It's funny how humans perceive health information and adsorb information. For example, you may see a public announcement on television recommending "we should eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day". How do you perceive that message? Well, if you're a healthy thinker you probably not only agree, you think it is important that everyone gets that message. The reality is that many people just change channels or do not absorb the message. As a health professional I can be channel surfing and if I hear any trigger words such as cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, healthy foods, etc. I stop and check it out, I'm a healthy thinker! I should be, it is my profession. If we were all healthy thinkers we would all probably do the same. Another example is the new food pyramid that the government spent millions of dollars to create. That should mean that everyone will now know not only what to eat to stay healthy and prevent disease but exactly how to do it. In reality here is what will happen. Healthy thinkers will scrutinize and evaluate the information based on their present diet. For most of the population, especially those who need it most, you will get varied answers. When the first food pyramid came out I ask my students if they had heard about the food pyramid. Some said they had heard about it but could not describe it. Several students had actually seen it but could not explain it. Others thought it was in Egypt, but were not sure. In reality few people will pay much attention to it. Get the picture? Until people learn to think healthy they just do not pay much attention to information about how to stay healthy and prevent disease.

 

How do you know if you're a healthy thinker? 

Here are a few simple questions that I want you to answer:

 

1. Do you floss your teeth?

 

2. Do you set aside time for movement {exercise}?

 

3. If your doctor suggest prescription or over the counter drugs for a health problem, do you always ask, "What can I do to avoid taking medication"?

 

4. When dining out do you always look for healthy choices?

 

5. When shopping for food do you always read the nutritional information on products you are unfamiliar with?

 

6. When traveling, do you bring healthy snacks for your family to avoid fast food outlets?

 

Obviously, if you said "yes" to all the questions you're a healthy thinker. You not only listen to health messages, you seek out information on your own. The good news is that if you only answered one question "yes", you're on the track to thinking healthier. You have to look at health as a journey, not a destination. The fact that you answered one question like a healthy thinker means your open to other healthy suggestions. That's a good sign.

 

Let's evaluate a couple of the questions:

 

For example, if you only said you floss your teeth that indicates that someone got through to you on the health benefits of flossing. As simple as it seems, flossing can prevent bacteria build up in your gums that can get into your blood stream, trigger inflammation, and possibly trigger a heart attack in susceptible individuals. The question regarding prescription drugs says a lot about your thinking. If you just go along with the doctors suggestions you're not accepting responsibility for your own health. That's unhealthy thinking. Imagine your doctor's surprise at your next appointment if you said, "I would rather lose some weight, exercise, and change my eating habits than take drugs". That would make their day!

 

People who think unhealthy have some of these characteristics:

 

1. To them health means not being sick.

 

2. They depend on over the counter medications for minor aches and pains.

 

3. They depend on advertisements for health information.

 

4. They are usually sedentary and give little thought to exercising and eating healthy.

 

5. They are always looking for quick fixes for energy, weight loss, and feeling better.

 

One way to get people to think healthy is to focus on the outcomes of a healthy lifestyle rather than just telling people the changes they should make. For example, rather than tell people to eat more fruits and vegetables, it would probably be best to first emphasize that plant foods are nature's medicines! They contain literally thousands of phyto-chemicals that work synergistically to protect you against disease. More people would start thinking about that and start adding more fruits and vegetables and other plant foods without considering how much or what ones. Exercise is another hot button with sedentary people. When we mention the word "Exercise" to a sedentary person the first image that comes to mind is work and sweat. That's not a good image, so they are more likely to take a nap until the thought goes away. The better approach is to stress "movement". That's less stressful and they can start by avoiding elevators, parking farther away at the mall, walk more, drive less. If they do that they start thinking like a healthy person.

 

 

When you start to make small changes in your lifestyle you will experience some positive feedback in how you feel. That will motivate you to keep going. Sedentary people may or may not ending up running marathons and eating the perfect diet but our society will be a lot healthier. The goal is to increase the quality of the years in your life. Thinking healthy is the first step.