I’m all for cutting corners in the right places to save waste, time and money. But not whenit comes to your health. This includes purchasingthe best health insurance you can afford, finding doctors and a health facility youtrust, making sure your home and environment are toxin free,and following an optimum eating, hydrating and exercise regimen. You can be proactive about all of these or learn the hard way.
The good news is you don’t have to spend a lot of time and moneyto make healthy changes. Diet and exercise are two of the simplest and most cost-effective.While there are many factors to your health you cannot control such as genetics,you have many choices with the foods you eat for your health.The American Institute of Cancer Research estimates that 340,000 causes of cancer in the USA wouldbe prevented simply by eating healthier, moving more and maintaining a healthy weight.
Why waste money on food that is bad for you when you can spend it on better food? Somesay it’s a matter of saving time.Packaged foods areeasier to prepare. Others say it’s a matter of saving money.Organic foods cost more. For some it’s a matter of accessibility. Fresh fruits and vegetables are harder to find insome communities where local food shopping is done in a convenience store.
But you are not really saving when it is a cost to your health.Most processed foods contain high amounts ofone of more of the big “S” bombs:sugar, sodium andsaturated fat. Consumed in excess they can lead to a myriad of problems, including obesity, Type2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease,high blood pressure. cancer and other chronic diseases.
What’s even more frustratingis much of the cheap food is being peddledby facilities we trust for our well-being.I’ll never understand whyhospitals and health care centers serve such poor quality food to the people they are helping to heal. I’ll never understand why schools have vending machines filled with junk food and sodas for young people to purchase. And why do food manufacturersget away with producing and marketing foods that are clearlyunhealthywhen consumed in excess, while the government requires a health warninglabel for everybottle of wine?
Ofcourse, as long as people buy the junk, companies will make thejunk. Changing a system is a lot harder than changing your own habits.The reality is, there is a high cost to buying cheap food. Poor health comes at a big price: diminished quality of life, fatigue and stress for you and your family, lack of productivity, lost days of work and/or income, canceled plans and expensive medical bills.
You never fully know how valuableyour health is until you lose it.
