In a world where obesity and chronic disease are rapidly becoming the norm, many of us have bought into the belief that we have no control over our health; it’s only a matter of time before heart disease, diabetes, cancer or another common killer gets you.
But this belief couldn’t be more wrong.
You have control of your health!
Eating a nutrient-rich, plant-based diet is the best way to maintain your health, increase longevity, and protect your body from chronic disease.
However, most Americans are used to eating readily available, processed foods, adding to our increasingly obese population and making disease seem unavoidable. After all, if people aren’t aware of the junk that’s in the processed food they are consuming, they definitely won’t have control over what happens to their bodies. You are what you eat!
Take sodium, for example. Many people know salt is bad for you. Excess sodium contributes to a plethora of health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and stomach cancer, which is why it’s always a good idea to cut salt from your diet. However, because many Americans are addicted to processed foods and aren’t always quick to check nutrition labels, they are blissfully unaware of the toxins hidden inside.
For example, when you buy a chicken breast from the grocery store, you don’t expect it to be anything other than a lean source of protein. But what you might not know is that the chicken industry often pumps salt water into the meat, increasing the weight of the product and therefore increasing the price. Doing this can boost the sodium content of a chicken by 700%! Processed food is the main contributor to Americans’ high salt intake.
This is why it’s so important to read the fine print! Make sure what you buy isn’t loaded with hidden salt, sugar, artificial flavors, and other ingredients that can be detrimental to your health.
Just because new patients are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases every day doesn’t mean you have to be one of them.
Protect yourself by being conscious of what you put in your body. Avoid the unhealthy options and retrain your taste buds to appreciate the nutrients your body needs: greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds!
