We all know that we should “eat healthy,” but let’s be honest: many of us, especially when we are feeling fine, do not give a second thought to the types of foods we are putting into our bodies, especially if they taste good, or satisfy a certain craving. All too often, it is only when we get sick that we begin to consider a change in lifestyle.
When people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, they are instructed by their physicians to cut down on sugar. If we find that we have high blood pressure or heart disease, we are told to watch our intake of fast foods. For those diagnosed with cancers, the treatment plan often includes an anti-inflammatory diet.
While it is key to make major changes in our food habits if we get sick, as it can certainly increase our chances of mitigating said illness, we often forget about prevention: that eating as healthy as possible now, even if you feel just fine, can greatly decrease your risk of a wide array of chronic illnesses.
Switching to a healthy diet now can also greatly reduce your dependency on a variety of medications. Currently, about 70 percent of Americans take some form of prescription drug – that’s an unbelievable number! While some of these are life-saving, many could be avoided, or reduced, through simply eating nutritious foods, exercising and cutting out the junk.
Sugar has been found to be a huge player in many chronic illnesses and conditions: not only type 2 diabetes, but also cancers and depression, to name just a few. Today’s wheat has been linked to system-wide inflammation, which can pave the way for many a chronic illness to take root.
Don’t forget the processed snacks and meals, as well as fast foods, that so many of us eat, which contain ingredient lists a mile long, full of unpronounceable chemical additives, preservatives, colorings, flavors, sweeteners and emulsifiers – none of which contribute to health, and many that deter from it.
Modern medicine in the Western world has become so advanced that many of us think that if we get sick, we can just pop a pill and everything will be ok. We have forgotten what our ancestors knew well: that what we put into our bodies is directly tied to the condition of our health.
Not only that, but most medications come with a long list of side effects, and can make you sicker in new ways while treating one specific ailment.
If we go back to our roots, and turn our mindset towards only eating that which will promote health, we can reduce our dependence on pharmaceuticals, and greatly raise our odds of living long, healthy lives.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.undergroundhealth.com/food-vs-medicine-diet-changes-come-prescriptions
