Of course, genetics will play a role in disease. But for the most part, the biggest indicator of health is the choices we make daily on what to put into our body and how we use it.

Research shows that more than 25 percent of Americans eat at least one fast food meal every day. It also shows that we Americans spend more time watching TV than exercising, socializing or reading.

Investing more in our health could benefit most all of us all. So making a few good choices today, can lead to a healthier tomorrow.

  • Eating – Just like your car, better fuel produces better performance. You are what you    eat, want to lose weight, want more energy, a better immune system, or just better health in general, then think of what fuel you are putting into your body. Much of food’s beneficial nutrients are processed out and then they add artificial flavors and preservatives leaving very little for your body to use as fuel.
  • Choices of Food – Foods as close to their natural state is our best choice. Fruits and vegetables picked in their prime contain more nutrients than produce picked early, packed and shipped all around the world, while ripening along the journey. Fruit is more nutrient-dense than frozen fruit, which in turn has more nutrients than canned fruit. The same goes for vegetables. It probably goes without saying that fresh fruit, frozen or canned, is preferable to fruit processed into non-fruit forms.
  • Labels – We should all be more aware of what is added to our food, read the labels. Look for things like the amount of sugar, fat and sodium content. All of these can have a harmful or damaging effect on your health.
  • Beverages – Pure water is always a healthy choice, cokes never is. We have to be careful of fruit and vegetable juices, a lot are usually sweetened don’t contain the fiber of the actual fruit or vegetable. Our weight management plan can be derailed by the extra calories we drink throughout the day and children may fill up on juices or soda and leave a nutritious meal uneaten.
  • Meats – The leaner the meat the better they are for our waistline and hearts. White meats are leaner than red meats, though grass-fed beef has about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken.

Lifestyle Choices
Choices that we make in our lifestyle can contribute to a health body. Not all but most of us could afford to make a few healthy changes to our daily lifestyle.
  • Exercise – 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week is the general recommendation. Think of how much activity you are getting now and if need commit to increasing it.
  • Smoking – Quit! There are few things that are as harmful to our health as smoking. If you are a non-smoker great, don’t start. If you smoke try to limit your intake until you are able to quit.

Take a moment to reflect on your health now and where you would like it to be in the future. Invest the time and make one healthy choice at a time to eventually reach your goal.