Healthy Living News & Tips

As you may know, the Farm Bill is coming up for vote soon in Congress. It may surprise you that the bill contains subsidies for foods high in fat, cholesterol and sugar. Basically, the government buys up foods like hamburgers, bacon, cheese and fatty other products and feeds them to our children at schools and through food assistance programs.

In turn, millions of dollars of donations are given to the congressman and senators that support a bill that keeps the profits rolling in for these unhealthy foods the government buys.

The only way to stop this practice that has been going on for years is to stop the subsidies. And you can help.

An amendment to the farm bill titled the FRESH Amendment (S. 2228) was introduced by Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) that would reduce the amount of these subdidies. Currently, more than 80 percent of food production subsidies support meat, sugar, oil, dairy products, and animal feed. All these foods have been proven to increase cancers, high blood pressure, obesity and related diseases. They are recommended to be minimized, if not avoided completely. Childhood obesity is rising at a rapid rate, in part to this practice.

In fact, the video How To Get Fat Without Even Trying with Peter Jennings points to the same practice of subsidizing unhealthy foods as one of the causes of obesity in our country today.

You can call your congressman and senators to express your support for the FRESH Amendment and help reduce the amount of unhealthy foods being fed to our children. Get the number to your representatives here.

To your (and our children's) best health!

Mark

Watch out, you may be asked to pay more for your company's health insurance plan if you're out of shape.

More and more companies are taking a controversial approach by 'encouraging' employees to get fit by lowering their deductibles if they pass a yearly physical fitness test. If they don't, they pay a much larger deductible.

Would you get in better shape to save thousands every your on your health insurance?

I think this is a brilliant plan since it rewards those that are healthier and file fewer claims. Until now, everyone pays the same regardless of their physical health.

It's simple economics... and it works. For example, in the video below, you'll see how an Arkansas county saved over $1.5 million dollars in a year and half after implementing the new plan. When they started, they were in the red half a million dollars. It shows how an economic incentive can help make lifestyle changes and benefit everyone.

In times when health care costs are skyrocketing, this type of incentive is badly needed... and it's a win-win situation. Overweight employees lose weight, feel better, have more energy and are more productive. They also add years to their life and most likely live better quality lives at home.

Initially many employees find this an intrusion and violation of their rights. After going through the program for some time, they seem to appreciate the benefits for themselves and their employer.

To your best health!

Mark

Get tips on how to save money on your health insurance at YourHealthInsurance.com

I was pleasantly surprised to see this interview with Health Magazine clinical nutritionist Samantha Heller on CBS provide wise advise on losing weight. Watch for the new technology that helps you 'see' or visualize yourself thinner. Personally I think it's a powerful tool for those looking to release some extra weight.

To your best health!

Mark

P.S. Seeing your goals on a regular basis is a powerful way to reach them. I recommend the easy to use tools at MindMovies to create your future and reach your goals whether it's to gain better health, release weight, buy a new house or retire. And check out the movie below!

It appears that autism, found in only 1 out of 1000 children just a few years ago, is now found in 1 out of 150 children. The video indicates that this may be due to what doctors call autism, indicating that a broader range of symptoms are now included in the autism diagnosis.

This may be the case, although it appears that symptoms are increasing with the sharp increase in processed foods, exposure to toxins and chemicals and the high amount of sugar and junk in our children's diets. Studies have related diet and the diagnosis of ADHD and lets be practical, autism just doesn't appear out of nowhere. Links between vaccinations and diet are starting to be uncovered as they seem to correlate with autism in many ways.

To your best health!
Mark