Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
There was once a story about a small town, located in the valley, and the only way to get there was to drive on a narrow road, down into the valley. The problem was many people kept driving off the cliff. The city met and decided to invest in an ambulance, which stayed busy night and day. So the town decided it had better build a larger hospital, and hire more Doctors and nurses to man the hospital. Of course, they needed a bigger pharmacy to handle all the prescriptions written for all the injuries and better roads for people to get there. So of course, the Undertaker stayed busy as well. With all the new additions to the town, it grew. The town folks met again because they did not like that their small town had become such a big city, and so after much thought, they decided the best way to handle folks driving off the cliff, was to build a railing.
How much does your lifestyle cost you?
- We spend more than 304 billion dollars a year in the diagnosis and treatment of Diabetes.
- We spend about 360 billion a year treating heart disease and stroke
- We spend about 160 billion a year on cancer care.
We know that a diet that is based on fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables has a much lower prevalence for these diseases. Doctors are even saying that we should raise the number of fruits and vegetable to 9 serving oppose to only 5.
If you want to start somewhere, then start with what you put on your plate. When eating dinner fill half of your plate with vegetables, a quarter with a complex carbohydrate and the other with a healthy protein. Moreover, watch your monthly prescription bill go down. Many would argue that fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive to an already financially stressed family, but when you consider what you are spending on your health care, then you will conclude that eating right does not cost it pays.
