I ran into an old patient and friend of mine in our fun, local hang-out, Sunny Farms (a REAL food store), the other day. She got me thinking.
And it?s all about one word?radical. And her face. Her loss.
After we got our ?hi?s? and ?how are you?s? out of the way, I expressed my condolences for her recently passing husband, whom I had heard died of a sudden heart attack. I sensed the depth of her sadness. Her courage was inspiring.
Then she moved on to the topic that seems to follow me around a lot?food?if you can imagine that. She mentioned that she would love to eat like me, but I was just too, well, radical.
Her dear, kind face and that word?radical?have been flitting in and out of my brain ever since.
Okay, maybe I?ve lost perspective here. You tell me?I trust you. I?ll tell you exactly what I ate yesterday, and you tell me if you think it was too radical and email me at Dr.Leslie@DrLeslieVanRomer.com - I?ll listen to you.
For breakfast grazing: one, whole cantaloupe, about 1/3rd of a watermelon, 4 bananas, 4 nectarines, 1 apple, a bunch of grapes (no, I didn?t count them)
For lunch: one large glass of homemade vegetable juice (Nash?s organic green veggies?you?re right, it doesn?t taste so good) and one very large (it filled up the biggest Pyrex bowl in the 4-bowl set?I know, I?m such a little oink-oink, aren?t I?) green-leafy, vegetable salad with two kinds of lettuce, sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, red cabbage, onions, red pepper, cauliflower, and avocado
Dressing made simple: ? fresh lemon and balsamic vinegar
For dinner: one medium size salad like above (make enough salad at lunchtime for dinner too, girls?and a few of you guys?then you don?t have to drag out all that stuff all over again?I?m too darn lazy for that) and a steamed yam with a special topping?pureed avocado, fresh tomatoes, onions, and lemon (yummy and filling!)
For snacks: You guessed it, more fresh fruit, and a couple handfuls of raw, unsalted almonds
I admit that green, funny tasting stuff that I call juice is a bit of a stretch, but are fruits and vegetables (and whole grains and beans) really so radical?
They taste great. They fill me up. They give me lots of energy. They keep me from having those nagging, gnawing cravings. They keep fat out of my arteries and off my body. They are easy to shop for?no more lists (and that?s coming from someone who has two brain cells?information in one and the same information out the other?fast).
They save me time. In fact, want fast food? Fruits and vegetables are the fastest fast foods there are?just wash, sometimes chop, open mouth and chew. You can?t get any faster than that.
Oh, yeah, one minor detail I almost forgot?these are the foods that keep those nasty diseases away, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, strokes, osteoporosis, and more.
Maybe I?m off here, but when I think of radical I think of a breast cut off, a prostate cut out, or chemo and radiation invading your body and taking over your life.
I think radical is buzz-sawing your chest, ripping apart ribs, and cutting into your heart.
I think radical is losing the use of one-half of your body?a major stroke?and not being able to take care of yourself, much less anyone else.
I think radical is getting shots every day to control diabetes (not to mention going blind or getting a leg off), or taking a strong drug every day in hopes of counteracting the ill-effects of all the artery-clogging cholesterol eaten every day.
I think radical is the high price of blood pressure medication?impotence.
I think radical is not being able to do what I want to do due to illness or disability, like being with my kids or working or walking or swimming or skiing or just hanging out with comfort and joy.
But whole, fresh fruits and vegetables? Somehow they just don?t seem so radical to me.
How could eating delicious foods, with a variety of tastes and textures and colors, the very foods that can better and prolong my life, be considered radical? What are your thoughts?
As I walked away from my friend, I thought about how we all have our own way of looking at things and how all of our thoughts and feelings are important and valid.
She thought I was radical because of fruits and vegetables. Yet, at that very moment, she was experiencing one of the most radical changes of her entire life?the loss of a lifelong spouse.
And the very sad part is, as the experts tell us, 95% of all heart disease is completely preventable?with the food, albeit considered radical, and exercise choices we make every day.
The question remains: Could her husband still be here with her?
So what?s more radical to you, my friend? Washing, opening mouth, and chewing or playing Russian roulette with your heart and your body? The beauty of it is?it?s your body and your life and your decision.
But as you are deciding what to put into your mouth, just take one moment to think about how your children or your mother or your spouse or your friend would feel if you got sick, or worse.
My friend?s deep sadness lingers with me still.
