With the pandemic still not over, we are not only required to follow health protocols but also to maintain and boost our immune system. One of them is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and consuming nutritious food. Balanced nutrition is a nutritional intake that contains nutrients in the type and amount according to individual needs, through emphasis on the principles of food and beverage diversity, clean living behavior, physical activity, and regular weight monitoring. This is important to do in the midst of a pandemic to maintain immunity and avoid disease vulnerability, especially the Covid-19 virus.
“The step we need to take is to put aside our appetite, and replace it with the principle of balanced nutrition,” said Dr. Anna Maurina Singal, M.Gizi, Sp.GK (Specialist Physician and Clinical Nutrition Consultant of UI Hospital). She also emphasized that individuals should not compare nutritional needs, because each individual has different nutritional fulfillment. Furthermore, he conveyed several aspects that affect the nutritional differences of each individual such as gender, age, weight, height, and activity. “These five things will affect the intake of nutrients in the body in each individual,” said Dr. Anna.
In delivering the education, Anna also reminded the public to be more familiar with the nutritional components eaten by each individual. Recognizing the types of food consumed should be explored when one eats breakfast, lunch or dinner. This aims to determine the level of nutrients that have entered the body in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
Not only is it healthy and nutritious, but the nutrients that enter the body must be balanced. This means that the types of nutrients that go in and out are neither deficient nor excessive. When the body is out of balance, there will be two conditions: surplus and deficit. A surplus condition occurs when the calories or energy that enter the body are much greater than those that are expended. This will have a negative impact on the body, namely the condition of excess body weight or obesity.
Unlike a surplus, a deficit condition occurs because the amount of calories or energy taken in is much less than what is expended. This will result in a thin body and a lack of nutrients. We should avoid these two conditions in order to avoid several disease complications that will occur such as gastritis. A condition to be aware of is when someone is under stress. Stress can trigger a person to eat uncontrollably, and even unconsciously become obese in the future. This is something that every individual should be aware of.
In her presentation, Dr. Anna also said that obese people should be more careful in consuming food. If you have an irregular diet, this can leave your body vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. In addition, Dr. Anna also urges people who often eat out to remain vigilant and assess whether the food consumed contains proper nutrients or not. He also reminds us to pay attention to the portion size of each individual when eating out must be adjusted to what is needed by the body. For individuals who are undernourished, this may be due to having low muscle mass. Muscle mass is very important to maintain because it is a reserve of protein substances in the body.
This education was organized by Universitas Indonesia Hospital (Rumah Sakit Universitas Indonesia, RS UI) live Instagram (@rs.ui) on Friday (14/01). This activity was themed Ask The Expert with the topic “Managing Balanced Nutrition for a Healthier Life”.
