Today we are aware that enhancing our diet is the first step to take in order to improve the length and quality of our life. If you follow a healthy diet, you help your body to prevent diseases and maintain a good physical as well as mental health. 

Changing pathology and health indicators are due to the changes in our essential nutrition, as well as to psychological stress and physical sedentarity. 

As researches confirmed the link between poor unbalanced diets and modern diseases, people became more concerned about enhancing their diets. Results of a study conducted in 44 countries, led to the conclusion that the lowest incidence of cancer appeared in countries where the traditional diet is preserved, based on corn, rice, soybeans and wheat, and the most exposed are the countries where it is used widely modern nutrition (European countries, the United States, Australia). 
 
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a substance vital to the body that plays an important role in the production of acids, hormones and vitamin D. But a high level of cholesterol may have fatal effects on the body: blood circulation disorders, heart attack or stroke.  The total cholesterol in the blood is made up of LDL cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) cholesterol or "bad" cholesterol and HDL cholesterol (high density lipoproteins) or "good" cholesterol. Large amounts of LDL are considered "bad" because it blocks the arteries and lead to arteriosclerosis and high HDL levels are considered "good" because they fight deposits in the walls of blood vessels. Low HDL levels are associated with increasing risk of coronary arteriosclerosis. It is known that physical activity increases HDL level. 

Diabetes
The key to maintaining or to losing weight or body depends on tracking the calorie intake in your nutrition. If you have diabetes or a body mass higher than the normal, you can lose several kilograms by reducing the number of calories, while choosing an appropriate menu, so you can help decrease glucose levels in your blood. An unhealthy diet can lead to obesity. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs as a result of a high level of glucose in the blood. It occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin produced. Excessive consumption of fat and protein may increase insulin resistance which can result in type 2 diabetes, the most widespread form of diabetes known as the “adult age diabetes”. People can improve diabetic condition through a proper diet, according to the type of disease and choosing a healthy lifestyle, and taking the appropriate medical treatment.

Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart and blood vessels, and a major cause of a reduced quality of life. However, cardiovascular disease can be entirely prevented.  Signs and symptoms of cardiovascular are: breathlessness, pain, palpitations, cough, haemoptysis, fever and hoarseness. 

The risk factors of these diseases are divided into 2 categories, namely:

 A. risk factors related to lifestyle:

• Smoking: A smoker has 2-4 times higher risk of suffering cardiovascular disease. After quitting smoking for more than 5 years, the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases become equal to that of a non-smoker. 

• Food: A balanced diet prevents occurrence of obesity. It is better to eat fresh or cooked vegetables, poultry, fish, cow cheese, yogurts and fresh fruit. Avoid excessive salt and animal fat (butter, bard, lard, fatty meat, and sausage), sour cream, whipped cream, fat cheese, mayonnaise, eggs, fries, cookies, chocolate, juices sweetened with sugar.

• Solid fats for frying have been hydrogenated to solidify. Hydrogenation leads to the appearance of "trans" fat, which increases cholesterol levels.

• Discard any type of fried food! If you cannot do that, change the oil regularly.

• Sedentarity: one of the risk factors specific to modern life. Exercising prevents heart diseases, maintains a normal blood pressure and increases metabolism, reducing the risk of obesity.

• Excessive alcohol consumption: the consumption of alcohol in large quantities has severe health consequences. It increases the risk of ischemic cardiopathy, sudden death or cerebral vascular diseases, liver and pancreatic diseases, gastro duodenal ulcer, and peripheral neuropathy.

• The excessive consumption of coffee (more than 2-3 cups / day) can cause high blood pressure and heart pulse rate and the occurrence of heart rhythm disorders.

• Stress: in time, the accumulation of stress, can lead to a pronounced degree of fatigue, increases blood pressure and cardiac frequency and, in extreme cases leads to the occurrence of a heart attack or a stroke.

B. risk factors related to the presence of associated diseases:

• hypertension: a common disease whose risk is higher because it is asymptomatic. Therefore, the treatment recommended by doctors is to be followed rigorously, because, despite good general condition in the beginning, if left untreated for a long time it affects the heart, kidneys, brain and blood vessels. Keep it under control by maintaining a normal body weight, regular physical activity, reducing salt consumption, avoiding smoking and consumption of alcohol and coffee, avoiding stressful situations when possible.

• diabetes: is a metabolic imbalance of use of carbohydrates in food. Normally, glycemia (concentration of glucose in the blood) should be 70-120 mg / dl mornings without eating, and glycosuria (glucose concentration in urine) should be null. There are two types of diabetes: insulin-dependent (type I) and insulin-independent (type II), both associated with an increased risk of occurrence of cardiovascular disease, therefore, diabetics must follow a very rigorous treatment.

• dislipidemy: is defined by a metabolic imbalance of lipids (fats) in blood. Of these, the most probable for the risk of occurrence of artery sclerosis are triglycerides and cholesterol. Atherosclerosis is a vascular disease located foremost on major elastic arteries and muscular arteries of the body. LDL-C is considered "bad” cholesterol because he is the one who deposits on the wall of arteries and produce the artery sclerosis lesions. In contrast, HDL-C is called "good cholesterol" because it has a role proven anti aterogenous. Triglycerides are an important source of energy for the body. Increased values are due to improper nourishment on excessive fats or sweets or hereditary factors. 

• obesity: obesity is calculated through body fatness index (BMI) which is the ratio between body mass (kg) and height (m). Normal BMI values are between 22-25 kg / m2. Besides cardiovascular diseases, obesity leads to other diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, digestive diseases (biliary lithiasis, irritable colon), gouty arthritis, respiratory disorders.