Global Warming Will Clear Up On Its Own, Too, Right?

So, I was overly optimistic about my infection clearing up on its own. I’m having surgery today. The good news is since I caught it earlier than last fall, the recovery time should be less of an ordeal. The bad news is it’s, um, surgery.

My doctor hasn’t said so, but from what I’m reading diet is a huge factor with my problem. The irony is that I eat pretty healthy – I rarely eat red meat, chicken once in a while, plus lots of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.

But since I got to New York, with its cheese shops and bakeries and pizza joints on every corner, it’s been a bit of a free-for-all. I walk home from class at night and think, Gee, I’d love a cream puff, and Pouf! There’s the cream puff store.

I’ve managed to keep my weight (mostly) in check, because I walk everywhere and work out a few times a week. But that’s not enough. You can work on the muscles, the structure of your body all you want, but if you’re not fueling it right, exercise is only half effective. In other words, running five miles a day does not cancel out the pallet of cheese doodles you just bought at Costco.

I was vegetarian for ten years, and even went vegan for four months. That little experiment died a miserable death, much like I felt when faced with one more meal involving lentils. And I love lentils! Some of my best friends are lentils! Maybe I wasn’t the smartest vegan, but the lack of variety did me in, so pesco-vegetarian is what I’m going for. (I’m cutting out chicken, but think fish is a good idea once in awhile.)

If these two surgeries are any indication, my years of playing it fast and loose with what I put in my body may be over. Bad habits are catching up. And it looks like I can no longer eat well (high fiber, low fat) some of the time and expect that to make up for the rest of the time – cheese everything, chips and dip for lunch, wine whenever I want.

I know. Kill me now.

But there’s a part of me that’s excited about the opportunity to be forced to make big changes. I’m anxious to read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, whose philosophy boils down to, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Has anyone read it? What big changes have you made for your health?