Good Eating

Your Insurance Policy for Good Health

from an article by Dr. Henry Lindlahr appearing in “Food For Health and Healing”.

When you take stock of the riches in your life, where does good health appear on the list? Like many people you likely count it as your single most precious asset. After all, being healthy allows you to fully enjoy the many other treasures that life offers.

You have health today but will you have health tomorrow? Does good health sometimes seem like an unpredictable blessing that can vanish without warning?

It’s true that some factors that influence your health are beyond your control - getting older, for example, or a family history of a particular disease.

But many factors are well within your control. Among them are whether you smoke, how much alcohol you drink, how physically active you are, and the food you eat.

Good eating and exercise can help prevent or delay a number of illnesses that can rob you of your zest for life or result in premature death. Need convincing? Scan this list of relationships between diet and disease established by years of scientific research. It’s an eye opener:

Low Calcium Intake can lead to osteoporosis, the crippling, bone-thinning disease that results in 1.5 million Americans each year. More than 28 million Americans, mostly women, are at risk of developing osteoporosis.

But, enough of dietary gloom and doom! A healthful eating plan chock-full of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and light on saturated fat from sources such as meat and dairy products does wonders for staying healthy and preventing disease, according to Byers. “National nutrition surveys show that the American diet is slowly improving,” he says. “Since the 1960s, we’ve gradually been eating more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat. At this same time, average blood cholesterol levels have declined.”

While other factors such as advances in medical treatment, the decline in smoking, and the trend to exercise also contributed to this improvement, diet is surly an essential part of the mix.

What does this all mean to you? It’s really good news. With the sure knowledge that medical science backs you up, you can now count healthful eating as your powerful ally for maintaining vibrant good health. And in this fast-paced world, isn’t it nice to know that making the right food choices is one important way you can take care of your health?