Health and Diet

by Peter Amsterdam

I had a complete physical at the beginning of last year, which I remarked on in the “Personal Reflections” article. It had been a few years since I’d had one and the doctor had cautioned me that, being older, it was better to have them yearly. A week after all the poking and prodding, the taking of blood, and all that getting a physical entails, I went back for the results. The doctor, a very nice woman who Maria and I are getting to know better, went over all the test results with me. I was so relieved when she told me I was doing very well. The only thing that needed adjustment was the ratio between my good and bad cholesterol. She said that she would prescribe some medication for it.

While I’m willing to take medication when it’s really necessary, I preferred not to take the medication she was suggesting. So I asked if I could change my cholesterol numbers in some other way. She said I could, if I took action regarding what I was eating. She didn’t express much hope, however, as I’m sure many patients over the years have asked her the same question, but didn’t have the discipline to keep up with the changes, and in the end needed to take the meds. She suggested I come back in three months to see if there was any change, and if not, then I’d need to take the medication. I agreed.

The doctor emphasized that I not only needed to cut back on the food that produced negative results, but also to focus on eating foods that help create positive results. I made some changes in my diet according to her suggestions, even though it meant cutting out some of my favorite foods (like cheese, butter, and sour cream) and eating others that weren’t part of my diet before (such as changing my breakfast to granola with a few nuts and rice milk). At the three-month mark, after another blood test, I went to the doctor to hear the verdict. She studied the test results and then looked at me with some amazement and said, “Congratulations! You did it!” My two cholesterol levels had changed places, with the good now having the higher place and the bad the lower. She complimented me over and over, explaining that hardly any of her patients have been able to avoid the medication. While a simple change of diet may not work for everyone, it did for me. I was really happy about the results, and I made a commitment to keep up my newly acquired eating habits.

To improve my cholesterol count, I needed to not only avoid what was negative but also advance in embracing the positive. I gave some thought to how this was an interesting parallel to what we all know is true for maintaining a healthy relationship with the Lord. To keep that relationship strong requires a certain amount of avoidance of negative things, and equally calls for a focus on positive actions such as prayer, praise, and regularly reading God’s Word.