Modern life has brought Americans many conveniences, but it hasn’t made us a healthier society. While we’ve made much progress in the economic and technological realms of life, our health has been getting poorer. In fact, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins University, the United States ranks lower than most industrialized countries in terms of overall health. Furthermore, the Robert Johnson Wood Foundation recently reported that more than half of all Americans are currently living with some form of a chronic disease. These diseases include heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes, which are all preventable and contribute to increasing health costs. This raises an important question: how do we become healthier as a society?
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, changes in the food system are one way to help make all Americans healthier. They note that while most Americans are aware of the fact that they need to eat healthy, their efforts to do so are hindered by the food system. While the U.S. government recommends that people eat healthy foods, it actually pays farmers to grow the opposite. Crops like corn and soy, which are the foundation for sugary and processed foods, are heavily subsidized by the American government. Not only is the consumption of these foods the underlying cause of many preventable diet-related diseases, but growing them also damages soil, water and the air. The current food system makes the American public pay twice, they say; first for unhealthy foods at grocery stores and then for the diseases and environmental harm that are an outcome of the food system.
Sadhguru recently spoke with Dr. Mark Hyman about what we can do to become a healthier society. We’ve featured the video below. Watch it and let us know what steps you’ll take to make us a healthier society!
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