No single food or pill can help achieve optimal health

Islamabad
There is no single food, beverage, pill or gadget that can help a person to achieve optimal health. Anyone saying otherwise is either lying, or is a slick marketer. A person’s overall daily routine is the most important factor governing good health. Simple habit shifts, such as limiting the intake of saturated and trans-fats, and reducing added sugar and salt can do wonders for your health.
This piece of advice came from consultant dietitian at Shifa International Hospital Dr. Rezzan Khan, during an informal interaction that coincided with the end of the Nutrition Month, which is globally observed in the month of March every year.
“The healthy lifestyle which most people aspire to achieve can actually be adopted without giving up on the foods that they enjoy. You want to essentially consume a variety of foods within and among the basic food groups while staying within energy needs,” Dr. Rezzan pointed out, while emphasising the need for consumers to understand the importance of where they get their nutrition information from.
“Nutrition advice can help achieve one’s goals for weight loss, benefit from functional foods, manage food allergies, or to better understand menu and food labels. Misinformation from individuals who are untrained or unqualified in nutrition can be a waste of time, money, and at worst, will kill or cripple you,” Dr. Rezzan went to the extent of saying. She called upon consumers to seek advice from Dietitian Nutritionists (DNs) so that they can benefit from accurate, safe and timely nutrition information.
Chronic medical conditions are sweeping the society, with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, kidney, or liver diseases unnecessarily afflicting people due to poor nutritional habits. People seek the advice of DNx because they either wish to avoid, or are already suffering from these chronic conditions. DNs are food and nutrition experts, who translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. A DN can help you to safely improve your diet without damaging the taste or nutrition associated with food.
“Engage in regular physical activity and reduce sedentary activities to promote health, psychological well-being, and a healthy body weight. There is no magic bullet or one-size-fits-all approach to healthy eating. Indeed, DNs can help you to achieve your health goals by using their expertise to develop personalised lifestyle plans for you. They do this on an individual basis by learning about your specific tastes, lifestyle needs and health concerns, and providing you the nutritional and lifestyle plans you need to achieve your health goals,” Dr. Rezzan explained.
The DN has the expertise to employ medical facts extracted from population-based science, and to apply these to individual cases. People without sufficient training in human nutrition cannot do this, even if they happen to be fully trained medical doctors.
Nutrition is also closely related to behaviors such as food preparation, food choices, physical activity, etc. The most important goal of the DN is to understand the patient, help them understand the impact of continuing their existing behavior, make motivated changes to their lifestyle, and thus improve and maintain their enhanced quality of life. This behavioral therapy approach helps individuals to develop a set of skills to achieve a healthier life.
“The success rates are outstanding; at the Shifa Nutrition Department, we have rates of improved lifestyle changes that are many times what are achieved by those without the benefit of access to our experts. Indeed, the vast majority of our patients retain their new healthier habits and have an enhanced quality of life well after their Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) programme has concluded,” Dr. Rezzan stated.
Shifa International organised a series of public awareness activities, interactive seminars, free nutritional screening and assessment, and counseling sessions for those seeking to improve their health and lifestyles.