Most people understand the health benefits of eating right, yet they persist in eating high-calorie, low-nutrition junk food. There are many reasons for this, including taste, habit, accessibility, comfort, and so on. However, the cost of such eating habits are high, not only to the individuals who’s poor diet lead to obesity and chronic illness, but to society, which must bear the cost of increased health care (and lower worker productivity).

But is our diet really a choice? In a recent article Stephanie Roque pointed out that many factors in our society condition us to eat and even value junk foods. She pointed to a  study published in 2002 that showed 73 percent of teachers surveyed used candy as an enticement for classroom performance. Fortunately, many educators are recognizing that doing that glorifies unhealthy food and leads to poor eating habits. Other factors she pointed to are community characteristics and national policy.

As a nation in crisis, it is important for us to stress the value of fresh, healthy foods. Eating right, along with exercise, will have a profound effect on the heath and well being of our nation, and significantly reduce the high cost of healthcare to our society.

So how do you eat right? Frankly, it’s not easy. We’ve already mentioned the reason, and the bottom line is that it takes commitment and discipline. Some people point out that eating healthy is more expensive. However, when you consider the number of times that people choose to eat out, the cost of eating healthy can easily be mitigated by staying in for dinner a few nights. Recently I heard a health food salesman say, “Pay the doctor or pay the farmer.” How true! Yes, people can individually choose to eat healthy foods, but we as a society need to change the culture away from “sweets conditioning” and help people understand the benefits of moderation and fresh, natural foods.

Another way to eat right is to (yep, you guessed it) get a wide variety of vegetables by drinking a daily green smoothie! Using Dr. Fila’s smoothie recipe you will be sure to get the nutrition and energy you need every day.