The beginning of a new decade brings new resolutions to improve one's life, including a healthier lifestyle. Here are 20 practical health tips to help you get started on a healthy lifestyle in 2020.

1. Maintain a healthy diet

Consume a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Adults should consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables (400g) per day. You can increase your intake of fruits and vegetables by including them in all of your meals, snacking on fresh fruit and vegetables, eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, and eating them in season. You can lower your risk of malnutrition and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer by eating healthy.

2. Reduce your intake of salt and sugar.

Filipinos consume twice the recommended amount of sodium, increasing their risk of high blood pressure and, as a result, heart disease and stroke. The majority of people get their sodium from salt. Reduce your daily salt intake to 5g, or about one teaspoon. This is made easier by using less salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, and other high-sodium condiments when preparing meals; removing salt, seasonings, and condiments from your meal table; avoiding salty snacks; and choosing low-sodium products.

Excess sugar consumption, on the other hand, increases the risk of tooth decay and unhealthy weight gain. Free sugar intake should be kept to less than 10% of total energy intake in both adults and children. This is approximately 50g or 12 teaspoons for an adult. For additional health benefits, the WHO recommends consuming less than 5% of total energy intake. You can limit your sugar intake by avoiding sugary snacks, candies, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

3. Limit your intake of unhealthy fats.

Fat consumption should not exceed 30% of total energy intake. This will aid in the prevention of unhealthy weight gain and NCDs. There are various types of fats, but unsaturated fats are preferred over saturated and trans fats. WHO recommends limiting saturated fats to less than 10% of total energy intake, trans fats to less than 1% of total energy intake, and unsaturated fats to replace both saturated and trans fats.

Unsaturated fats are found in fish, avocado, and nuts, as well as sunflower, soybean, canola, and olive oils; saturated fats are found in fatty meat, butter, palm and coconut oil, cream, cheese, ghee, and lard; and trans fats are found in baked and fried foods, as well as pre-packaged snacks and foods like frozen pizza, cookies, and biscuits.

4. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

There is no such thing as a safe level of alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption can cause mental and behavioural disorders, including alcohol dependence, as well as major NCDs such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers, and heart disease, as well as injuries from violence and road clashes and collisions.