For those of us who graduated from high school in 1992, the beginning of 2014 also marks the advent of our fourth decade. #40. For-tee. 4-0. 20x2. In 1994, Oasis' "Live Forever," was one of our anthems - a catchy, yet trite song we sang together in crusty dive bars before last call. Today, however, the wisdom we have attained since then exposes the fallacy of lyrics we foolishly clung to as kids. Hopefully.
Shortly after my 39th birthday, I took the advice my Dad gave readers of my book in its foreword and began "taking stock." Included in my calculus was a topic we all, regardless of age, tend to fret over especially so during this season of fresh starts and resolutions: health and well-being. While I was positive about this facet of my life and thought I was prescribing to habits that were on point - namely eating right and exercising regularly - my annual visit with Dr. Doug Cluff ferreted out a couple of signs that dispelled my rosy assumptions.
First, my cholesterol was on a steady climb that had begun in my mid-thirties. Prior to then, my "good" and "bad" levels were well within range year in and year out, but that was no longer the case. Both now were teetering. Secondly, at 6'3 and roughly 200 pounds, I was slightly overweight and no amount of cardio was helping me get below that number.
Already two or three years prior, Dr. Cluff told me that at this stage in my life, healthy living was "80% diet and 20% exercise." I tried to take that to heart and eliminated soda and fast food and kept cranking out miles on the treadmill. This was okay Dr. Cluff advised, but not ideal if I wanted to lower my cholesterol and lose an inch or two from my waistline.
"So what do you recommend?" I asked.
Dr. Cluff became excited. His eyes lit up as he told me about a diet that is anchored by plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and beans. He also suggested a few books, namely "Eat to Live," by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a champion of this "nutritarian" philosophy.
At its face, the "80-20" plan Dr. Cluff outlined made sense, but ran counter to societal norms that had been engrained into my thinking since I was in grade school. Namely, that foods derived from animals including "healthy" staples like chicken, fish, milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt should be considered in the same vein as red meat, sugary treats and salty snacks and eaten only in limited amounts.
"Grilled chicken is bad for you?" I asked.
"It has as much or more cholesterol than red meat."
"Milk?"
"Name any other animal that drinks the milk of another animal."
"Where am I going to get my protein?"
"You'll get all the protein you need and more from plant-based foods," Dr. Cluff advised.
I left Dr. Cluff's company quizzical, but intrigued. I downloaded "Eat to Live" and read through it in a few days. It drove home all of the basic tenants that Dr. Cluff prescribed, but went much further in outlining all of the benefits one enjoys when eating a diet that is plant-based.
Foremost among these was significantly reducing the likelihood of contracting heart disease and cancer. Those of us in GenX have witnessed firsthand our parents, grandparents and other important people in our lives struggle and succumb to these maladies. I thought about the next 40 years of my life and asked myself this question: "Do I want to spend more time in places with those I love or more time in doctor's offices with strangers?"
Toward the end of June, I started making changes in my eating habits. Instead of milk and cereal for breakfast, I switched to fruit and worked in a bowl of oatmeal once or twice a week. For lunch, I ditched the chicken wraps and tuna salad sandwiches for a meatless/cheese less salad comprised with as many vegetables as possible. I squeezed a lemon over the top of it rather than dressing it with vinaigrette. I stopped lingering around the candy bowls at work and kept an apple, orange or bag of nuts at my desk. If I ate meat, it was usually in the evening, but only once or twice a week.
What about coffee and alcohol? I didn't give either up, but tried not to drink more than two cups of coffee per day and one adult beverage per day. Admittedly on some mornings, I had an extra cup of coffee and on some evenings, I had more than one glass of wine or beer. But that was the exception.
I weighed exactly 200 pounds on the last Saturday of June. The following Saturday, I weighed 196 and in the ensuing Saturdays over the summer I lost anywhere from two to four pounds per week. Going through this process, I've learned that, for me, my ideal weight is approximately 180 pounds. There have been Saturdays where that number has been a little less and there have been Saturdays, such as the most recent one, where it has been a little more. (it was 183 in case you are wondering :)) However, I use the weekly weigh-in as a guide rather than a metric to obsess over. I know that as long as I continue prescribing to the "Eat to Live" lifestyle, I won't come anywhere close to 200 pounds ever again.
In October, I had my annual physical with Dr. Cluff and I was eager to have my blood drawn. A day later, I found out my total cholesterol was 149, down from 182 just six months earlier.
If you've made a resolution this morning to "lose weight," "exercise more," or "eat better," "Eat to Live" might be a book worth adding to your reading list. I understand that consuming more plants than animals is not for everyone, but it has helped me and I strongly believe given me a head start on the middle years of my life which will turn anew on May 11, 2014.
Healthier living notwithstanding, the reality is that we all likely know someone born in 1974 who won't celebrate a fortieth birthday in 2014. However sobering, the encouraging news is that for the vast majority of us, we've only reached a point somewhere in between. My prayer is that we all realize that there are bountiful - though not endless - opportunities to learn, love, share and, most importantly, serve over the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and, yes, for a few, 60 years and beyond.
Happy New Year!
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