Written by D. J., Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i Ambassador

Geoffrey Rose, a British epidemiologist, believes that it is more cost-effective to prevent disease than to cure it (The Blue Zones Solution). This resonated with my dad, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes. As we embarked on this new health journey, we had a lot of momentum but slowly digressed because healthy living became costly and inconvenient.

Upon hearing the diagnosis, my dad had a strong motivation to reverse his diabetes. He made his food every night for the next day. We made daily trips to the grocery store and spent a lot of money. For a while, he was consistent. However, he slowly started to lose momentum. Making food every day was time consuming; grocery trips were getting expensive. Taking into account other home responsibilities, it was difficult to plan for meal prep. There were many other obstacles in his health journey, but I think it is sufficient to say that an unhealthy lifestyle is more convenient than a healthy one.

I had a preconceived idea that unhealthy eating was an individual’s fault. This idea is prevalent in American culture. Overweight people are equated with laziness. Sometimes gym rats encourage others to have more willpower. But in the long run, diets and exercise regiments don’t last. People experience burnout because the way we go about healthy living requires discipline, which is hard to be consistent in. however, centenarians who live in the Blue Zones do not discipline themselves to eat healthily. Rather, their environment allows them to be healthy and access to vegetables is more convenient than fast food chains.

In the area where I live, fast food chains are closer than healthy restaurants and significantly cheaper. Healthy food places close earlier than fast food places. Vegetarian and vegan options at fast food eateries are still processed and have little nutritional value. Walking to the store instead of driving is dangerous in our neighborhood with small sidewalks, busy roads, and drug users. Not only does our physical environment make it inconvenient to live healthy but our social environment too. When going to family gatherings, the only food available is processed. Junk food is prevalent in my dad’s working place and I truly don’t think that my dad has to persevere any more than he already has.

My dad is strong and he is disciplined; but, I’m not going to tell my dad to take better care of himself. To an extent, it is the individual’s responsibility to live healthy. However, living healthy should not be inconvenient. It should be easier to get a fresh salad than a chicken sandwich and by fresh, I mean, not bagged with a dressing that does not have sugar. I want to not have to spend so much money on trying to care of my body. To a larger extent, policies can be put in place to make healthy living more accessible.

My dad's problems and stress could be relieved by policymakers regulating how food is made and distributed. Schools and organizations can make their environments healthier. There is only so much an individual can do to help themselves. There has to be a mass effort. That is what I love about the Blue Zones Project. They change the narrative from, “it’s your fault that you’re diabetic because you have no self-control” to “let’s make it easier for people to be healthy."