Why is living healthy considered radical? We should desire to feel and perform better every day, live free of sickness and disease, and live long, robust lives. Like many machines, the human body functions poorly and breaks down without proper care. Most people would never purposely put  the wrong chemicals in their cars and appliances, even in small quantities. Those same people will happily consume a steady diet of things they know cause their bodies both immediate and long-term harm. The consequence isn’t paid in just dollars, but also discomfort, distress, and disease.  It makes no sense.

There is no profit in everyone being healthy, so it should not be surprising that the medical industry emphasizes treatment over prevention. Prioritize your health over addiction to “edible” but, ultimately, toxic “food” items. Since the definitions of edible and food should always include safe, toxic items should not be consumed by anyone who wishes to be actually healthy.

There are no shortcuts to being healthy. Period. Sure, there are products, regimens, and procedures to rapidly change your appearance, but none of them will make you healthy. In fact, every one of those options compromises your health. Our bodies are designed to thrive while enjoying a wide variety of foods that both nourish and heal. There is real magic in real food. A little knowledge about how our bodies turn food into everything we need is the key to unlocking all that power. The more you learn about the nutrients in real foods and how our bodies use them, the more you can improve your health and quality of life.

Flawed assumptions about living a healthy lifestyle abound. The primary mistaken belief for most people is that only bland, unsatisfying foods are permitted to them. There are, in fact, many healthy foods that are delicious, rich, and satisfying. Fixation on eating for pleasure alone, however, leads to overeating and consumption of toxic processed foods simply because they seem to taste good.

It is not taste that entraps processed food junkies. Healthy foods taste great while providing exactly what our bodies need, so we are satisfied after eating them. Many processed foods stimulate the brain’s pleasure/reward center while only partially satisfying the body’s nutritional needs. That leaves the body with two needs which will never be satisfied, a nutrient deficit and a desire to feel meritless reward. Sugary or high-carb foods are among the worst because most people consume them as part of daily ritual. Breaking that cycle is much easier when you understand the process and how deadly these ingredients actually are to your body.

Healthy living is controlling what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat, along with regular physical activity. That’s it. In other words, working with your body’s design, not against it. There is no requirement to give up anything except ingredients and habits which are toxic to your body. The rewards of healthy living are immediate, including better sleep, weight loss, pain relief, improved mood, more energy, mental clarity, and much more. These benefits are available to anyone. If there is any secret to living healthy, it is investing a small amount of time and effort to understand how your body actually works. Then, you will know why many popular foods are toxic and how to overcome the momentary difficulties of ending an unnatural relationship with food and your body.

Healthy food — Nutritious food made completely from naturally-occurring substances that do not harm the human body.
Treat — Food, often non-nutritious, eaten specifically for enjoyment of its flavor.
Toxic Food — Food made from substances which, by their chemical nature, are harmful to the human body.

Healthy living is not about restriction. Healthy living is about regulation; it is about being sensible and in control. The wisdom of avoiding toxic foods should need no explanation. Eating only healthy foods isn’t much fun if you like treats, but eating treats all the time is, well, reckless. Overeating is unhealthy no matter what you are consuming. It is a fact that you will desire treats less, if at all, when living a healthy lifestyle because your body will be nutritionally satisfied. So, when you do indulge sensibly, it is really a treat!

There is no machine more complex than the human body. It was designed to run on healthy food, requires minimal maintenance or adjustment, and improves simply by moving around.

Pro tip: Routine is better than intensity. Commit 3-5 days per week to physical activity you enjoy. It could be only 15 minutes of brisk walking while enjoying your favorite music or podcast, but faithfulness to the routine creates a solid baseline fitness level to build on. The combination of healthy foods and routine physical activity always leads to fantastic outcomes on every level.

Protect the truth. If you have not verified the information yourself, do not accept or share it as legitimate. Absolutely, without exception, confirm from multiple reputable sources everything you read or hear. Living healthy means safeguarding the well-being of yourself and others. That can only be done with facts.

Our society encourages and celebrates excess and mindless consumption. Why not? Excess and mindless consumption produce profit; they also produce (preventable) sickness and disease. The annual cost of preventable disease in the US is measured in hundreds of billions of dollars. Hundreds of billions of dollars. In 2016, Americans squandered $730.4 billion treating preventable diseases. (see The Cost of Preventable Disease in the USA).

Please follow the link above and note the major findings of the researchers. They determined that the most significant factors to preventing disease are access to healthy food, avoiding toxins, and healthy habits (like routine physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, etc.). Draw your own conclusions about the agenda and accountability of those receiving the hundreds of billions of dollars. In the end, living healthy is completely in the hands of every individual. Considering all there is to gain, the choice is easy. Be patient, you’re living healthy not sprinting toward random goals. Just keep learning and trust the simple truth.