So it’s the time of New Year’s resolutions (and if you live in Wellington grumbling about the weather).* The newspapers didn’t have much copy over the last couple of weeks, so they were full of: “50 ways to be healthier in 2010.”<\/p>\n
So I was delighted to see this post on The Fat Nutritionist called Don’t be Poor (and other New Year’s Resolutions):<\/a><\/p>\n The traditional 10 Tips for Better Health<\/p>\n The social determinants 10 Tips for Better Health<\/p>\n [these are quoted from a wikipedia article<\/a>.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There’s a visual illustration of the same idea at the food for thought pyramid<\/a>. I disagree with the proportions, but I think it’s kind of beautiful. I particularly appreciate the large space given over to luck.<\/p>\n Oh and if you obsess over what you eat and exercise and still get cancer – it must be your attitude<\/a>. “Healthy living” has to be a goal that is always out of reach, a set of behaviours that can always be added to.<\/p>\n The endless health tips and New Year’s advice are about policing, and making people feel bad so they will buy products (if you stop drinking one soda a day I will gratitously link to a Sarah Haskins Video)<\/a>. But that’s not the only purpose they serve.<\/p>\n The reason for repeating over and over again that we can individually control our own health, is to hide the fact that we can’t. It is to hide the fact that collectively, societally we could do heaps to improve people’s longevity and quality of life and we don’t.<\/p>\n I’d make a New Year’s resolution to write more about that, but I probably wouldn’t keep it. ((For the record my New Year’s resolution is to keep up with what Joss Whedon is doing. I’m setting myself up for success.))<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So it’s the time of New Year’s resolutions (and if you live in Wellington grumbling about the weather).* The newspapers didn’t have much copy over the last couple of weeks, so they were full of: “50 ways to be healthier … Continue reading \n
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