The United States leads in obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes to mention a few chronic illnesses as compared with Europe. The following things are the differences in the American lifestyle compared with the European lifestyle and perhaps Americans need to do what medical researchers suggested all along, that it is time to make definite lifestyle changes.
Cut the Fast Food
Some doctors want their patients to eat more as Europeans eat. Eat less fast food or eliminate fast food totally from the diet, incorporating lifestyle changes and increased devotion to the cause of better health through eating real food and preparing foods right. If people care to make the necessary changes in their life in exchange for improved health it is easier, then dealing with the person who is over 50 pounds their ideal body weight and are happy with their life.
Extended Vacation Times
Employers in many European countries allow extended vacations of up to six weeks, as one week is not enough for an employee to rest, relax and remove stress in their life. Those employees who take a good two to three weeks off from work come back to the job, stress relieved, are more efficient in their work and ready to meet the demands of the job. Employees are well rested before returning to return to work and health care costs start to decline, as stress is the number one thing, which causes sick time for the employee.
Disease Prevention to Decrease Healthcare Cost
Citizens in European nations practice more prevention, thus do not become ill with as many chronic diseases and illnesses. If the government paid doctors more for practicing preventative routes rather than waiting until the patient to become ill and comes for treatment there could be a decrease in healthcare costs. Doctors are not encouraged by government sources to promote disease management, only to treat the patient after disease has risen. America seems to have their thoughts on healthcare turned upside down and do not manage disease processes as well as their European neighbors.
National Campaigns
Gradually over the years the national campaigns for cessation of smoking has slashed smoking by more than half. A national campaign in America to slash disease and chronic illnesses through prevention of these illnesses instead of just treating the patient as they become ill would do a lot to decrease healthcare cost. However, again, this has to be government driven and disease prevention needs pounding into the American populace, through attacking obesity first.
Public Transportation
Most Europeans going to and from work or anywhere rely highly on public transportation, this decreases motor vehicle accidents and fuel consumption. This helps to cut down on environmental issues by taking more vehicles off the road. Europe is promoting electric powered vehicles or fuel-efficient vehicles instead of using fuel. This is cleaner for the environment.
Longer Lives
According to WHO or the World Health Organization, European citizens are living longer then Americans. It is felt that their lifestyle has much to do with this, in addition to living preventive and proactive lives. Longer vacations from work, in addition to using more transportation that is public decrease stress of driving in populated areas.
The Tortoise and the Hare
Researchers say that for a long time now that Europeans are never in a hurry. Americans on the other hand have a saying, “Hurry, Hurry, Work and Worry”. Stress is what the American people are all about with all the hurry focus on work and worry about every facet of life. Americans seem always to have to be number one. The old saying has never been truer that Europeans work to live and Americans live to work.
Real Food
Europeans hail all the homemade goods bought in shops and stores, such as real cheese. Americans on the other hand purchase something yellow in color and marked imitation cheese spreads. Most of what Americans buy is something resembling food. Europeans eat real food products that are healthier, containing more vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Most of what Americans are eating is chemicals, which are adding to obesity.
