The March Hare: Summer '05
Issue 45

Caring for ourselves* DR on TV* What and Where* Food Choices* Ask a Rabbit* Endometriosis* Nature Corner* Tasty Tidbit

Food Choices V. Pharmaceuticals Managing Chronic Health Problems
by Bob Rouse,
51-year-old low-fat warrior

In my family, a problem like arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or gouty arthritis was treated like a given. Was this really a part of normal aging? Through university libraries and the internet, I began my personal research mission . . .

Bob harvests kale for his dinner

What I found out about:
Fat

• Most health problems Americans associate with aging are actually the accumulated effects of poor dietary choices.
• Almost all circulatory problems associated with aging are directly correlated with eating too much fat. These include progressive arteriosclerosis, strokes, dementia, and thrombosis.
• The human body needs very little fat and doesn't handle excess well. A growing body of data shows that a human consistently taking in more than 20 percent of his/her calories from fat will almost certainly develop noticeable symptoms of health impairment.
• The average American is now taking in 40 to 45 percent of his/her calories in fat.

• The human body needs only 5 to 8 percent of daily calories to come from protein. Any excess is broken down in a chemically messy way, creating a range of toxins (such as urea nitrogen and uric acid) which then circulate in the blood.
• The average American takes in 20 to 30 percent of his/her calories from protein.
• The causative agent of gouty arthritis is excess protein.
• In particular, uric acid collects in the joints, where it is difficult for the body to remove.

My Results

Given these findings, I began to monitor and control my daily caloric intake: 10 percent fat, 10 percent protein, and 80 percent complex carbohydrates.

The word ''complex'' is important-- I discovered very early on that I could no longer eat refined flours or refined sugars because my blood glucose levels would go wild. Practically, this means consuming carbs in their whole, unprocessed form.

After beginning my diet, I had a complete blood-fat test done every two months. This tested for a range of indicators of liver and kidney health, uric acid and urea nitrogen levels, and glucose level.

My total cholesterol eventually dropped to 100 mg/d-- less than half that of the average American male my age. The uric acid and urea nitrogen levels were cut in half, as well.

Two years later, I had a pretty thorough physical. Tests indicated that the elasticity of my major arteries-- particularly in my legs-- was improving, and that my arthritis was going into remission.

Now, I firmly know that what I choose to eat today will directly determine the quality of my life tomorrow, and next week, next year, next decade . . . onward into old age. I choose my future health on a meal-to-meal basis.

Still learning

I certainly haven't finished experimenting with my diet-- I still have my blood tested to see what I need to work on.

Here, where the growing season is shorter, the majority of my calories come from grain, particularly in the winter. My intake of fat and protein is just as low, but my total cholesterol has jumped up to the 130-140 range. Obviously, I am far from happy about this.

As important as continuing to refine my diet is for health reasons, there is a larger, less distinct motivating factor. It has something to do with why I also limit my drinking, and why I limit my consumption in general by living at an ecovillage. It's a matter of accepting personal responsibility for my life, of working to be the lightest social and ecological burden on my surroundings.

Shit happens. Yes, but by watching my step I can avoid the larger piles of it.

Caring for ourselves* DR on TV* What and Where* Food Choices* Ask a Rabbit* Endometriosis* Nature Corner* Tasty Tidbit