Perhaps the typical American family is going to have to look at today's healthcare issue with different lenses and adjust it's vision on what should be our focus.The future of healthcare is going to see the responsibility of health on individuals and the benefits of prevention are going to be given to those individuals and organizations who think and do better on how to reduce or prevent healthcare cost from going way up! The economics of "cost valulation" is what the managed care industry and public economists are utilizing to pre-determine your "cost" (or risk)to this type of system. At best a "pay as you go" system is about the most stable assurance of health where pre-existing conditions can limit a insurance company in selecting you.In other words: Take care of your body!
Today, airline industries are not just charging extra if you carry heavier luggage , but are charging you more if your body's weight is high for their plane's limitation. Some have demanded those who are at a certain BMI(body mass index) purchase a 2nd seat in advance or risk being bumped off their flight. Municipalities are looking at the concept of extending a "sin tax" to those who over eat and whose weight issues cause the healthcare system to go up in cost for acute and chronic care disease. Ethicist are debating whether it is considered child abuse for parents to allow their kids to become obese or overweight and legal experts are debating if they can be punished by serving time!
Before it get's this far we can do something about this. It begins with developing a culture of wellness with health being focused on the family. Much like the old idea of "family values" that were popular before, a "new contract with America" may have to be created beginning with health of the family. Because we all need health and if the majority of the nation is creeping to a greater than 75% risk to heart disease, cancer and diabetes due to obesity we are teetering on what would be seen in any other scenario as a national security matter!
It begins with teaching your children how to develop better attitudes about food and exercise. Developing these healthier relationships about foods and activity will develop a higher value of these habits when they are exemplified by the parent. Parents participating in activity produce kids who exercise. Walking with your child, playing tennis, swimming are rock climbing are ways to turn a "boring" concept into something exciting.
With foods try carobe over chocolate, try natural fruit juices in the blender over sodas, try "crazy" sandwiches like peanut butter and bananas , make smoothies from organic fruits, try ice pops whether than chocolate ice cream, use trail mix rather than candy bars, make a kiwi avocado sandwich as well. Getting kids to like soy, whey and casein at a earlier age are healthier alternatives than meats. However, white meats may be a better transition choice than red meats.
How you prepare food at home will be how most of us will cook on our own from home. So if you fry food mostly, guess what, your kids will most likely too. If your kids punish with food at the dinner table by witholding favorite foods and rewarding with an equally unhealthy food ,you've done twice as bad. You can rest more assured (though not always 100 %) that in devloping autonomy in your child by boosting their esteem with food choices when you are not with them at school, the mall or the movies they will be better off.
Dr.Marcus Wells is a past clinical Associate at the National Institutes of Health in the National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute.Dr. Wells has served in the US Health and Human Services, US Public Health Service, and the US Commissioned Corp. Dr. Wells also holds a Master's in Public Health from Emory University
Learn more at www.fitfamily360.com
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