The Diet By The Author

On TV, I teach that I never sold an “off-on” switch when it comes to fixing symptoms or diseases with diet. But I do sell “volume” switches. Through the many years, I have been perfectly able to control my symptoms, even some associated with aging, by controlling my diet. But I’ve never erased my symptoms, or disease predispositions totally by following a diet-any diet-for a few weeks or months. 

Holiday time is family gathering time. That means we typically throw caution (and volume switches) to the wind. Mom’s fudge, a cup (or two…or three) of cheer, candy canes and grandma’s homemade pecan pie (ala-mode, please), seem to defeat any pledge we made in June to manipulate our heath with our diets. If you are not suffering from a progressive or life threatening disease, we call this alcohol and sugar infusion “challenging.” Sure enough, most of we “phase-oners” find that our challenge has been quite successful. Yes, we now understand that we alone control the volume switch…a cup of cheer and some of mom’s fudge and up go our symptoms the following day. Conversely, by abstaining from these festive foods, we have not “challenged” our regular way of eating and we continue feeling as good as if the festive foods of holiday time never happened. In fact, the festive time happened, but the symptoms did not. It’s the best of both worlds!

And therein lies my secret to “making it” through the past 30-35 years of holiday seasons. You bet I ate some of mom’s fudge, and I suffered the consequences usually for the next day or two. Sometimes I’d have a radio interview the following day, or have to tape a quick TV segment, or write a magazine article the next day. In those cases, I’d simply wait to imbibe until my work was completed. 

Time has taught me that if I choose to turn the volume way up, I’d feel just miserable. Or I could choose to keep the volume very, very low, thereby bypassing my misery. The best part of that decision is that I can do it without doctor visits or medications, because I have learned how to make my cholesterol or blood pressure surge and I didn’t like it that way. The diet has put me in direct control of my own health. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! ~Doug~

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