Insuring Health vs. Health Insurance

Regardless of whether we are required to purchase medical insurance, know that we can only buy real health insurance in the produce section of the local supermarket.

Certainly, some aspects of medical insurance coverage are in need of reform.  But a much greater need exists – the need for Americans to reform their health by reforming their diets.   -Dr. Joel Fuhrman

I really believe this!   Type II Diabetes is a life-style disease.  Heart disease is preventable and reversible.  Cancer risk is also largely tied to lifestyle. The American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that about one-third of common cancers could be prevented by following a healthy diet, exercising, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Why don't more people do something about it?  Why are Americans so unhealthy?  Are people really so uninformed?

Is it that: 

A)  They think these diseases just happen and there's nothing they can do about it?

B)  They truly don't know what a healthy diet is?

C)  They've decided that it's just too hard to eat healthy food?

D)   All of the above. 

If your answer was A,  You might want to read The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell for research on the connection between what we eat and disease.  I found it very interesting and I wondered as I read it why I'd never heard this stuff before!  Another one that's an easier read is the Culprit and the Cure by Steven Aldana.

If you answered B, you should read Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat For Health or Eat To Live.  His focus is on eating the most nutrient dense foods possible and he tells you which foods those are.  I also follow his blog diseaseproof.com

If you answered C, there are a bunch of people who blog about following a healthy diet and they have some great recipes.  Some that I follow: are Green Smoothie Girl, My Green Diet, Unconventional Kitchen, Super Healthy Kids, and WHOLEmade.  It's not hard to eat healthy.  It's kind of fun trying new recipes and using new ingredients.  It also makes it easier knowing you're not the only one.  Healthy eating means different things to different people.  I take what I want from these blogs and ignore the rest.  You do what's right for you, right?

If you're answer was D (like mine) you've got a lot of reading to do!

 

Eat The Rainbow

Do you want to do the 5 A Day Challenge with me?  You've heard that you should eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, right?  Well this challenge is even better for you- to eat one fruit or veggie of each color daily.  The National Cancer Institute and the Utah Department of Health have this handy flier.  They've divided the fruits and veggies  into 5 color groups.  Each group contains different phytonutrients which of course have different health benefits.
For example:
The Red Group (think tomatoes and strawberries) contains phytonutrients like lycopene and anthocyanins.  Lycopene reduces breast and skin cancer risks, while anthocyanins reduce your risk of heart attack and Alzheimer's Disease.
The Green Group (broccoli, kiwi & spinach) supplies you with lutein for good vision and cancer fighting indoles.  Carrots and oranges contain beta-carotene and bioflavenoids, both powerful anti-oxidants.  Then there's the Blue/Purple group that can slow the effects of aging and reduce memory loss.  The White Group will boost your immunity and help lower cholesterol and blood pressure because Onions and Garlic contain Allicin. You can click here to download your own nifty copy.  I have one hanging inside my pantry door.  My kids are learning this all with me.
Click here for a pdf of the Colorful Choices Log to help you (or your kids) keep track of your food color choices each day. 

Motivation from my Google Reader

Sites I follow that motivate and inspire me to eat right or get moving!
Trainer Momma  Mandi is a certified personal trainer and certified nutrition and wellness consultant.  She posts workouts, recipes, giveaways, and answers questions from readers.  She also posts really helpful videos demonstrating how to do different exercises.
Super Healthy Kids Amy is all about teaching kids healthy eating habits. She posts weekly kid friendly menus along with recipes, tips and ideas for raising Super Healthy Kids.  Oh, and she has some great giveaways! 
Disease Proof.com  Dr. Joel Fuhrman is the author of Eat to Live and Eat For Health. Disease Proof is his blog. It's a forum to promote discussion on diet, fitness, health and green living.

Another site that I visit from time to time is Prevention.com. 
Health Tracker  I use the Health Tracker on Prevention.com to get an idea of how many calories I'm actually eating and burning off with different types of exercise. I can also track my weight and measurements.  It has all kinds of reports and graphs you can use to track your progress.  It will also tell you if you're getting the RDA of vitamins and minerals and all that fun stuff.