Trillion Dollar Industry

According to Forbes contributor Dan Munro, the annual U.S. Health care spending in 2014 hit 3.8 Trillion Dollars. If you have looked at any health care stock within the past few years such as Eli Lilly, Johnson and Johnson, or HCA you have seen significant growth. This is why firms such as these are part of my portfolio. With an aging population, and a decline of focus for preventive care I don’t see much changing anytime soon.

The Focus

But that’s not what I am blogging about today. I will be talking about actions I have done to maintain my health, different challenges I have face in the process, and how I have benefited tremendously by incorporation healthy activity into my lifestyle.

Diet Change

You are what you eat. Finding healthy food has been extremely challenging. September of last year I decided to do something radical. I lowered the amount of meat I consumed to 10% and have a mainly plant-based diet. I also eliminated anything that was made with milk from my diet. This was challenging in many different ways.

Cutting out Milk

You would be surprised what is made with milk, if you looked at the back of a package. I learned that a lot of my favorite snack foods said made with milk right on the package. Doritos and many other snack foods are made with milk, so I had to stop using those products. I believe since the rise of products like almond milk and soy milk, the dairy industry has switched from a retail focus to a wholesale focus. Generating more revenue from business to business sales. Regardless, I stopped consuming milk and for good reason because I have allergies to milk. Sometimes I would have stomach issues in the past and didn’t know what was going on. I would think, I don’t even drink milk. Later I learned that many products that I consumed in the past were made with milk. I cut them out and been feeling better every since.

Less Meat

This was extremely challenging because I love eggs in the morning. I love seafood. I love getting together during the holidays and eating with family. Meat is a central part of that. At first I was all about eliminating it completely but I started to notice issues. I was at times extremely tired. I used plant-based protein supplements to mitigate this problem. I also ate more cereal. Cereal has the B12 vitamin in it that many people who remove meat from their diet lack. I felt a rise in my energy level, it seemed higher than It was previously. I did more research though and found out that there can be other complications from not eating meat. I then decided to incorporate it at lower levels in my diets. I stopped eating some types meat altogether. Today, the rare times I do eat meat its chicken, eggs, fish, or some other lean meat.

Running Man

Daily exercise is critical to one’s overall health. I run excessively in my opinion. Throughout the week, I run 3 miles a day and after my run, lift weights. For me, running is fun, its peaceful, and helps reduce stress. I also come up with some of my best ideas while running. I read an article that said distance running is good for brain health and helps to increase neuron generation. Maybe there is something to that, I don’t know. If you’re a runner please send me a friend request on Nike Plus @ Ace_White, I love competition ;).

The Result

A change in diet, and an active lifestyle has been important for my overall physical and mental well-being. So many illnesses can be remedied with a change in diet and committing to exercise. Diabetes is one example but there are so many others. I know that some people have physical conditions that prevent them from working out every day. But for many of us, including myself, there really isn’t any excuse. I was extremely surprised how much these changes increased my overall happiness, productivity, and outlook on life.