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Our western society is experiencing more health problems then ever before. Chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, and obesity is increasing. Our lifestyle and poor eating habits have contributed to this decline in overall health.

When I was a child in the 1970s all my activity took place outside in the form of games and play. I played softball, street hockey, and ran around the neighborhood. When I look outside today I see fewer children playing outside then ever before. When children still do get some exercise, a lot of the play time is spent behind a computer or with computer games. Lack of exercise in children has contributed to the rising costs of health care. When I was young a hardly ever saw a child overweight but today it is increasingly common. We need to focus on getting our children adequate exercise and nutrition in public schools and at home as they are our future. Children should not be suffering from diabetes and other poor health issues at such a young age.

Our society has made it easy to obtain high calorie food that is pleasing to the palate yet offer little in adequate nutritional value. There are fast food restaurants on very street corner that serve more food then the average person needs to eat at one sitting. Adults, teenagers, and young children are eating more of this food due to the high convenience, taste, and price value. These foods increase weight gain and lead to obesity and diseases later on in life. We find similar processed foods at the supermarket that crowd the shelves and make it harder to find good quality food. Produce is often too expensive for the average consumer and high calorie fast food becomes more attractive because of the cost. Poor diet contributes to the costs of health care and trips to the doctor.

We should focus our energy on creating healthier, nutritious food, that is cost effective for the average person. Diets high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contribute to overall good health. The food industry should focus on creating more foods in this category which would be to societies benefit. Fruits and vegetables should be affordable for everyone.

We spend billions of dollars on new pills and treatments for every ailment possible. Our ancestors never needed any of these pills and in many cases they were more fit then the average person of today. We take pills in an attempt to cure some ailment when a proper diet and exercise could make symptoms much better or even clear them completely. Ancient cultures have used herbs and plants to treat disease for centuries and yet these practices are frowned upon by modern medicine. Naturally there are times when we do need a medical doctor but we could look towards more kinds of alternate therapies and treatments for disease.

Things are slowly changing with the introduction of more organic foods to the regular stores but these items are still too expensive for the average person. Some schools are introducing healthier meals for children and removing vending machines. Restaurants have some healthier alternatives you can purchase. Modern medicine needs to look alternate therapies and put these to use to help to lower the rising medical costs. Nature is there to helps us and it is up to us to rediscover its healing abilities.

Learn more about this author, Brian Lamacraft.
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