Can't We Do Better

By: Joel Luedke

It is understandable that a business owner needs to find products and services that people not only want but that offer good enough margins to help the business grow.  As people I can understand that in the world we live in it’s hard to make the ‘right’ choices all the time when it comes to our health and nutrition. But can’t we do better?

The Individual:

This is not the focus of this post but I feel I would be doing disservice if it wasn’t addressed.  I will be the first one to admit that my diet is not perfect.  I will opt for pizza and beer if I can and not think twice about it.  Does that make me a hypocrite? That is for you to decide.  I’d argue it makes me human and I can live with that.  Ultimately at the end of the day we get to decide what we are going to put in our bodies and we vote with our dollars when we buy all the things people are selling us.  

It is our decisions that ultimately determine our health.  Own those decisions and do what you can to make the best ones.  While I haven’t counted out the percentages the 80/20 principle of doing it right 80% of the time and letting loose a little on the 20% is generally a good place to start.

The Entity

I am not in a place to tell people how to run their business and make a profit to support themselves and their employees.  I feel like I can make the ask though that do we have to do it on the back of low cost, low nutrition, high calorie, "junk" food.  It seems like a great business move but also a trap for everyone heading to the check out counter.  So many things that are easy to grab that most people had no intention of getting in the first place.  This could be the business goal, but at what cost.

I believe these are the things that our the overall health of our community.  While people still maintain the right to choose...can't we do better in providing the best options available?  We don't have to do away with everything that is sweet, salty or savory but can we at least tone down how much we are bombarding people with it?  I believe this would lead to not only healthier customers to keep them coming back but to healthier employees which reduces insurance cost and benefits the business overall (the numbers are staggering and we'll try and do a post on that).

For everyone, until a shift changes in how places do business selling calorie dense nutrition deprived food you'll have to turn your will power on full force.  Moderation is the key to almost everything.  Find that happy medium and do it for your health.