What comes to mind when I say the word prevention?
I would like to talk about why I think nutrition and lifestyle should be on the top of that list.
My background is in agriculture.
Every farmer knows that if you neglect the diet of your herd or flock, you’re setting yourself up for problems.
Diet imbalances show up as lower production, immune system issues or poor fertility…
Feed consultants (animal nutritionists) are monitoring diet quality constantly. It’s a big deal. Big bucks are invested, feed is tested routinely, some major cutting-edge nutrition and science is happening to ensure that the animal is always getting optimal nutrition.
They’re putting that much emphasis on feed and diet because it works.
You see, prevention is cost effective – treatment is not!
Now let’s take a look at the human health system.
For the most part, our health philosophy focuses on intervention rather than prevention.
Think back to the last time you had a health concern. Did anyone ask you about your diet or your stress levels and what you were doing to manage it? Did anyone ask about your sleep quality or how much you moved your body? Did anyone test your food or your poop or your water?
More than likely you were prescribed a medication – right?
Pharmaceutical medication is powerful and there is no denying that certain drugs save lives.
While other drugs simply provide relief of the bothersome symptom but do nothing to address the root cause or why the problem developed in the first place.
Unfortunately many drugs come with a cascade of side effects and some deplete your body by blocking the absorption of certain nutrients. Check out this book for more information on this subject.
As humans, we have evolved alongside natural, seasonal, whole foods. Eating highly processed, fiddled-with food is the equivalent of dumping muddy water into the gas tank of your car. You may putt putt along for awhile but eventually things will stop running smoothly.
If the label on your food lists things that you can’t pronounce, there’s a big chance that your body doesn’t know what to do with it either.
We make dozens even hundreds of decisions everyday to do or not do certain things. Those choices, no matter how trivial, contribute to creating a life that is more (or less) healthy and fulfilling. The decisions we make move us towards (or away) from better balance in our lives.
Join me if you’d like to start moving the needle towards more balance and prevention.
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