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The Medicare Trust Fund will soon be out of money, and there will be no practical way for the government to continue to provide the level of benefits that current Medicare recipients receive. The result will be serious rations, waiting periods, and a reduction in benefits. If you wish to maintain your medical freedom, and have access to a high level of medical service, you must be prepared to pay for it yourself. The best strategy is to take good care of your health, and to build up medical retirement funds as large as possible by using Health Savings Accounts.

The Coming Medicare Insolvency

The total federal debt is now over $10 trillion. But if you also include the current unfunded liabilities of social security, Medicare, and other programs, the total federal debt is at least $54 trillion. This number has been confirmed in three separate studies - by the American Enterprise Institute, the National Center for Policy Analysis, and the Brookings Institution.

It is difficult to get a grasp of a number that big. That’s $180,000 per person currently living in the United States. It is four times the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, the measure of the final value of all goods and services produced in this country in the course of a year.

As the program is currently structured it is unsustainable, and the fund is expected to be depleted by 2018. That is a mere 11 years from now. The shortfall in Social Security and Medicare revenues will continue to increase as the years go by - it will exceed $2 trillion by 2030. At that point, half of all tax dollars will have to go to Social Security and Medicare.

That clearly can’t happen. Instead, the system will face massive cuts in benefits, probably in addition to large tax increases.

Who Will Pay Your Medical Expenses During Retirement?

So will Medicare be there for you? It depends on how old you are. Unless you are retiring in the next couple years, I certainly wouldn’t count on it, particularly if you want to insure that you have access to high quality medical care during your retirement years.

Last year Fidelity Investments reported that the average couple retiring in 2006 would need $200,000 just to cover medical expenses during retirement. That estimate did not include the cost of over-the-counter medications, most dental services and, long-term care, if needed. And it did not include the charges that are currently paid by Medicare.

If we cannot depend on Medicare to be there for us, the only smart solution is to save as much money as possible. This will ensure that you can obtain the quality care you need. If you are not currently putting as much money as possible aside to pay for these expenses yourself, you are making a serious mistake.

What Is Your Solution?

As most readers already know, the very best tool for accumulating funds for future medical expenses is a Health Savings Account. An HSA is the only investment that provides a tax deduction when you deposit the money, yet never taxes the money if it is used to pay for qualified medical expenses.

Therefore, you should put as much money as possible into your HSA, and withdraw as little as possible. The contribution limit for 2007 is $2,850 for an individual, and $5,650 for families. Those over 55 can also contribute an $800 catch-up contribution. Making the maximum contribution each year will help you build a medical retirement fund that can be used to pay future medical expenses, tax-free.

Rather than withdrawing money from your account to pay for medical expenses as they occur, you should pay for medical expenses that are not covered by your health insurance, out of your own pocket. Save your receipts (for doctor visits, eye glasses, aspirin, etc), and leave your money in the account to grow tax-deferred. There is no time limit before you have to reimburse yourself, so you can make the most of this tax-free investment.

As soon as possible, you may also want to transfer some of the money into mutual funds. While some HSA administrators are paying interest rates as high as 5%, the only way you are going to really grow the account is to get a much higher return on your money. Many HSA administrators offer a discount brokerage option, so you can place your funds in virtually any stock or mutual fund.

For a family that contributes the maximum contribution each year, it is quite reasonable to assume an HSA account value well over $1 million after 25 or 30 years. Medicare may be broke, but at least you won’t be.

“Medicare HSAs?”

The solution to the pending Medicare meltdown is very complicated, but it is clear that government-run medical programs don’t work. The dismal results can be seen everywhere, from the former Soviet-bloc countries, to the broken down national healthcare systems of Canada and Europe. Medicare must be transformed into a program where seniors have an ownership interest in the money they are spending.

Replacing the government’s obligation to provide benefits with a voucher that seniors could use to purchase health insurance from competing private insurers, and/or deposit into a “Medicare Health Savings Account,” would bring market efficiencies and competition into the picture. This idea is endorsed by both the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association.

Retirement HSAs may or may not ever come to fruition. But fortunately, HSA plans are available to those under age 65. If you do not yet have an HSA, get signed up for one now. You will lower your health insurance premiums, and can begin putting money aside for medical expenses you will almost inevitably incur during your older years.

By choosing a Health Savings Account, one is betting on themselves… in a way. If you stay healthy, then with a typical health insurance plan you’re just out a lot of money. With a Health Savings Account, not only will you pay significantly less in premiums, but at the end of the year you have a nice deposit of up to $5,650 sitting in your account. Money which you didn’t pay any federal income taxes on, state income taxes (with the exception of four states) on, or social security taxes.

Let’s say a 30-year old man with a family opens a Health Savings Account and has a high-deductible health plan that allows him to fund the account with $5,650 each year. If he takes $1,000 or less out each year for medical expenses, and earns a 10% return on his money, he’ll have $1,422,878 when he retires.

The best way to accumulate this much money in your Health Savings Account is to stay healthy, so that you don’t need to access those funds to pay for medical expenses. The good news is that the vast majority of diseases and disorders people have are the direct result of their lifestyle choices. High blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, digestive disorders, endometriosis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and more, are all largely preventable.

The Average Guy Doesn’t Get It

The average American lives as if social security, a few prescriptions, and some good luck will take care of him in his later years. So he saves little for retirement. He eats packaged foods like French fries, chips, cokes, pasta, and cold cuts. And over the years he puts on “a few extra pounds”, and he gets out-of-shape, and he gets high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, and eventually heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s.

Insurance Companies Get It

Some insurance companies do understand the tremendous impact lifestyle can have on health, and are beginning to institute programs to encourage healthy lifestyles among their customers. Healthy policyholders will use their coverage less, resulting in lower rates for them, and better customer retention and higher profitability for the insurance company. Some insurance companies started new programs designed to help reward their customers for staying healthy. The programs provide health risk assessments, personalized health-improvement plans, email access to trainers, counselors, and nutritionists, and even credits that can be redeemed for health-related merchandise.

HSA Owners Get It

People who open Health Savings Accounts are proactive. They act ahead of time, and think about how their actions now will affect their future. That is why they put away tax-deferred money for future possible health expenses, and that is why many are also interested in taking a proactive approach to their health. Choosing to live an extraordinarily healthy life, and actively making lifestyle changes, is an activity that will bring tremendous returns. Tax-free, just like an HSA.

Finding the best savings account is one of the first steps you should take when first organizing your finances. They are important because you need a place to put your short term savings and you need a highly liquid emergency fund.

Too often people put their short term savings in their checking account and don’t earn any interest. This is a huge waste of money and passive income. While interest rates are not that high, you are just throwing away money by not putting it into a high interest savings account. That is why find the best savings account is crucial.

These accounts are also important for emergency funds. You never know when you might fall onto hard financial times. You could lose your job or have a large expense hit you by surprise. By building up an emergency fund in a savings account you can alleviate some of this risk

Finding the best savings account

There are two places to look for the best savings account. You can research your local banks and credit unions to see who has the best or you can find them at online banks. Determining whether an online bank is appropriate for you requires you to study how you need to do your banking. Many people feel the need to have a brick and mortar bank to visit. Others are happy to do all of their banking online.

For most Internet users and computer users an online bank is perfectly fine. Computer users are used to using their computers to get things done. Typically this also translates into enjoying the online banking experience.

What should you look for in the best savings account?

- Low minimum deposits to open - You need to find a savings acount with a low minimum deposit requirement to open. You don’t want to have to maintain a large balance all the time in your savings account.

- Low minimum deposits - If you want to be able to deposit $10 into your savings account because that is the amount you can afford, you should be able to.

- High interest rates - Obviously the higher the interest rate the better. The good news for you if that there are lots of high interest rates savings accounts out there.

- The time it takes to withdrawal funds - If you need quick access to your money, you want to make sure that you can withdrawal the money quickly.

Another key thing to look at when finding a savings account is the bank’s checking account program. Often you will want to have a checking account at the same bank that you have your other account with. I find that people too often overlook the checking account options before deciding on a high interest savings account.

One of the best aspects of having a Health Savings Account is that you can control your medical care. If you want to have a medical test or procedure done that is not covered by your health insurance, you can pay for it with pre-tax dollars from your health savings account. One of the processes of aging that scientists have been learning more about in recent years is glycation, and the formation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts, or AGEs. Here’s how to reduce this harmful process, and there is a simple test you can take and pay for from your Health Savings Account to see how you’re doing.

What is “Glycation” and what are AGEs?

When we take a piece of bread and put it in the toaster, it slowly turns brown. This is the result of a natural process called the “Maillard reaction”, in which sugars react with proteins. It is this process that gives flavor to pizza crust, roasted coffee, and beer.

The same process naturally happens in the human body. (So in a sense, we all slowly “brown” as we age). When a protein in your body is “glycated”, it has a sugar molecule attached to it, and can then bond to another protein in your body in a process called “cross-linking”. These damaged proteins result in the formation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts.

Exposure to AGEs in the body contributes to inflammation and to a large variety of age-related diseases, including cataracts, joint stiffness, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular diseases. Some AGEs can increase the risk of cancer, and others increase the risk of auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Reduce AGEs in your Food

When experimental mice are fed a low-AGE diet, they have better cardiovascular health, better kidney health, better blood sugar management, and they live longer. AGE formation is increased when foods are cooked at high temperatures, and for longer periods of time. You can significantly reduce AGEs created in food preparation by using boiling, poaching, or stewing rather than frying or grilling.

So one strategy is to simply reduce your consumption of “browned” foods. So for instance, fried shrimp will have way more harmful AGE compounds than boiled shrimp.

How to Reduce AGE Formation in your Body

AGE formation is particularly high in diabetics, due to uncontrolled sugar levels in the body. This is a reasons why they suffer from increased rates kidney disease, vision loss, and cardiovascular disease. Millions of Americans who have not been diagnosed as diabetic still have glucose handling difficulties, typically diagnosed as “metabolic syndrome”. It is becoming more evident that a diet low in foods that raise blood sugar rapidly (typically the “white” foods like pasta, bread, sugar, and rice) will reduce a person’s risk of diabetes or metabolic syndrome. This in turn will also reduce your body’s AGE formation.

Supplements You Can Take

Numerous dietary supplements have now been shown to reduce glycation, cross-linking, and AGE formation. Some experts recommend the following supplements, typically 500 mg to 1 gram of each, per day: Carnosine, Benfotiamine, Alpha-lipoic acid, Acetyl-l-carnitine, and Curcumin.

If your health care practitioner recommends supplements for the prevention or treatment of a specific health condition, you can pay for them from your HSA.

A common blood test that diabetics have done is Glycated Hemoglobin A1c. This measures how much the red blood cells have become glycated over the past few months, and is an indicator of average blood sugar levels.

Stay Healthy, Grow Your Health Savings Account

So be proactive - fund your HSA to the max, do what you can to optimize your health, and let your Health Savings Account grow.

Before you decide to apply for savings account payday loans, it is essential that you understand what actually these loans are and what they have to offer you. Guaranteed payday loans are short term loans, which you can borrow when you face any type of emergency cash shortage. You can get amounts up to dollars 1,000 from a ten dollar payday loan.

Borrow Amount That You Really Need

However, it does not mean that you should borrow amount more than that you need. If you need only a small amount, you can apply to lenders of savings account payday loans to get as low as 50 dollars. The more the borrowed amount, the more you will have to pay as interest. Keep in mind that interest rates of these loans are a little higher than other traditional loans.

Nevertheless, borrowing from companies offering online savings account payday loan is a very different experience than obtaining loans from banks and other conventional financing institutes. Here, you do not have to wait for long hours to meet someone and talk about loan procedure. On the contrary, you can apply right from your home or office, by submitting your application online.

Credit History Has No Impact On Approval Process

Another big difference is in the approach of lenders of savings account payday loans about your credit history. They do not mind approving your loan application, even if you have bad credit history, too many outstanding loans, or a recent bankruptcy. This is something impossible with a traditional lender. Moreover, you do not have to do much paperwork and there is no need to fax any documents.

The other reason for the popularity of the savings account payday loan is the fact that they do not ask for any form of security or credit score. You can access this loan even if you have a pathetic credit score and are not eligible to borrow from any other organization. This form of loan is guaranteed in spite of bad credit. So people who do not otherwise borrow money from banks find that they can easily borrow money from lenders in the payday loan market. All they have to do is prove that they have a permanent job and have been holding it for sometime.

Still, no matter how easy it is to get money from the faxless payday loans, you should decide to go for it only when you are sure that you will be able to repay amount on time. This is because nonpayment of your dues on time may cause heavy penalties, thereby increasing the cost of loan largely.

Healthy children are easier on the household budget unfortunately not everyone is so blessed so what do you do? When considering the family budget and being a good parent, providing quality healthcare at a reasonable price is right up there with the mortgage payment, car payments and college tuition.

Health Savings Accounts can be simple and easy to understand. A Health Savings Account is a tax-favored savings account combined with a qualifying high-deductible health insurance plan. Health Savings Accounts allow you to legally avoid federal income tax by depositing 100% of the health plan’s deductible, up to $2,850 for singles or $5,650 for families, into your Health Savings Account. Health Savings Accounts, (HSA) touted as a way to lower health-insurance costs and broaden coverage, have fallen short of their promise. They are gaining popularity because they allow individuals, rather than an HMO or the government, to take charge of their health care. Also, they’re an excellent option for individuals and families without employer-sponsored health insurance. Health Savings Accounts are becoming quite popular for people who are generally healthy and they’re leading the way in this transition.

Savings can be used to help pay the deductible and for non-covered medical expenses, such as dental and vision. Savings reduce or eliminate annual out-of-pocket exposure. Savings not spent remain in the HSA tax-deferred. Savings and investments unlike premiums, unused HSA dollars remain in the HSA until you use them later. Day-to-day expenses come out of the health savings account, while catastrophic expenses are covered by insurance. Health Savings Accounts are gaining popularity because they allow individuals, rather than an HMO or the government, to take charge of their health care. A Health Savings Account combined with a High Deductible Health Insurance Plan gives individuals an economic incentive to become better consumers of health care services because they are now spending their own money up to the level of their high deductible. Health Savings Accounts are an excellent option for individuals and families without employer-sponsored health insurance.

If your employer offers a high-deductible health insurance policy, you may be able to make pretax contributions, like you would with a flexible-spending account. Legislation passed by Congress December 9, 2006, will let you make a one-time transfer of funds tax free from a flexible-spending account to an HSA. You cannot have an HSA if you use a flexible-spending account to pay health-care costs or if you have other medical coverage (say, through a spouse’s policy). You can keep the money in an HSA account even after you leave that job, similar to a 401(k). Keep in mind that you can continue to withdraw money from the account tax-free for qualified medical expenses after age 65. You can’t make new HSA contributions after age 65, but you can still use the money in your account tax-free for medical expenses at any age.

Deposits to an HSA may be made by any policyholder of a qualified High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), by an employer on behalf of a policyholder, or any other person. Previously, the annual maximum deposit to an HSA was the lesser of the HDHP deductible or specified IRS limits. As of 2007 plan years, Congress has abolished the lower limit based on the deductible, and the maximum contribution will simply be the statutory limit. These include deductibles and coinsurance as well as many other expenses not covered under medical plans, such as dental, vision and chiropractic care; durable medical equipment such as eyeglasses and hearing aids; purchase and use of qualifying over-the-counter medications; and transportation expenses related to medical care. Contributions are deductible, the account accumulates tax-free, and withdrawals used for medical expenses are tax-free. Contributions and gains can be rolled from year to year – there’s no “use it or lose it”. Contributions to the HSAs are tax-deductible at the federal and state level.

Healthcare is the number one issue facing many individuals and companies in America. Now with the release of Michael Moore’s new movie, SICKO, the debate on healthcare in the USA in on. Many well-meaning people believe that a government take-over of healthcare coverage, called a “single-payer” system, is the answer. Health Savings Accounts are combined with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to offer a more affordable approach to healthcare. They were created to help give control back to consumers and lower healthcare costs. While most healthcare insurance clients say they are satisfied with their current plans, the landscape changes when major illnesses start. Alternatively, your HSA balance can be used to cover your post-age-65 healthcare costs including Medicare Part A and B premiums, Medicare HMO premiums, garden-variety health premiums, insurance deductibles and co-payments, prescriptions, long-term care insurance premiums, and so forth. But what about the person who lives pay check to pay check or the single parent trying to provide healthcare for themselves and children. Combine a tax-favored Health Savings Account (HSA) and an HSA-eligible health insurance plan to save money tax-free for healthcare costs.

Health Savings Account Plans help you take control of your health care expenses with a tax-favored savings account and quality medical coverage. Health Savings Account (HSA) Plans are an excellent choice for individuals and families who want to control their health insurance costs by combining a lower cost high deductible health insurance plan with a tax advantaged savings account and network discounts. Learn how to take advantage of the money-saving benefits of a Health Savings Account. By allowing you to deposit tax-deductible funds into a health savings account that you can use to cover medical costs, Health Savings Accounts enable you to take control of your own health care decisions. Once your insurance policy has become effective, you may begin to fund your Health Savings Account. Please note: To obtain the maximum tax benefit from your Health Savings Account in 2008 as well as lock in 2007 rates, you must have your HSA-qualified insurance plan effective no later than December 31. There are about 10 million people enrolled in “consumer-driven health plans,” and about 6 million of those are Health Savings Accounts. To really maximize your savings pair up a Discount Health Plan, for the everyday savings on you health care, with your HSA and HDHP. You may want to read my other article on Healthcare and the Family Budget - How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck!

If you’re looking for a convenient way to store all of your hard-earned cash, consider choosing an online savings account. What is that? you might ask. Good question. How do I choose a good online savings account? Even better question, and I’ll answer both of them for you. 

An online savings account, by definition, is a savings account managed and funded exclusively on the Internet. There are no stand-alone buildings to visit, no lines to stand in to speak with someone at the bank, and no drive-thrus to sit in. Online savings accounts are accessible any time, day or night, so you can conduct your business at 2:00 a.m., if you must. You can transfer money easily between existing accounts, or have money direct deposited into your online savings account at certain times. So, if you want to have $20 from your paycheck go directly to your online savings account, you can. Or if you’d like to move money from your checking account to your online savings, you can do that, too. As long as you have access to the Internet, you have access to your account.

Now that you’re up-to-speed on what an online savings account is, I’m sure you’re wondering how to choose a good one. It’s a fairly simple process to start: you can go to any search engine and type in “online savings account” and wade through the results. Or you can go to the website of a reputable financial institution to see if they offer online accounts. ING.com offers online savings accounts that are free and easy to use, after a bit of initial setup and approval. Washington Mutual also offers an online savings option at wamu.com, with an incredibly low intitial deposit amount of just $1.00 to get started. HSBCDirect.com is another good choice for online savings accounts, but application approval is needed before you can start saving. 

Once you have a few options in mind, start comparing. You’ll need to look at the interest rates each bank offers, to determine what fits your needs. Some may offer a fixed rate for your money, meaning you’ll earn the same interest time and time again, no matter the economy. Others more commonly change their interests rates according to inflation and economy, raising and lowering at will - some lower interest rates at the first sign of danger, and some are a little steadier. Interest might be a big determining factor for your money, if you’re looking to gain quickly. 

Be sure to check whether or not the bank if FDIC insured. Being insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation means they cover all of your money up to $100,000 should something happen. If the financial institution goes under, the FDIC can step in to help you recover your losses. They also monitor banks to make sure they are following FDIC rules and regulations, which helps to ensure your money is kept safe. If a website looks shady, you find virtually nothing of them on the Internet, or they aren’t FDIC insured, it’s best to keep looking - you want your cash to be safe. Also make sure they site has a secure connection to protect against password and information thieves.

Another good thing to check is minimum balance requirements. Most banks don’t have one, but some require you keep a minimum of a certain amount of money with them at all times, or you may have to pay monthly fees and/or your interest rate might plummet dramatically. Don’t choose an account that requires $20,000 kept as a minimum unless you have that much already in hand and know you won’t get in a situation that requires you to dip below that.

Does the bank you choose offer debit cards, and can they be used at ATMs? Do they offer 24-hour customer service or service during reasonable hours? All good things to consider when choosing an online savings account.

 

The December 1st deadline is drawing near to secure substantial savings on your current year taxes. With the upheaval in our economy, there has been quite a surge in the number of people applying for HSA-qualified health insurance. HSAs, or Health Savings Accounts, allow you to put aside pre-tax money to cover future medical expenses. Anyone that has a plan in effect no later than December 1st is qualified to make a tax deductible contribution to their HSA during the current year, and may be able to reduce the taxes they owe on April 15th by $1900 or more.

 

While conventional co-pay plans continue to be popular, there has been a large increase in the number of people choosing to invest in health plans that work with Health Savings Accounts. HSA plans have become a better choice for many because these plans have premiums that are usually quite a bit lower than conventional co-pay plans. HSA plans also come with the added incentive that any money deposited into the HSA is tax deductible, which will directly lower the plan holder’s taxable income. A growing number of people are finding that a Health Savings Account is both a wise investment and a valuable way to meet their health insurance needs.

 

In addition to reducing their premiums and lowering their taxes, HSA holders are also able to begin building a tax-deferred medical retirement account. These accounts have proven their value for people who have built their accounts and later experienced unexpected medical issues. Rather than having a large amount of out-of-pocket expenses, these people were able to make a withdrawal on their HSA tax-free to cover the unexpected medical bills. Any growth to this account is tax-deferred and if a withdrawal is made for just about any kind of medical expense, that withdrawal is made tax-free.

 

If you have seriously considered making changes to your current health care arrangements, now is the time to act. At the very least, you could start your own investigation to see if an HSA would be a wise decision for you and your family. You must have your HSA-qualified health insurance in force no later than December 1, in order to take advantage of an HSA contribution and receive the accompanying tax reduction during the current year. Due to the fact that the underwriting process can sometimes take a few weeks, most insurance experts recommend that you apply for a plan as early as possible.

 

Anyone who does have a HSA insurance plan in place before December 1 will be able to contribute to their Health Savings Account up to $2900 as an individual, or up to $5800 as a family. People over the age of 55 can also make an additional contribution of up to $900 to their account. All money placed in these accounts, up to the limits just stated, is not subject to taxes. Someone in a 28% tax bracket who makes a $5800 contribution to their HSA will reduce their April 15th tax bill by $1624-even more when they count the savings on their state income taxes.

 

If you are paying for your own health insurance, now is the time to investigate a Health Savings Account. Online insurance agencies make comparing premiums and applying for coverage simple, and the lower premium and reduced taxes could add up to $4000 or more in annual savings.

The people who will have the most money in their Health Savings Account (HSA) are those who fully fund it, put the money in well-performing mutual funds, and stay healthy so they can avoid making premature withdrawals. Diet is the foundation of good health, and the healthiest diet you can eat is the one we evolved to eat, commonly known as The Paleo Diet.

Choose Not To Get Sick

One thing that most Health Savings Account owners have in common is a belief in personal responsibility. They know that if they depend on the government to pay their medical bills in their old age, they’ll be at the mercy of a government bureaucrat, and their choices will be limited. So instead they choose to put money aside each year to cover future expenses. As a thank you, the government provides a nice tax write-off, tax-deferred growth, and tax-free medical spending.

The other area where most people can take more personal responsibility is with their health. People tend to have the attitude that “stuff happens”, and there’s not much you can do to prevent the degenerative diseases that come with aging. This is hogwash.

Longevity has advanced dramatically in the past century. Some of this is due to new drugs and advances in surgical techniques. But most of it is simply lifestyle - people are bathing more frequently, they are working under less dangerous conditions, they are smoking less, and some are eating better food. (Fresh fruits and vegetables were expensive and rare during winter months when my grandfather was a child).

Other than not smoking cigarettes, the most powerful thing you can do to ensure good health is to eat the right foods. Most people get it wrong, but if you follow this advice you will lower your risk of almost all the diseases and disorders that disrupt the lifestyle and drain the bank accounts of so many people when they reach their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s.

Why Is Nutrition So Confusing?

In 1988, Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop announced that high-fat foods in the American diet had a health risk that was comparable to cigarette smoking. So people began eating no-fat and low-fat foods like bagels and Snackwell cookies. Despite this change, the rate of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity continued to grow.

Then the pendulum swung, with people adopting the Atkins diet and eating nothing but meat, cheese, and eggs. And then Atkins himself had a heart attack.

Part of the problem is that food is big money. So the Food Pyramid put out by the USDA is the product of very heavy lobbying efforts. Another part of the problem is that until now there has been no overriding paradigm about what good nutrition really is.

And so the low-fat vegetarian proponents eat their whole grains and soy burgers, thinking they are eating the right way, while others avoid carbs like the plaque. Who is right? Is the answer “moderation?” And what is that?

Eating the Foods We Evolved To Eat

Imagine that you were a zoo keeper, and it was your job to keep the animals healthy. In one cage you’ve got a giraffe, in another you’ve got a lion, and in the third you have an anteater. What do you feed them?

Most people would answer that you try to feed them what they would eat in the wild. If you do so, you’re most likely to have healthy animals. If you get things mixed up and feed the lion leaves, the giraffe ants, and the anteater meat, you’ll have some sick animals very quickly.

So using the same thinking, what do you feed a human in order to keep him or her optimally healthy? The foods that they evolved to eat, of course.

For 2.five million years humans lived as hunter gatherers. We ate whatever we could pick, find, or catch. So our diet consisted of fruits, vegetables, tubers, meat, and seafood. (And the occasional bug).

It was only 10,000 years ago (500 generations) that humans began eating grains (wheat, rice, corn, etc.) as a regular part of their diet. Dairy consumption (other than mother’s milk) first began approximately 6000 years ago. The regular use of vegetable oils, refined sugar, and salt is even more recent. As I mentioned last month, two-thirds of the foods we now eat are foods that are new to our system, for which we are not genetically adapted.

Evolution moves quite slowly, and the simple fact is that we are not adapted to eating these foods, and they are making us sick.

The Problems With Grains

Grains are the seeds of grasses. The grass seed itself doesn’t want to be eaten, because its purpose is to grow a new blade of grass. So it has various “anti-nutrients” to protect it from pests and predators.

Protease inhibitors in wheat bind trypsin, preventing this digestive enzyme from digesting protein. A protein called wheat germ agglutin (WGA) happens to bind to a hormone receptor in the gut, entering circulation and causing an immediate immune reaction every time you eat a piece of bread.

WGA also increases gut permeability, increasing the likelihood that other undigested dietary components may enter circulation.

Another component found in cereals such as rye, oats, barley, and corn are “alkylresorcinols.” These are thought to provide the seed resistance from pathogenic organisms, but they are also toxic to humans, and have been shown to cause red blood cell destruction and DNA damage.

Grains also raise blood sugar very rapidly, causing a high secretion of insulin from the pancreas. High circulating insulin is characteristic of “metabolic syndrome”, which a vast number of Americans currently suffer from.

What About Milk?

Cow milk contains a hormone called betacellulin, which binds to a receptor in the gut called the EGF receptor. Just one glass of milk has the capacity to stimulate the receptor 10 times as much would normally occur in 24 hours from EGF in the saliva.

When the EGF receptor is stimulated it causes the body to “upregulate” EGF receptors, basically causing more of them to appear. This in turn let’s even more betacellulin enter the body the next time you have some dairy. Upregulation of the EGF receptor is characteristic of many cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, ovarian, and bladder.

No animals other than humans consume milk past the age of weaning.

Prevent Autoimmune Disease

The incidence of autoimmune diseases increases as people age. It occurs when the body loses the ability to distinguish its own proteins from foreign proteins, and starts attacking itself.

Grains and beans contain substances called “lectins”, which are known to increase gut permeability, possibly allowing in gut bacteria substances that can trigger an autoimmune reaction.

Cereal grains and beans also contain proteins with amino acid sequences that are very similar to those found in human collagen and other tissues of the body. If the immune system gets confused, it can start attacking itself (such as with rheumatoid arthritis when joints become swollen and painful).

Get Rid Of Acne

Yes, even something as seemingly minor as acne can be prevented by eating a Paleo diet. Saving just $2000 in doctor visits over the next couple years could result in an extra $25,000 in your HSA by the time you finally decide to take the money out.

If these ideas intrigue you, check out: www.ThePaleoDiet.com

From the first flutter we feel inside to the first time we hold our children in our arms, we realize that we are responsible for a life other than our own. We want to make the best decisions we can and ensure that our child’s needs are provided for. But what if something happens to us? What would happen to them? While life insurance can provide some security that our children will be provided for, by starting a child’s savings account or purchase bonds in their name we can secure their financial future.

In the beginning, we will be the ones who will add money to our children’s accounts for the purpose of offsetting the increasing costs of college tuition or private education. Unlike college savings plans, a children savings account offer the flexibility of accessing money when your child needs it most; whether that is before they are of college-age or after. The money that has been invested in a children savings account will be available to the child immediately without penalty.

A number of financial institutions offer a children savings account, so search for the best rates possible with the fewest restrictions. Many banks have a children savings account that offers no minimum age, but require that an adult take trust of the money until the child reaches a certain age, usually 18 years of age.

Bonds are another option for brightening your child’s financial future. Because bonds hold the initial monetary investment for a set amount of time before they mature, they may have a higher interest rate than the more flexible children savings account. However, in order for bond purchasing to be beneficial you have to be prepared to wait for the bonds to mature over a period of time, usually a minimum of three years and in most cases, much longer.

By opening a children savings account or purchasing bonds, we create a cash flow cushion available when our children may need it as well as the peace of mind of knowing that the small investments we make over time will give to our children in more ways than we imagined.

Whenever you are doing a research on one subject, try to get to the essence of what you are studying. It is true of mundane areas as well. As you search for information about savings accounts try and reach the best value, definitions and clarity. Read what we have on our site on savings accounts and if you need more material on this you can always go to the world wide web again to finish up on your studies. In this information age, there is a lot of options for increasing your knowledge base. Check the links below for more information on savings accounts and other related information.