"A short life and a merry one. It's a philosophy that might have some justice to it if it would work according to plan. The George Begays know very well that they are virtually killing themselves..... 'But,' they say, "it's not a bad way to go. Presto! Something snaps, then you're through.' What they don't know is that the majority of men who have apoplectic strokes do not 'go out like a light.' One, two or ten years of a really tragic existence may follow.
"You will see these prophets of a short life and a merry one helpless with paralysis in a wheelchair. You will wonder, sadly, what thoughts go on in their minds. Here are those who loved life dearly -- the good times, jolly companions, and all the amusements the hail-fellow-well-met lives for. It is a cruel punishment that glues them in a chair where they must sit helpless and useless and watch life all about them.
"The short life and the merry one is utterly impossible to ordain. Probably, fourteen times out of fifteen, the chronic degenerative disease that is brought about by high living involves long torture. It seems as if Providence were strict about paying the George Begays on the basis of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
"It just doesn't work out." *Granted, this was written back in 1939 and some things about morbidity and mortality have improved. Some have gotten worse, too -- Alzheimer's was barely heard-of in those days.
I hardly know anyone who is "healthy" these days; almost everyone is taking some prescription drug. Am i the only person who thinks this is shocking???
And in most cases, it's all about what they choose to eat. If ANYTHING is inclined to encourage and spur me on in my "dangerous red-meat diet full of arterycloggingsaturatedfat," it's looking around at those who are eating as they're "supposed to," and suffering as a result of it.
NO doughnut can possibly taste as good as being well FEELS. Nor a pasta dish, nor fresh-baked bread, nor potato casserole, nor carrot cake ....
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* from "Eat and Reduce" by Dr. V.H. Lindlahr
Please don't mention potato casseroles! I can resist pasta, doughnuts, fresh bread, carrot cakes but place a potato casserole near me and I'm gone. I come from an ethnic group that can publish a cookbook called "1001 way to prepare potatoes" and still have recipes left over. I grew up eating all of those 1001 recipes.
ReplyDeleteSo very low carb is very difficult for me to adjust to but as you say Tess, it's worth it.
:-) i tried to list a few of the things that are hardest to resist.... that casserole with shredded potatoes, onions, sour cream and cheese is what they call "funeral potatoes" in Utah -- i found that amusing.
ReplyDeleteDuring the great depression life expectancy increased by six years. CR works, even in the harshest conditions. Course during this current depression ppl are subsisting on ramein noodles oozing msg so.....dont know if history will repeat itself. (My to die for temptation: rice, broc, cheese casserole) ----- rampant rx's? Not touching that one! ;)
ReplyDeletebut you can have cheese soup -- that should taste almost the same, no? :-) the most insidious ingredient in your casserole is the one that doesn't really contribute much flavor....
ReplyDeleteHarldy any of that stuff--even pies and pastries--sounds good to me anymore.
ReplyDeleteI substituted cauliflower for potatoes in clam chowder last night. Cauliflower isn't my favorite food by a long shot, but the soup was good.
have you tried jerusalem artichoke as a potato-substitute? one shouldn't go too heavy on it if not used to it, but i prefer it over cauliflower for a lot of things.
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