It’s Swap-It-Out-Sunday!!
-70% of Americans are on at least one medication. (1)
– Unlike drugs that only target specific functions, can have dangerous side effects, and may only treat the symptoms of disease—a healthy diet can benefit all organ systems at once, has good side effects, and may treat the underlying cause of illness. (2)
– 1,933 people were surveyed by the American Heart Association and only 1 person hit all 7 recommendations to reduce risk of heart disease such as eating a healthy diet, not smoking, exercising regularly, etc. One person out of nearly 2,000. (3)
– According to a 2009 study in the Arch Intern Medical Journal, there are 4 simple healthy lifestyle factors that can have a strong impact on the prevention of chronic diseases: not smoking, not being obese, getting a half hour of exercise a day, and eating healthier as defined as more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and less meat. Those four factors alone were found to account for 78 percent of chronic disease risk. If you start from scratch and manage to tick off all four factors, you may be able to wipe out more than 90% of your risk of developing diabetes, more than 80% of your risk of having a heart attack, cut by half your risk of having stroke, and reduce your overall cancer risk by more than 1/3. (4)
Now, I’m not telling you to stop taking your current medications. That’s a decision you need to make with your doctor. What I am saying is that you can prevent needing them in the future by eating a healthy plant-based diet.
Many of the diseases currently are caused by lifestyle choices. What you put in your body either brings you closer to optimal health or closer to disease.
You choose.
Sources:
1. Mayo Clinic News Network. Nearly 7 in 10 Americans take prescription drugs, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted Medical Center Find. http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/…/nearly-7-in-10…/. June 19, 2013.
2. How Not to Die, Michael Gregor, M.D., FACLM pg 10
3. Bambs C, Kip KE, Dinga A Mulukutla SR, Aiyer AN, Reis SE. Low prevalence of “ideal cardiovascular health” in a community-based population: the heart strategies concentrating on risk evaluation (Heart SCORE) study. Circulation. 2012;123(8):850-7.
4. How Not to Die, Michael Gregor, M.D., FACLM pg 6
Questions? Just ask!
Want to work with me 1:1 to create the perfect diet for you and/or your family? Contact me today at dana@thrivekin.com.