Several years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitored 30,000 patient visits to physicians. In their study, they found that fewer than one fourth of the doctors counseled their patients to alter their lifestyles to reduce the risk of heart disease.

It would probably be the same with the H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic. Never mind eating better, losing weight or exercising more—just get the shot, most would counsel.

But the very best way to steer clear of infectious disease, debilitating aches and pains, or terminal conditions like cancer, is to stop them before they start. Here are three indispensable ingredients to avoiding sickness and disease and to enjoy a cleaner, healthier, more active life: fresh air, pure water and good food.

Fresh Air

To sustain our temporary existence, we need a constant supply of food, water and oxygen. We can live for many weeks without solid food and for many days without water—but without a continuous supply of oxygen through the air we breathe, we would die in minutes. Continuous life depends more on a regular and adequate supply of oxygen than on any other element.

The air we breathe is primarily a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen (and, of course, whatever man adds through pollution). Studies show that the prolonged inhalation of air in which the oxygen portion is much greater than normal will eventually lead to death. When creating the Earth and its atmosphere, God knew what He was doing when He carefully balanced the elements needed to sustain life.

Inhaling oxygen cleanses the blood. When the body delivers the blood to the lungs, it arrives in a dark purple color due to the carbonic acid—the impurities it contains. But when it leaves the lungs, it has regained its bright red color, having exchanged its poisons for the oxygen. The carbonic acid is released when you exhale. The cycle then repeats itself as the blood travels through the body gathering impurities before returning to the lungs to be cleansed.

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood,” God says (Leviticus 17:11). The purer the bloodstream, the less likely that a disease will be able to survive. Remember: cause and effect. In almost every case, disease thrives in an environment well suited for it. Just as insects, cockroaches, mice and rats are attracted to a run-down shack, so do viruses and diseases look for a home that has not been well-maintained.

The bloodstream is purified by an abundance of oxygen, which assists greatly in eliminating poisons. Whenever possible, step outside and breathe as deeply as you can. Most of us just breathe to get by, rarely expanding our lungs to their fullest point. Breathe deeply and you’ll have more energy, more color and more alertness!

The need for fresh air is one big reason why exercise so vital to healthful living. Exercise, especially outdoors, significantly increases the amount of fresh air your lungs take in. Just walking will increase oxygen intake threefold; vigorous exercise, even more!

Paul wrote that bodily exercise profits for a little while (1 Timothy 4:8). We need regular exercise and a continuous supply of fresh air for it to profit over the long haul.

Open the windows more. Spend as much time as possible outdoors (especially so for children). Breathe deeply and exercise regularly. Apply these simple maxims and you’ll not only strengthen your resistance to contagious bugs and common ailments, you’ll notice an immediate uplift in vibrancy, energy and emotional well-being.

Plenty of Water

In Genesis 2:5, we read that before every plant of the field could grow, God had to send rain. When He did, the Garden of Eden sprang to life. The same is true with our physical bodies.

Next to fresh air, no other element of creation is more important to sustain life than pure water. Our blood is close to 80 percent water. When you take in a good supply of water, the volume of blood increases and circulation accelerates. As blood increases, more water reaches waste matter, which is what we need for a good housecleaning!

Then, after the water has served its purpose, it’s discharged through the skin, kidneys and lungs. Through constant refueling, the cleansing cycle repeats. Like oxygen, water cleans the body. And unless we keep our “house” clean, we expose ourselves to all kinds of unwelcome visitors.

In addition to the water God provides through rain and streams, we receive water through much of our food. Many fresh foods contain between 15 to 90 percent water.

The problem with many Westerners is that we simply do not drink enough fresh water or eat enough fresh foods, like fruits and vegetables (high in water content).

Soft drinks are rapidly becoming the preferred beverage for most Americans. It’s a $3 billion-per-year industry. The average American drinks 40 gallons per year.

Our blood does not need beverages loaded down with preservatives, sugar, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, caffeine or other injurious elements. The blood in the body needs pure water to stay healthy.

Notice what Jethro Kloss wrote about the importance of water: “Water dissolves nutritive material in the course of digestion, so that it can be absorbed into the blood and which carried to various parts of the body to repair and remove waste. Water keeps all mucous membranes of the body soft and prevents friction of their surface. Water aids in regulating body temperature and body processes” (Back to Eden).

Do you make that special effort to have a jug of water out at the work site, or a glass of it at the office always within arm’s length? It makes a difference. When the car gets dirty, the clothes become stained or the body smells, no one thinks twice about using the number-one cleaning ingredient for everything—water! No one in his right mind would wash a load of laundry with a scoop of Tide and 20 gallons of Pepsi. Yet for too many Americans, that’s our primary “cleansing” agent for bathing the inside of our bodies.

Drink water—and plenty of it. And work to acquire the habit of abstaining from artificial drinks overloaded with sugar and caffeine. If you do, your energy level will skyrocket, and your body will be more apt to fend off infectious diseases and steer clear of terminal illnesses.

Nutritious Food

God provided our bodies with five senses that cry out for gratification. This is not in itself wrong. God expects us to use those senses. But too many misuse them, especially when it comes to food. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, “God created us so that we must eat food to live. He equipped us with the sense of taste. God gave us this sense so that we might enjoy the necessity of eating. We should, therefore, exercise our senses to distinguish true, natural, health-building food from those false foods which destroy health—and then give God thanks, and really enjoy the eating!” (The Missing Dimension in Sex).

Eating, when done within the bounds of God’s physical laws, is good and wholesome. But if we’re not careful, we can easily eat to satiate carnal lusts and wrong desires. Just because it tastes good doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you.

When the Israelites came out of Egypt, one of their first sins was lusting after food (Numbers 11:4-5). This was considered a sin, and they were lusting for healthy food—fish, cucumbers, melons, onions.

At least 90 percent of all sickness and disease is either directly or indirectly related to what we eat. Yet most physicians do not hammer this point home because they refuse to tackle the cause of poor health. It’s not as lucrative. And it doesn’t necessarily sound scholarly to keep teaching people, “You are what you eat.” Instead they bring antibiotics, surgery, therapy and other modern practices into the equation. How complicated!

Keep it simple. Listen to the God who created us. In Genesis 3:19 He says, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

We came from dust—the ground. There are over 100 elements in the ground. Some of the elements are organic—living matter. (Inorganic elements, like gold, are not living.)

The human body is composed primarily of 16 living elements. Those 16 elements are supplied by foods that grow out of the ground. We grew from a tiny ovum to a full-size adult because of food from the ground. And our material bodies are sustained when those 16 elements are replenished—again, through food from the ground.

Mr. Armstrong wrote, “So it is literally true that you are what you eat—and ‘dust you are.’ Since you are merely food converted into a human body and mind, is it not plain that whatever food you put into your mouth has a very great deal to do with what you are—and with your health, or lack of it?” (Plain Truth, December 1967).

So many Americans depend on sugar, caffeine and nicotine to jump-start their day because they have “no time” to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast. It seems we have no time to do anything that makes sense and is practical. Living life to the full does take time. It takes time to study what is required for good health. And it takes time to prepare healthy foods.

We owe it to ourselves, our children, and most of all God, to eat to live—not live to eat junk. Make every effort to eat those foods which, if left out, will spoil. (Eat them before they spoil, obviously.) Learn to appreciate the whole foods for their natural God-given flavor, not man-made inventions added to make everything taste really sweet, fatty or spicy.

Your Most Reliable Vaccine

Why take sickness and disease for granted? It is not natural and necessary for you to “catch” the flu or any other sickness. As Elbert Hubbard once said, “Disease comes only to those who have been preparing for it.”

Don’t prepare for sickness by accepting the many unhealthy habits that are so common in Western society. Resolve instead to build habits that will help you avoid sickness—and lead to a healthier, more active, productive, robust lifestyle!