This is not a pretty story. You may not like what I have to say. When it comes to food, my personal story is about as un-American as it gets. There is a long list of naysayers that would prefer if you simply stopped reading and move on. They are relentless. They would love to silence me and banish me to some unknown location far away from public view. That's not what rebels do. Rebels fight back. They craft stories from their basements hoping to break the strongholds of the powerful who are silently killing us with their sugar-coated temptations.
My food journey began while I was visiting one of my beloved sisters. Something invaded her upper lung and she nearly died. The doctors raced against time to discover the source of her illness and saved her life at the last possible moment. Let's just say that good health was on the family radar, most especially our own mama bear, the protector of her six cubbies who are now well into adulthood. My brother approached me with blood pressure monitor and there was no way he was going to be stopped. The reading was off the chart. "It's white coat syndrome," I blurted out in my weak defense. "This happens every time I visit the doctor." My brother was silent. After a long pause, he said, "Let's go ahead and relax a few minutes and try again." Well, it wasn't white coat syndrome. It was an alarm and mama bear was not about to see one of her kids die. All I can say is it's a good thing we have a doctor in the family. Mama bear's distress call to my cousin started my own food rebellion. My wise cousin suspected there was something going on inside my body that could be causing my blood pressure to spike and he asked me if I would be willing to try a food experiment before succumbing to a lifetime of pills for high blood pressure.
The next 45 days of my life were like the San Diego Padres when they were up against a wall in game two of the playoffs against the Phillies. The Padres were down by four against an amazing pitcher who knew exactly how to strike when they countered with enough runs in a single inning to tie up the series. My turnaround happened within 72 hours of eliminating the typical American diet from my food regimen. My blood pressure returned to normal. I shed all of my body fat. I became unstoppable. No medicine was needed.
Flash forward to present day. I wake up with a bloody nose and my wife gets nervous. After all, I cheated on my caveman food choices that saved my life. Yep. The high blood pressure readings returned. "I don't have high blood pressure," I responded. "There's no way I'm taking pills. What I will do is become a food rebel (again). I'm going caveman. Give me 45 days and if the readings don't change, I'll go in for a physical."
Maybe you're asking, "What does a food rebel eat?"
Here's the un-American response: Not much you see advertised on a daily basis. Zero sodas. No fast foods. No processed foods. Food rebels eat fruits, veggies, nuts, beans, and seeds. They drink wine but no more than two glasses. Small amounts of fish and red meat are okay as long as they don't cause the body to become inflamed.
I would like to thank all the people in my life who care about my health. The world may be tempting, especially when it comes to foods that somehow cause my body to get out of whack. I will do my best to pay it forward and inspire others to make healthier food choices. The last thing I want to say is for the naysayers. If you come after me about my food rebel ways, watch out for mama bear. When it comes to her cubbies, she is fierce. Have a great day.
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