The coronavirus health crisis has changed the conventional lifestyles of people residing in all affected countries around the world significantly. Not only are people spending most of their daily time at home but are sleeping or consuming food at different hours than before, which may affect their health outcomes in a negative way. In fact, there may even be an increase in health issues due to the effects and changes brought by the pandemic.
For instance, the daily intake of people from all age groups ranging from children to older adults has changed in the past six months. The majority has cut down their time spent outside simply by getting long-lasting instant food that is not necessarily the healthiest.
In fact, much of the food that people bought during the early days of the pandemic in order to bring down the number of grocery trips is processed and contains empty calories. While consuming such foods is generally not recommended, having them once in a while is not as harmful.
However, if a person makes a habit of consuming such foods every day and adds them to the daily diet, it can become a problem and even cause long-term health consequences. Having caloric-rich foods with little to no nutrition can over time pave the way for weight gain and obesity, which is a risk factor for multiple other health conditions.
People who are overweight or obese can face a number of health issues including metabolic disorders, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many others. Therefore, health experts preventing the issue in the first place as it can be difficult to control it afterward along with its associated health conditions.
Recently, a report on public health has shown that the levels of obesity have increased since the start of the coronavirus crisis. Obesity, which was also considered a global pandemic prior to the spread of the novel coronavirus is not only a problem itself but can also worsen the current health crisis and even epidemics in the future.
Obese people are at higher risk of coronavirus and possibly any future pathogenic infections, which is why there is an emphasis on tackling the issue before it becomes a bigger problem than it is right now. So, what can people do at the moment?
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According to experts, improving diet and controlling weight are two primary steps to stop the problem of obesity from rising further. Many people may find it hard to do so because of the fear of contracting the coronavirus and the ongoing pandemic.
However, delaying appointments and buying instant foods to skip grocery store trips is not recommended. Instead, try to buy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and any other foods that can be both eaten alone as well as used in cooking.
Even if trips to the stores are increased because of this, following all suggested guidelines can reduce the risk of coronavirus significantly while buying groceries.
or exercise, try workouts which can be easily done at home without equipment or going out to parks and public gardens, both of which are usually empty, can also help and cut down chances of developing obesity.