Surviving the crisis

As we know, the economic crisis gripping our country is a great burden to the people, particularly those in low income brackets. They have food and health problems. However, this difficult situation can be alleviated by living modestly and ably. The problem is how to survive this crisis and stay healthy, The answer is: stop living in a luxurious and extravagant manner, mainly concerning our daily food intake.

What I mean to say here is the need to live a simple life. With a low fat diet we will enjoy two benefits: we will live longer and survive the economic crisis.

In this context, Michael Castleman's book Nature's cures warns us that a high fat diet is the second most lethal habit after smoking. He cites evidence from a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, smoking causes 400,000 deaths a year. High fat diets lead to 300,000 deaths over the same period of time.

Let us compare the death toll from other social evils: alcohol (100,000 deaths per year), gun-related incidents (35,000 deaths per year), car accidents (25,000 deaths per year) and drug abuse (20,000 deaths annually). These statistics in no way minimize the tragedies of alcoholism, murder or drug addiction. But they provide a perspective on what is really killing us.

Since most of us do not smoke, it is apparent that the number one killer in the world is an addiction to high fat diets. The habit is costly and is biting into our pockets during the crisis.

ODO FADLOELI

Cimahi, West Java