Benefits of Eating Healthy (Insurance Savings & More!)

Nine of the most common causes of death in the United States during recent years include heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, influenza, and pneumonia. Though this may not be news to everyone, what can be shocking is that poor eating habits have been tied to the contraction of a number of these leading causes of death.

There are many benefits of eating healthy, yet so few of us truly consider how to implement good nutritional habits.

If someone asked you, how would you rate your eating habits on a scale from one to ten? (One signifying that your eating habits are poor and you rarely eat healthy foods and ten signifying that you eat a lot of healthy foods and are consistent with your portions.) Sometimes analyzing where we are on this scale can be frustrating, but when push comes to shove, it’s for our own benefit.

Understanding our own eating habits, taking accountability for them, and making changes for a healthier lifestyle are important steps to gaining natural life insurance.

So what happens if you are unable to live a “healthy” lifestyle and control what you are consuming on a regular basis?

In this article, we will discuss some of the repercussions that you may experience if you decide to maintain an unhealthy diet as well as some of the ways that you can make benefit from eating healthy, even if you make the switch slowly.

In the frequently asked questions section, we’ll cover the importance of eating healthy food, how eating healthy affect your body, the mental benefits of eating healthy, and the benefits of a balanced diet.

This article is intimately tied with life insurance. After all, the better the eat, often the longer you live, so your life insurance rates may be cheaper. Check out our Life Insurance: Most Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.

And whether you’re eating healthy or not, looking to get a quote for life insurance can help you find cheaper rates. Just enter your ZIP code into our FREE online quote comparison tool. It’ll give you the best life insurance rates for your area based on your demographics.

Negative Effects of Unhealthy Eating

Some of the most common foods that entice people to eat unhealthy diets are those that are the most quickly and easily accessible–fast foods, processed foods, fried foods, sugary foods. Over the years, we have seen increased production of “convenient” foods (the majority of which are not good for our bodies).

When we consume these unhealthy foods on a regular basis, our bodies are put under a lot of stress as a number of bodily functions are affected.

Those who consume these foods in excess may experience many negative reactions. Some of these reactions may include headaches, acne, depression, dental distress, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, weight gain, blood sugar spikes, insulin resistance, bloating, and puffiness.

Over the past couple of decades, the convenience food industry has sucked in enough people that more than two in three adults in the United States are considered to be overweight or obese. Not only does that greatly affect these people’s lives, but it also affects their ability to protect and provide for their loved ones if something happened to them unexpectedly. Though this may sound a bit dramatic, it’s unfortunately true.

When you are looking for a life insurance policy, you will be asked a number of questions by the provider to see if you are a good fit for one of its policies. Some of the questions that are asked will help the provider understand your health background as there are some health conditions that increase your risk for deadly diseases and in turn increase the cost of your life and health insurance.

The following pre-existing conditions may apply in these circumstances:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• High blood sugar
• Obesity
• Kidney disease
• Cardiovascular or heart disease

If you have struggled or currently struggle with any of these health challenges, you can make some adjustments to your current lifestyle habits to show that you are working to manage any high-risk health conditions. If you are still concerned that you will be denied, it may be wise to seek out a provider that does not require a physical examination.

How to Form Healthy Eating Habits

Starting to eat healthy foods at times can be daunting. If you are not accustomed to eating fruits and vegetables, there may be some that just don’t taste good to you. Although it may be tempting to want to throw in the towel, adopting these healthy habits are well worth sticking to.

Change is not something that occurs overnight, it is a long and hard process. To help make this process a bit easier, here are a number of healthy eating tips that will help you be successful in the long run.

Eat in Moderation

All foods should be eaten in moderation. Avoid over-indulging yourself even though the food may taste amazing. Just because there is a lot of food available or a number of different options, that doesn’t mean that you need to eat large amounts.

Limit Calorie-Dense Foods

Try to limit saucy, fried foods. These foods keep you the furthest from your goal as they are high in trans fats which are associated with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, just to name a few. Also, limit drinks with calories.

People usually think of options like soda when someone says a sugary drink, but even sports drinks can contain more sugar than you realize.

Though it seems like a good way to keep your body hydrated, the calories will quickly add up and you will have consumed far too much sugar.

Minimize Your Overall Stress Level

Stress can be the end-all to your healthy eating habits. Whether you stop eating altogether or you start binge eating, your stress can have many negative effects on the habits that you have established. As important as your diet is working to reduce your stress levels.

Eat Regularly Throughout the Day

As you eat throughout the day, you keep your metabolism functioning at a healthy rate, which keeps you from snacking on unhealthy foods and overeating at meals. This doesn’t mean you should eat a donut every couple of hours. Plan some healthy snacks throughout the day so that you keep something in your stomach and don’t feel tempted by the filler calories (cookies, candy, soda, etc.)

As you continue to develop healthy eating habits, you’ll want to consider coupling your new and improved diet with another important activity: exercise.

Maintaining an active lifestyle will no doubt play a key role in combating obesity, and other chronic health issues such as high blood pressure, and even anxiety. As you exercise, take care to not only take in nutrients that will enhance your progress (such as high-protein foods), but make sure you are hydration tracking, to ensure you remain safe and prevent any further health problems.

Benefits of Eating Healthy

As you embrace better nutritional habits and make small changes in your eating habits, you will experience a number of health benefits. These benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of cancer
• Diabetes management
• Heart health
• Stroke prevention
• Strong bones
• Healthy and strong teeth
• Better moods
• Improved memory function
• Improved gut health
• Better sleep

As someone that used to struggle to eat healthy foods, I have grown to love them because of how they make me feel. Just because change is hard doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give it a try.

Eating Healthy is Natural Life Insurance

One of the best ways that you can care for your body, your life, and those around you is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not only will you live longer, but were anything to happen to you, your chances of having a quality life insurance plan to provide for your loved ones is much higher. Make sure you read up on tips for shopping for life insurance if you haven’t already.

The life and health insurance plans increase exponentially (up to 250% more!) by pre-existing conditions you can easily avoid by making healthier eating choices each day.

If you feel that you need to make some changes in your habits to facilitate healthier living, don’t wait. The best part of life is living it, so get out there and live your life to the fullest.

Now that you’ve learned the importance of eating healthy for both your own health and for lowering life insurance rates, use our free online quote generator to find the best rates for life insurance in your area.