Masks on. Stay two meters apart. Wash your hands often. Even if we are already two years into a pandemic, we still cringe when we hear someone sneeze or cough in public, more so when it’s someone near us. We have never been this cautious about our health, or as interested in knowing the latest updates on cases and variants. We even know the ideal daily dosage of Vitamin C.
But before you stock up on those fruit juices, hear this out. In the season ender of SUPERHUMAN, host Wil Dasovich and his finale guest, Dr. Dex Macalintal, a registered nutritionist and lifestyle medicine physician, talk about the nuances of our immunity and how to best double down on our health. Here are the best takeaways from the episode, to help you stay in the best of health during the pandemic.
Nutrition is key.
The best time to address sickness is before you get sick. The risks related to the top noncommunicable diseases in the Philippines, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, can be greatly reduced by reducing salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats from our diets.
Keep it simple. Read the labels when choosing what food to buy for your weekly grocery run. The shorter the ingredient list, the better; if you can go for the non-processed food item, even better. If you are unsure about the ideal mix of food on your plate, you can ask your doctor or a nutritionist.
Just move.
Begin the day with exercise. Raising your heart rate releases endorphins. Moreover, it improves your metabolism, which allows your body to burn more calories in its resting state and process nutrients better.
If you can’t get your sweat on earlier in the day, exercise at a time most sustainable for you. What matters is not the time of day, but the long-term viability of your lifestyle change.
Community helps you stay healthy.
The mental stress and anguish caused by long periods of isolation can impact your immunity. The pandemic limited many of our in-person interactions. However, physical distancing does not have to mean social distancing. Community and meaningful interactions with other people are crucial to our mental and physical health. Connect with your loved ones as much as you can (while still following minimum health safety protocols, of course).
A medical consult is just a button away.
Given the constraints of mobility and the recommendation to avoid risky areas, people have been visiting the doctor’s office online. Telemedicine and the applications that enable it are now available to many. With more healthcare professionals joining networks, the medical expert you need can easily be recommended by the one you initially consulted.
AIA Philippines, the country’s premier life insurance company, recently introduced Total Health Solution, an ecosystem accessible through a single touchpoint platform that can help you live better so you are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle, protect better so you have peace of mind that you are prepared for life’s uncertainties, and get better, giving you access to healthcare needs should you find yourself unwell.
With Total Health Solution, you have the support you need
anytime, anywhere. Healthcare needs such as teleconsulting, medicine purchase
via delivery, vaccine administration, and discounted laboratory procedures are
easily accessible. Within the ecosystem, you can view your
policies and make changes. You can also be reminded when premiums are due.
About AIA Philippines
AIA Philippines (AIA Philippines Life and General Insurance Company), formerly AIA Philam Life (The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company), is the country’s premier life insurance company. Originally established on 21 June 1947 as Philam Life, AIA Philippines has earned the trust of customers for its financial strength, strong brand name, and ability to deliver on its promises.
AIA Philippines has PHP291.63 billion in total assets[1] and PHP80.20 billion in net worth[2] as of 31 December 2020, while serving over 800,000 individual policyholders and almost 1,000,000 insured group members.
AIA Philippines understands the needs of its customers and provides holistic solutions that include life protection, health insurance, savings, education, retirement, investment, group, and credit life insurance. It also offers bancassurance and fund management products and services through its subsidiaries—BPI AIA Life Assurance Corporation (formerly BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corporation) and Philam Asset Management Inc. (PAMI).
Based on the Insurance Commission results as of 31 December 2020, the combined total premium income of AIA Philippines and BPI AIA was at PHP33.06 billion.
AIA Philippines is a member of AIA Group Limited, the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group.
About AIA
AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR[3], Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, Brunei and Macau SAR[4], and a 49 per cent joint venture in India.
The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai more than a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in Asia (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$330 billion as of 30 June 2021.
AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia, AIA serves the holders of more than 39 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.
AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).
[1] Based on the 2020 annual
accounts Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.
[2] Based on the 2020 annual
accounts Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.
[3] Hong Kong SAR refers to
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
[4] Macau SAR refers to
Macau Special Administrative Region.
For the full season finale and more podcast episodes on
ordinary people doing extraordinary things, tune in to SUPERHUMAN with Wil Dasovich on Spotify. You can also visit the YouTube
page of Dr. Dex Macalintal to get your weekly dose of nutrition information.
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