Book Review

“You are what you eat!”…How many times have we heard that, especially from our Moms when they were trying to get us to make wise food choices? Well these days it seems that many of us stay so busy that it’s hard to take time to think much about what we are eating.

 

A fascinating book came out earlier this year by Michael Pollan called In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. It is a really interesting read, tracking why we are where we are nutritionally in this country and how we should rethink things a bit. So, you might be wondering, ‘where are we nutritionally?’ According to Pollan, we don’t really eat very much food anymore. Instead we are eating food-like substances, which are basically products that have been developed from “food,” but have been processed so much that they really aren’t of much (if any) real nutritional value any more.

 

Like any book, it’s difficult to summarize his main points in a few brief comments, so you might want to check it out for yourself. But his seven-word mantra helps give us the gist of his solution to the problem: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In other words, Pollan suggests that we should be eating real food, whole foods like fruits and vegetables, and that we shouldn’t eat too much. In case you think it sounds too simple, in the book you will finds lots of other great tips to help you figure out a healthy eating plan, but really when it boils down to it, remembering the mantra above is a pretty comprehensive guide.

 

In this blog we’ve discussed nutrition before. Many insurance companies are working hard to try to educate people about obesity in particular and eating habits in general. Why are they doing this? Because really, we are what we eat to a large extent. In the book, Pollan points out that health care costs have risen while food costs have decreased oven the last couple decades. He says we are spending about the same amount of money on food and health care combined, but that the amounts have switched. We used to spend much more on food and less on healthcare, and now we spend less on food and much more on health care. Pollan believes our eating habits are fueling many of our illnesses and leading to increased healthcare spending.

 

So what is a person to do? Think more about what you eat. Eating “food” doesn’t have to be more time-consuming or more expensive than eating food-like substances. It’s a matter of setting priorities and rethinking something basic that we have begun taking for granted.

 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.

 

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you.

 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez

 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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Exercise for Better Health

It’s the middle of March. Are you still on track with the New Year’s Resolutions you set just a few months ago? The goals we set for ourselves at the start of a new year often relate to our health – exercising more, losing weight, eating healthier, etc. Often these resolutions are gone as quickly as the confetti which brought in the New Year. If you need a little help staying on track with your exercise goals, keep reading. 

We found a great resource online, which allows individuals or groups to set a goal for physical activity and then track it for a six-week period. What a great way to stick with a goal of increased exercise for 2008. The site is www.americaonthemove.org.  

First you sign up, which is free. Then you can choose your challenge. Each challenge lists the total number of steps you will take during the six-week period. You can revise or change your challenge at any time, and you track your progress online. There are great resources to help you “add 2000 more steps each day” and “eat 100 fewer calories daily,” which are the two things most American’s need to do to stop weight gain, according to the site. 

Get the whole office involved by signing up as a group, or get family and friends active by becoming challenge buddies. 

There are so many benefits of exercise – weight control, increased energy, feeling and looking better, and often overall better physical health, which can also save money on your insurances. Let’s face it the healthier you are the better rates you can get!  

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.  

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you. 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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March is National Nutrition Month

Well we’ve gotten to March before we’ve talked about food. Maybe the holidays are far enough in the past that we’ve lost any weight gained by all the indulgences of that season.

March is National Nutrition Month®, and we have found some great resources online to help us personalize a plan for healthier eating. The American Dietetic Association sponsors this awareness month, and the theme this year is “Nutrition: It’s a Matter of Fact.” The goal is for people to focus on the facts about nutrition to develop better eating habits. Check out their site for more information. 

For a personalized approach to your nutrition plan, go to www.mypyramid.gov. In case you haven’t noticed, the food guide pyramid has changed substantially in recent history. This site is great, providing you with loads of information and great tools, such as:

·           MyPyramid Plan (telling you what quantities of each food group you need daily for your age, height and weight);

·           MyPyramid Tracker, a dietary and physical activity assessment tool;

·           Dietary Assessment – using information you submit about your food intake for one day;

·           Physical Activity Assessment. 

And if you have young children you must check out the MyPyramid Blast Off Game. It’s a fun way for them to learn about nutrition facts. They even get a printable certificate at the end if they successfully reach Planet Power. 

Here’s to happy and healthy eating! 

And don’t forget that at Preferred Benefits LLC we are concerned about your health and your insurance needs.  

We can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.  

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you. 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLC

TOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

Spread the word

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Perceived vs. Actual Health

In 2006, 61% of adults 18 years and older reported they had “excellent” or “very good” health. However:

·           62% of these adults never participated in any type of vigorous leisure-time physical activity,

·           16% did not have a usual place of health care meaning no annual exams by the same professional two years in a row,

·           11% had been told by a doctor or health professional that they had heart disease, and  

·           23% had been told on two or more visits that they had hypertension. 

Based on estimates of body mass index (a number calculated by a person’s height and weight):

·           35% of these adults were overweight and

·           26% were obese. 

So, while they claim to be in “excellent” or “very good” health, how healthy are they really? Only .5% of those surveyed were actually considered healthy by health insurance standards. 

These statistics cause us to question how healthy we really are. In the future we will give you additional information about exercise and nutrition to help you determine a good individual plan of action. 

If you would like to calculate your body mass index (BMI), use the easy calculator on the Centers for Disease Control web site. Look around other areas of the CDC web site for more great resources. 

At Preferred Benefits LLC we can help you do a realistic assessment of your current insurance portfolio. We can make suggestions that may save you money and in other cases even expand your coverage for the money you are currently spending. Such an assessment should be done annually.  

Please contact us for a FREE assessment of your insurance portfolio. This personalized customer service is a cornerstone of our business. We look forward to being of service to you. 

Valerie Reeves

Leticia Dominguez 

PREFERRED BENEFITS LLCTOLL-FREE 877-302-5810

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