Middle Age

BY J.B. COLLUM

This week, I was faced with a simple decision. My doctor put it to me this way: I could either keep doing what I’m doing and die in the next ten years or so, in pain, maybe with some amputations, more heart attacks, and various and other sundry nightmares, and if I was “lucky” enough to live longer than that I could look forward to some serious dementia; or I could take door #2. That option would mean changing all my eating and exercise habits for life: avoiding sugar as much as possible, cutting back severely on carbs like bread, potatoes (in all their glorious forms), and most other foods and drinks that make life worth living, or at least bearable. When I didn’t speak for several seconds and the pause got awkwardly long, the doctor prompted me again, “Well?” And of course, I replied, “I’m thinking about it. I’m thinking about it.” Jack Benny made that line famous when a would-be robber asked him, “your money or your life?” In that case, I would have said take the money. But chocolate? Fresh baked bread? French fries? I really had to think about giving those up.

being. I learned a lot of interesting things about diabetes, some of which I will share here in mostly non-scientific speak. Keep in mind, I am not a trained or licensed medical professional, so this is not medical advice. Don’t take my word for any of the things I am about to tell you. Talk to your medical professionals. Seek out respected experts on diet and nutrition, but keep in mind that nobody knows it all, and it is a fluid situation as we strive to understand the complex mechanisms of our metabolic systems. I have even gotten conflicting messages in the past from nutritionists, nurses, and doctors who all worked in the same hospital. Some of the advice was conflicting to the point of being the opposite of each other, even during the same visit. Not everyone keeps up with the latest medical research so we must count on ourselves for that. It isn’t a passive game. We have to take responsibility for our own health.