KEY TAKEAWAY: Over 80,000 new cancer cases are associated with low whole-grain intake, low dairy intake, high intake of processed meats and red meat, low fruit and vegetable intake, and high intake of sugary beverages. In other words we aren’t doing enough to prevent some cancers.

Americans spend an average of five hours per day watching television, one hour on the internet, and an hour and seven minutes on a smartphone. So assuming we’re working eight hours and sleeping eight hours, we’re spending the rest of the day doing one of those three things.

Many of us don’t take control of our health care and rely on doctors to do what’s best for us. But not all doctors are created equal. And if it’s a doctor that takes insurance, they may not spend a lot of time with you. In order to pay overhead and make a living, they need to see as many patients a day as possible.

Not getting enough physical activity comes with high health and financial costs. It can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity. In addition, lack of physical activity costs the nation $117 billion annually for related health care

According to the CDC:

Nothing kills more Americans than heart disease and stroke. More than 859,000 Americans die of heart disease or stroke every year—that’s one-third of all deaths. These diseases take an economic toll, as well, costing our health care system $199 billion per year and causing $131 billion in lost productivity on the job.

More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and another 84 million adults in the United States have a condition called prediabetes, which puts them at risk for type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can cause heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness, and costs the US health care system and employers $237 billion every year.

Obesity affects almost 1 in 5 children and 1 in 3 adults, putting people at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Over a quarter of all Americans, 17 to 24 years are too heavy to join the military. Obesity costs the US health care system $147 billion a year.

Why?

The solutions are not easy, but we haven’t even started to address the problems yet. It’s too easy to get an Rx for a statin than change our diet. iPad’s have made a lot of people couch potatoes, and the stress of work doesn’t allow us the time to take care of ourselves. The drug industry is fully aware of this, and so they are advertising a quick fix rather than suggest ways to take better care of ourselves. Doctors diagnose a condition rather than a patient and insurance companies rarely if ever, offer lifestyle counseling.

So, we Americans have become overly reliant on the drug industry to keep us healthy. Recent research indicated that people trust the drug industry but not when it comes to pricing drugs fairly.

Until we, as a nation, are willing to address the REAL issues of rising healthcare costs expenses are going to continue to rise.