Prevent Strokes By Eating Well

There is new evidence that diets rich in magnesium can help reduce the risk of stroke.   This goes along with the general notion that many of our modern illnesses are caused by our diet, or the lack of nutritious foods in our diet.   You know everyone is worried about calories, and that's fine, you should watch them.  But I would argue if you're only eating highly nutritious foods its easier to not consume as many calories.  When you eat something with lots of vitamins in it, you feel more full.  And you are practicing preventive medicine.  After all, by eating something like whole wheat bread instead of bleached white bread, you are cutting your risks of all kinds of diseases.  If a pill did that, you would pay a lot of money to take it, but really all you have to do is eat well.  

Take a Multivitamin

Vitamins can cost a lot of money over time.   Its something you may hate to put into your grocery cart.  But its a small cost compared to trying figure out how to buy health insurance with a preexisting condition.   Vitamins can help prevent many diseases and lead to a general feeling of well being.  

It doesn't matter what time of day you take your vitamin.  But probably the best time is with a meal just in case you have some stomach reaction to the vitamin.

Eat A Wide Variety Of Foods

Look at the labels on the food you eat.  The top ingredients in most cases are white flour, some kind of oil and then some kind of sugar.   The problem is that this narrow exposure to ingredients leads you to eat a very low amount of vitamins and minerals.   If you start eating a wide variety of foods and ingredients, you will get the wide variety of nutrients that your body needs for optimum health.   Doing so can lead to all kinds of healthy outcomes.

And when it comes to your health, there is no excuse to overlook nutrition.  It is simply expensive and boneheaded to stop eating healthy food only to then take lots of pills later in life.  There is an old proverb that says something to the effect that if a man doesn't eat right but wants his his doctor's treatment is wasting his doctors time.   That is absolutely true.  You have to make sure you take care of yourself first before you expect society to take care of you.  And its very easy to take care of yourself, just look at your food labels and make sure that there is a wide variety of ingredients.   

Switch to Real Maple Syrup

Did you know that eating real maple syrup is good for your liver and eating fake maple syrup is not.   Researchers found that the liver performs better when people eat more maple syrup.

Maple syrup is the lifeblood of a maple tree.  It contains all the nutrients and minerals the tree needs.   When you eat maple syrup, you are eating this in a condensed form.  But when you eat junk, fake breakfast syrup, you're really just eating nutritionally devoid high fructose corn syrup.  One is good for you body the other is not.

So stop eating fake food.   By eating real food, not pretend food, you can help stave off serious illness.

Get A Check UP

Don't wait until you are really sick to go see your doctor.   Get a check up.  You never know what your blood work may come back with.   You may have high blood pressure and not know it, or maybe your doctor will hear something in your lungs that should be checked out.  Best to catch anything sooner then later.

Under most health insurance plans, regular checkups are free.  You don't have to pay a co-pay and they don't count towards your health insurance deductible.   There is no reason to not go.

Take Vitamin D Supplements

Taking Vitamin D supplements has been shown to reduce the risk of death from any cause.   There has been a wide range of studies showing that a vitamin D deficiency is associated with a cross section of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.


The human body makes vitamin D from sunshine.  You would think that it would be easy to get enough, but people don't go outside as much, and when they do they are warned to cover up and wear sunscreen.  The truth is that only a moderate amount of sun exposure is needed to create healthy levels of vitamin d.  In sunny climates and season, less then a half hour is needed. 

You can also get vitamin D from certain foods, but not in any high quantity.  If getting more sun isn't going to work for you, one of the best way to elevate your levels would be to take a supplement.  It is a relatively low cost method to keep you from getting serious ill.

Manage Stress

There is  mounting research showing that stress can be a contributor to a wide cross section of diseases.  When we think about preventive medicine, we often think about foods or chemicals that will prevent disease.  But stress is a physical reaction that is a precursor to many diseases itself.

Modern society is full of sources of stress.  There is no end to it.   The best thing you can do is learn how to manage that stress.  

You probably already know how to manage your stress, without realizing it.   Some things make you relaxed, somethings freak you out.  Stick with the former and avoid the latter.

If you're looking for more idea, here is a site that has 101 ways to cope with stress.   Some of the suggestions they have are

Avoid tight fitting clothes.
Simplify meal times.
Teach a kid to fly a kite.
Take a bubble bath.
Vent to someone. 

Eat Whole Grains

There is a lot of research coming out showing that diets high in whole grains can lead to lower rates of obesity, heart disease and cancer.    For something to be whole grain, it must use the entire grain, not just the flour like most breads do today.  


Simply switching to breads that list "whole wheat flour" as their first ingredient can have a major impact on your health.   Also consider switching to whole wheat pasta.  


Whole grains are what people survived on for thousands of years.  It only makes sense that the human body would require them for basic health. 

Take Natural Vitamins

Most people rely on a multivitamin for their nutrition.  That's an OK first step, but the best nutrition comes from nutritious foods.  Artificial vitamins made in factories are not always the exact same as vitamins found in nature.   When you get your vitamins from natural food sources you are getting higher quality vitamins as well as additional trace nutrients and anti-oxidants.   You don't always get those with a pill. 

Aside from fresh fruit and vegetables, wheat is an excellent source of nutrition.  Not wheat flour, but actual ground wheat.   Look for breads that list "whole ground wheat" as their first ingredient.  You will be eating all of the wheat berry, getting maximum nutrition.   Wheat flour is often stripped of its vitamins and then the are added back.  The nutritional info can look impressive, but its mostly artificial.   

Stop Smoking!

You might not consider this medicine, but the best way to avoid going to the doctor and paying outrageous health insurance premiums is to stop smoking.

 By now you know that smoking can cause all kinds of health problems and break the bank too.   If you are smoking, there really is no better preventive medicine then to simply stop smoking.

Smoking can not only hurt you, but there is growing evidence that second hand smoke can also be unhealthy for other people as well.  

If You've Got a Baby, Breastfeed

Breast feeding is one of the easiest, cheapest most important types of preventive medicine out there.   Human breast milk has been designed over hundreds of thousands of years to provide babies with exactly what they need.  There is no way formula can compete with that.   Many antibodies are passed through the mother to the child, reducing childhood sickness and promoting greater overall family healthcare.  Not only can it keep your baby healthy, there is evidence to suggest it reduces breast cancer,  Breast feeding also provides for a strong emotional bond between mother and child, which can also lead to benefits down the line.

Get Up To Date

Vaccines are a great way to prevent disease.   Hopefully you're up to date on all the big ones, but when was the last time you had a tetanus shot?   And there has been a lot in the news lately about the HPV vaccine which can help prevent some cancers.   Some drug stores are even offering shingles vaccines now.

If you aren't sure about vaccines go to your doctor and find out what you need.  Most of the time this is covered under your insurance, especially for private health insurance plans.   If it is going to be paid for anyway, or at reduced cost, why not get it done, it could save you a lot of hassle and pain later.  

Wash Your Hands

This one simple tip can keep you out of the hospital.   This is a major way that disease is spread.  Handwashing, espeically after being out in public is a simple, cost effective way to lower your cost of health care.  Many communicable diseases are spread by first touching your hand, then having your hand touch your eyes, mouth or nose.   Its this kind of preventive medicine that can help keep your family insurance costs lower if you have a copay or a deductible. 

Lift Weights For Health

You don't need to go out and be a muscle head.   But basic resistance training has some major advantages.  First off, you don't have to leave your house, heck you don't have to leave your bedroom.  A few dumbells are all you need to start, and to do most basic exercises.  It doesn't take that long, and it doesn't take that much money.   You have no good excuse for not having a few weights around the house to work with.

Doing weight lifting exercises will increase your metabolism and boost your immune system requiring less trips to the doctor and reducing your health care costs.  

It will also make you more attractive to the opposite sex.  Even for women!  You don't need buff arms, but a little toning goes a long way to making you look more attractive.

Drink More Water

This tip may sound obvious, but it shocking how few people do it.  Water is a vital part of your body.  If you aren't drinking enough, you are doing damage to your body.   It is important to flush out all the toxins in our modern environment.  When you drink a glass of water, who knows what awful cancer causing toxin you will be flushing out of your body.   Plus drinking water helps reduce appetite, and being over weight is a major health problem in this country.   The next time you have to make a large payment for your health insurance plan, drink a nice big glass of water.

Use Protection

I'm talking about protection from sexually transmitted diseases.   STDs are actually one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide.   There is really no excuse to not practice safe sex.   Don't be among the 20,000 people who die each year in the US from STDs, and the millions more that have to get medical treatment for an STD.  The last thing you want to do is have to check if your individual health insurance plan covers herpes.  This is one of the easiest ways to prevent disease.

Get Some Sleep!

One of the best ways to improve your health is to start getting more sleep, if you're deficient. It can lead to a whole host of diseases, and can increase the chances you'll make a bad decision and get into an accident, requiring health care coverage. Lack of sleep can wear down your immune system, making you more likely to get sick.

Lose Weight!

Almost everyone in the United States either is overweight or will be at some point in their lives.   You should be focused on losing weight or on preventing your weight from increasing to unhealthy levels.  If you are overwieght, reduce your calories.  This is the only way to really lose weight.  Exercise helps, but its not lack of exercise that makes you fat, its too much food.   Eat more veggies.  Eat smaller portions.  Avoid really bad foods like desserts and high carb treats.   It will save you money too as many individual health care plans are charging more now if you are overweight.    Save money, be healthier, its a good thing. 

Reduce your health care costs

The cost of health care is becoming an epidemic in this country. The average cost per capita is increasing every year. That just leads to higher health insurance costs for everyone. One way you can help decrease the costs is to stop getting sick! There are tons of ways you can prevent major and minor illnesses. This blog is going to take you through the ways you can prevent illness, and keep you out of the hospital.