The U.S. is challenged regarding the health of its population by its lack of definition of good national health. If the country were considered a corporation and taking care of its population’s health considered a corporate health program, the U.S. would be both reprimanded by NIOSH and cited regularly by OSHA for its substantively greater attention to corporate profits versus taking care of its employees’ well-being.

Discussion for national health care reform would then be better directed at the following:

We can make life easy for our bodies and minds to live and function or we may challenge our bodies by the way we live. A person who is in a state of ease should not be stressed, fatigued, and dysfunctional, in pain, overweight or otherwise often mechanically, physiologically, chemically, or mentally characterized by other than normal status. The prefix “dis” is defined by absence of, opposite of, deprived of, or removed. As such, living with dis-ease/disease is life with a body and/or mind that is absent of, or not in a state of ease.

Most persons with a sense of quality, contemporary health, nutrition and fitness have a reasonable understanding of good dietary and exercise practices. Moreover, the battle is generally that of taking action versus accepting the fallback mantra of “be satisfied with who you are.” The latter is acceptable only if you have acknowledged that where you are is not where you want/need to be, and the satisfaction is based upon your efforts in transition. If you need a new strategy, you may wish follow these seven free steps to guaranteed weight loss.

If you are not yet convinced, consider the following. The media is still promoting H1N1 vaccination (we have to get rid of the overstock), but the real epidemic in the U.S. is obesity. Affecting more than sixty percent of the population, it will cause far more morbidity and mortality than the flu. It affects all age groups. Moreover, its high prevalence is a measure of our self-deception. If you don’t believe that you are deceiving yourself, then be your own fitness spy.

Get a small notebook and record the following:

1. The time of day you eat and drink anything with calories.

2. Your hunger level (1-10 scale) at the time of your intake.

3. What and how much did you eat and/or drink?

4. Did you apply gravies, toppings, dressings, etc., and what volume?

5. Your mood when you eat and/or drink.

6. Your reason for eating and/or drinking.

7. Describe your exercise for the day.

After recording your consumption activity for approximately three weeks, review it against what you know to be good practices. Make some decisions and develop some strategies to address your findings (mistakes) and start again. Enjoy being a “fitness spy”, and the next thing you’ll be recording is your successful steps to weight loss, guaranteed.

Some of us have the misperception that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is there to protect us (the people) and the environments in which we live. However, governmental organizations such as this are constantly compromising in favor of economic forces. The Swiss herbicide, Atrazine, is applied to an estimated seventy-five percent of cornfields in the US.

In spite of mounting data suggesting adverse affects on male wildlife, the EPA has defended its application for the past five years. Potomac River male fish and frogs have been demonstrated to become feminized, that latter even functioning sexually as females. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated development of female characteristics in birds, rats, fish and frogs.

The EPA is finally starting to acknowledge work by researchers in the US, most recently from a team led by Dr. Tyrone Hayes at UC Berkeley, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Meanwhile, to protect your developing male children and your adult virility, consider the risk associated with consuming non-organic corn. The EPA sure isn’t watching out for you.

Everyone is looking for the natural fountains of youth. Antioxidants are the free radical fighters that help get the job done for you. The following are your top five antioxidant sources.

1. Popcorn (just take it easy on the butter and salt)
2. Red beans
3. Blueberries
4. Pinto beans
5. Cranberries

Live long and prosper.

1. Flavanoids. Add a ¼ of dark chocolate bar per week or 1 cup of green tea per day.
2. Carbohydrates. Limit intake of low quality carbohydrates such as white rice and bread, regular sodas, refined sugar based cookies and candies, replacing them with fruits/vegetables, grains and increasing amounts of protein (legumes, chicken, turkey, and fish).
3. Lipoic acid. Vegetables such as peas, spinach, broccoli are full of this antioxidant that supports memory. You may also stop by the drugstore and pick a supplement, 600 mg per day.
4. Gluten. Consider paring back on this dietary element.
5. Tumeric powder. In Indian spice, this has been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory properties (works synergistically, even more effectively, combined with ground black pepper) and interferes with development of “amyloid plaques” that are a hallmark of cerebral neurodegeneration. Consider adding it to a variety of foods.
6. Testosterone. Older men and sometimes women should check.
7. Do you snore or have sleep apnea? Poor breathing habits at night may cause poor brain oxygenation and increased fatigue with poor cognitive function during waking hours. See your doctor.

Sushi rolls and Sashimi can bring zesty flavors to your diet and contribute healthy omega-3 oils to your consumption habits. Its all tasty, but be careful.

1. Freezing may retard bacterial growth, but may not kill the bacteria. As such, raw, contaminated, frozen or fresh product can all be problematic. As always, visit only very clean appearing restaurants and order only as much as you can consume in a single sitting.
2. Raw fish sometimes contains parasites such as tapeworms or nematodes. Freezing fish essentially eliminates such risk. The FDA requires restaurants to freeze fish before preparation in these dishes, but enforcement is challenging. So, at always ask if the fish was frozen prior to its use when you order these products.
3. To limit mercury consumption avoid products made from larger fish. The higher on the food chain, the greater the bioaccumulation.

If your bigotry extends to your diet then maybe you will observethat you have very bland, tan, white, brown or other monochromatic tendencies to your eating habits.

In general, green, red, yellow, purple, white and orange fruits and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and antioxidants, making for a very healthy diet.  Diversity in your diet, with numerous regular servings of fruits, vegetables, grains is a healthy foundation of a great lifestyle.  So, don’t be a dietary bigot, pursue variety, pursue diversity.

Addtionally, there is a lot of variety for those of you who like milk with your cookies. For those who cannot consume cows’ milk, there is also goat’s milk, soymilk, almond and hazel nut milk, oat milk, hemp milk, and rice milk. Milk does a body good. Viva diversity!

The brain is a dense tangle of interconnections. This thicket (bush) can grow or lose new branches daily. Mental activity builds synapses in a manner similar to physical activity building muscles. However, as muscular fitness is a multifaceted process including nutrition, resistance exercise, stretching, oxygenation, and adequate rest, care for your brain is very similar.

Brain care includes regular engagement in mentally challenging activities, physical exercise to encourage circulation, avoidance of recreational, medicinal and environmental toxicants, as you are able, consumption of foods high in B complex vitamins and antioxidants, and low in fats to lessen cerebral atherosclerosis.

Here are some healthy diet quick facts for you.

1. Yogurt offers the calcium nutrition of milk plus bacteria that improves digestion and nutrient absorption.
2. Sesame butter is much richer in calcium and omega-3 fatty acids than peanut butter.
3. Drop the iceberg lettuce from your diet. It offers few nutrients.
4. Replace up to 1/3 of flour in recipes with ground flaxseed for increased nutrition and fiber content.
5. Bok Choy, spinach, and other non-iceberg lettuces provide increased vitamins, minerals and improve digestion; use in salads and soups.
6. Parsley is not just a garnish; it is rich in vitamin C.
7. Black beans have high levels of cancer-fighting phytic acid and saponins.
8. Legumes are very high in protein and fiber, decrease your need for red meat consumption and improve bowel motility (colon cleansing).
9. Blueberries, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, are also full of anthocyanidins that counter carcinogen’s ability to damage cellular DNA.
10. Broccoli is rich in isothiocyanates, a family of chemicals linked to decreasing the risk of cancer of the colon, prostate, lung and pre-menopausal lung cancer.
11. If your favorite omega-3 fatty acid containing fish is highly contaminated with mercury, try munching on handful of walnuts instead.