Our health is affected every day by things that we don’t even notice. The human body is a fragile system that is impacted greatly by things as small as the can of coke you had with your lunch, or the presence of printers in your office. You can never clearly know what is harmful to your health and how to prevent it without proper knowledge.
You might be following various diets and exercise routines to stay healthy but things that you hear from people around you, isn’t always the truth. And especially when it involves something as crucial as your health, you shouldn’t take any chances.
How does indoor air quality affect our health?
The air that you are breathing everyday in your home and office could be harmful to your health and it is important for you to understand how poor indoor air quality is a matter of concern. Air pollutants present in the indoor air (pollens, dust, NOx, VOCs, molds and the most harmful of them all, PM2.5) directly impact the respiratory system in your body. These pollutants enter the air from our common day to day activities (motor vehicles, cooking) and household products (paints, hobby supplies, printers, refrigerators)
These pollutants travel through the nose and the mouth to the lungs and reduce the lung function, affect the pulmonary function, and the neurological systems. They can even trigger asthma and heart attacks on prolonged exposure to poor indoor air quality. However in the short term, they cause coughing, wheezing and airway inflammation which can easily be confused with symptoms of cold, but these are early symptoms related to air pollution health impacts and should not be ignored.
How can nutrition help against poor indoor air quality
There are several measure that you can take to improve the indoor air quality in your home, office and other building. And it might surprise some of you but combining the right nutrition with monitoring the indoor air prevent the damage caused to your body by indoor air pollution. Let’s take you through this step by step.
Nutrition and PM2.5
Nutrition can modify the possible effects of PM2.5 on the body. Nutrition from whole foods, especially food rich in vitamin E and Vitamin C like fruits and green vegetables, can considerably reduce oxidative stress associated with PM2.5. Fish oils also help in reducing the oxidative stress from PM2.5 exposure and also reduce the effect of other PM2.5 effects on the body.
Apart from this, nutrition is essential for you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Including fruits, vegetables and greens in your diet will help you in living healthier. Cutting out junk food, sugar, processed food is also necessary for your body’s health.
Monitoring the air and improving the indoor air quality
Air pollutants are present in the poor indoor air quality that you cannot see with the naked eye. Monitoring the indoor air helps you see the invisible pollutants that are reducing the indoor air quality Air monitors help you in identifying the pollutants present in the indoor air and estimating the level of each pollutant. Smart air quality monitors from brands like Kaiterra, Awair, can even help in monitoring the level of humidity in your indoor air. Ideally, a level of 30-50% of humidity should be maintained for good indoor air quality. Humidity higher than this can lead to the formation of molds, which are poisonous fungal air pollutants that harm the human health.
Reducing the level of air pollution altogether and eating right will not only just improve your indoor air quality but also lead you to a healthy life. Change your lifestyle and improve your indoor air quality to improve yours and your family’s health.
