When it comes to the health of the nation, the Government regularly take the initiative to make public the latest research and findings that can help improve our health and prevent future risks. Programmes to educate children with school meal choices have proved popular in the past along with specialist dietary information for those with particular health problems. If followed, these guidelines can not only help us keep on top of our health issues but they can also help to reduce the cost of health insurance if we are seen to be taking care of ourselves.



Health insurance and life insurance application forms often cover an assessment of our diets. This is because it has such a huge impact on our health and thus, the likelihood of us costing our health insurance company money. It has long been known that a high fat diet is bad for our hearts and heart disease is one of the biggest health issues facing the UK population. This is exactly why publications regarding heart health have encouraged us to abstain from the traditional English breakfast.

Fried food is heavily laden with fat. Cholesterol levels are raised in those who eat fried food regularly and this puts a huge strain on the heart. This led to the British fry up being called a heart attack on a plate. Well, here is a little something else to consider before you tuck into that morning treat and one more thing for the health insurance companies to consider.

The World Cancer Research Fund say that there is enough evidence that the traditional fry up increases our risk of bowel cancer by over sixty per cent that we should avoid it as much as possible. This is down to the excess fat in the diet and that fact alone is a known factor in certain types of cancer, including bowel cancer.

We're not simply talking about those huge fry ups but your everyday sort. The ones that consist of two sausages and three rashers of bacon which equates to around 150g of processed meat, the precursor to excess fat and thus bowel cancer. The link is not fully understood yet, but suffice to say it is there and like all things; moderation is the key. The occasional fry up can be balanced by a healthy diet but it is the everyday occurrence that causes the health concerns.

Of course, if we truly want to the best for our health, we could do a lot worse than follow a traditional Victorian diet. We're not suggesting for one minute that you go with the gruel but according to research due to be published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Victorians set a fine example when it came to diet.

The lack of processed food meant that their intake of nutrients was much higher. Their calorie intake was also a great deal higher than today's recommendations but this is what sustained them through the heavy toil of physical labour. They did not have the obesity problems and it's knock on effect to health that we see today and they also lived longer.

The Victorians diet was low in salt as it was only used to add flavouring. It's use as a preservative only came about during the late 1880's and even then it would only have been available to the wealthier people. Confectionary was just becoming widely available but it wasn't widely consumed as they were not used to high sugar diets.

Fruit and vegetables were a cheap commodity and up to ten portions a day would have been consumed by the working classes. Figures show that during the mid-Victorian era cancers and heart disease were a tenth of what they currently are. This can be no coincidence. Physical activity along with a basic healthy diet goes a long way to a extended, healthy life and cheaper health insurance premiums.