As I mentioned in a earlier post, recently I have been looking at aging through a different lens. Part of it is that I myself, am getting older. Part of it is being witness to may fathers all-too-fast deterioration.
I recently met with my doctor to go over my annual bloodwork. If requiring annual bloodwork isn’t a sign of aging, I don’t know what is! It was a very low-key affair, just us, sipping our iced teas and talking about my health. As we were going through the numbers, I discovered I have a new found respect for what they represent.
Most bloodwork is just looking for indicators of current or potential future issues. Therefore, I used to dismiss them as mostly meaningless numbers that were little more than scare tactics. I am very fortunate in that my tests only showed the possibility of some future potential for issues down the line. Nevertheless, I no longer scoff at the meaninglessness of those numbers.
I don’t give the numbers more credence than I used to. Especially at this point, where I am two maybes away from some future possibilities. But, I have seen grandparents and now my father struggling with health issues that could have at least been more manageable if they had changed their behavior sooner. In other words, I see the numbers as cautionary tales more than anything else.
Like many of us, I find the risk of future health issues to be a poor motivator. On a cold and soggy day, the prospect of future heart disease will not get me off my couch. Especially since one walk is not likely to make one iota of difference. But there are little changes where I can see immediate effects that are well worth the effort right now.
One example of that is a significant dietary change that I am gradually embracing. I have been told for years to add more protein to my diet. I have been a vegetarian the vast majority of my life, but I am allergic to soy, which makes getting adequate protein a challenge. Certainly not impossible, but it was a challenge I never chose to embrace.
About 10 or so years ago I added fish into my diet and became a theoretical pescadarian. The change was mostly theoretical because I am not a huge fan of fish, so I never found myself eating that much of it. That meant (surprise, surprise) that I was still not getting enough protein in my diet.
Last week I made the difficult decision to go back to eating birds, starting with turkey. Turkey is good because it is lower in fat than chicken, and I want to ease my body through the process of digesting animal protein again. Those of you who know me well will remind me that in the past I have threatened to go back to eating birds, but haven’t done so yet. That is exactly why I have written this blog post. I am hoping that a public declaration of a commitment to change will hold my feet to the fire.
Please don’t expect to see me eating an entire turkey dinner any time soon. Animal protein is much denser than vegetable protein, so I don’t need to eat a ton of it to meet my daily requirement. Especially not at the outset. But, don’t be so surprised that you fall off your chair when I ask you pass the turkey to me.