All of the recipes emphasize Essays

All of the recipes emphasize Essays All of the recipes emphasize Paper All of the recipes emphasize Paper The idea of healthy living comes from recognizing that social systems function best when they promote the health of their individual members. This means that communities, companies, and government agencies must come together in order to cultivate the conditions by which health can be maintained, chronic disease can be mitigated or prevented, and the environment can be maintained with a minimal amount of pollution and toxins.   In 2002, a forum dedicated to preventing chronic disease resulted in an â€Å"agreement for the development of an integrated health promotion and chronic disease prevention network in Alberta† (AHLN, â€Å"About†, par. 1). That network was the Alberta Healthy Living Network, an organization that bring together educational and practical measures in order to make advance the agenda of a more healthy lifestyle.   The Networks primary concern is the reduction of chronic diseases like diabetes through instilling good healthy living habits. Healthy Alberta is another organization following a similar path.   They emphasize active living and healthy eating, and their website provides copious amounts of information about both activities.   It includes recipes like â€Å"flax banana bread,† â€Å"berry soup,† and â€Å"salmon oasis.† All of the recipes emphasize that food can be prepared in healthy ways and that choices can be made to prepare healthy foods, and that as a result of these efforts, one can live an overall more healthy lifestyle.   In addition, it provides concrete suggestions as to activities one can enjoy, including Frisbee, sledding, walk and talk outings with friends, and so on. The point of all of these activities is to show how one can enjoy, often for free, the benefits of living in such a fine location, pretty much any time of the year, and that again, ones decisions matter.   Pleasantly, many of the recipes and most of the activities do not come with much of a price tag, which opens up healthy living as a lifestyle for many, rather than a privileged few. Suffice it to say that the healthy living movement plays an important part in the social fabric of Alberta, as evidence by the many websites devoted to advancing the lifestyle.   And this is a good thing, because healthy living lowers overall costs from poor health (government funds spent on care, loss of work hours from those with illness, etc.) and because healthier individuals tend to be happier individuals, and happiness is a value everyone can get behind. The governments efforts to partner with local businesses, nonprofits, and educators, serve an important function, not just integrating healthy living into the social fabric but making the overall weave of that fabric stronger and more vibrant. Cites: Alberta Healthy Living Network.   Retrieved Jan 23, 2005 from AHLN website: ahln.ca/index.cfm. Healthy Alberta.   Retrieved Jan 24, 2005 from Healthy Alberta website: healthyalberta.com/