of tea/coffee a day
Try baked potatoes, rice and pasta as an alternative to chips
Avoid too many junk food sessions - the occasional burger is fine but don't make it a weekly habit

Aim for at least 3 half hour sessions every week
You should feel out of breath during these sessions or you're not working hard enough
Remember brisk walking, swimming and cycling can be just as beneficial as working out in the gym

Most people realise that smoking is harmful to their health but stopping is not always easy
Smoking harms the lungs and heart and creates dependency and craving
Many people want to stop but never find the motivation or give up to easily
Our practice nurses and GPs are happy to advise you on how to stop
There are many options to address both the physical and psychological dependency on smoking
Remember its never to late to stop; you may not be able to reverse the damage but you can stop it from going any further