Comment 67614

By Undustrial (registered) - website | Posted August 07, 2011 at 21:55:46 in reply to Comment 67590

I'm certainly not saying it can't be done. I've done it, as have many of my friends.

Cultural factors, however, are not entirely under the control of an individual. There's food availability and cost. There's the amount of time people have available to go hunting for better/cheaper food (or grow it themselves). There's the education in food they've received. There's what others around eat...

Social factors never affect everyone equally, or in the same way. Apply these factors to a few million people, and some will be far more hard-hit than others. Looking at what the introduction of western food culture has done to countries like Japan (as the number of fast food restaurants doubled, so did the obesity rate...), it's pretty clear that there's something rotten. Or did the entire nation suddenly become more lazy, ignorant and mutate their DNA?

Individual actions can only go so far...alone. Individuals acting together can change everything - it's the very definition of cultural change. Eating healthy and exercise aren't the most rewarding activities if they isolate you from peers. Far too many, these days, view it like a kind of religious penance. If, on the other hand, they bring us together (ie: shared meals and sports), it's a whole different story. While I totally agree we need to shatter the myths about health and nutrition, we also need to embrace healthier alternatives in ways that go beyond our own personal sphere.

"Today, the notion of progress in a single line without goal or limit seems perhaps the most parochial notion of a very parochial century." — Lewis Mumford

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