Health Problems

The “Poverty” Excuse

We constantly fight our willpower and often look for any reason not to eat the way we should. For example an article in May 3, 2004, USA Today that is headlined with the question, “Can only the rich be thin?” and proceeds to argue that the Atkins Diet and other yet-to-proven-as-healthy “low-carb” diets feature meats (beef and salmon as prominent examples) that are too expensive for many Americans to afford. On the one hand this can be true, because the cheapest foods are made with flour, corn syrup and fat. But on the other, there are plenty of foods that students and those with a modest income can afford: chicken and turkey instead of sirloin, deep green leafy vegetables instead of pale green lettuce, frozen vegetables that are “store brand” instead of pricy ones in tiny plastic containers. While proponents of the South Beach and Atkins Diets may be able to find protein and happiness in fillet mignon and shark, there is every reason to feel pride in eating our indigenous pinto beans, cornbread and green chilies! And, walking, jumping rope, running, soccer, shooting hoops, bicycling and throwing a Frisbee are activities one can do without joining a health club. The idea that one must be wealthy to recover good health is unfounded and should not discourage anyone who aspires to become fit.