Very often i hear reluctant people blaming their genes, meaning they can’t do anything about their health and so they continue doing what clearly made them ill in the first place. Unfortunately many don’t react when the body have tried to tell them to stop during years, until it’s serious, really serious. I don’t have to prove this with scientific studies, do I? Ok, here is another one, just in case you don’t believe me. This study published in Science, shows that 70% of colon cancers can be avoided by lifestyle changes, 70% of strokes, 80% of coronary heart disease, and 90% of diabetes type II. If they would have studied other ‘modern’ diseases they would have had similar figures. 
We know this! The problem is not that we don’t know, the problem is what we do. What is so difficult about eating healthy, stop smoking, and start running? We make our health an intellectual problem, but it is a problem of self respect and trust. To try a new habit you have to trust that you can do it, and normally it only takes 3 months for the body to tell you if it is right. If it is a mind issue the change can be instant. Having said that I also know how hard it is to change a habit that goes against the mainstream convention. Common sense is ruled out by other values like money or power. For many it’s very hard to be the first one in your group. Even a scientist like the Director of the Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, Eric Rimm, that you would think would lean on science is stopped by what is ‘ok to say’. I wonder if he himself continues eating trans fats from animals?
It reminds me of HC Andersen’s story about the naked king, fooled to believe that he had visible clothes on. The only one that dared shout out the truth of his nakedness was a small kid. Not until we are enough people choosing to be what we want to be; healthy, it’s going to be ‘easy’ as the choice is made for you. Until then stand out, be the odd one. What do you care most about, your heart or what people think if you eat trans fats or not?
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