Should Meathead Trules Adopt a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet?

You Gotta Be Kidding!

We’ve been perpetually hearing about DIETS… ever since… well… FOREVER. The Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, Keto Diet, Paleo, Grapefruit & Gluten-Free Diets, Master Cleanse, Low Fat, Vegan, Mediterranean, Weight Watchers, Raw Food, Alkaline, Carnivore, Clean Eating, Baby Food, the Cookie Diet…. the list goes on. And on.

But me personally? What do I need a diet for? I’ve been basically slim and trim my whole life. I danced in my 20s at 155 pounds, ballooned to 190 in my 60s, and now I’m back to 170 in my mid-70s. Not bad. Of course, along the way, I’ve had my share of wear and tear: cancer, spine surgery, hip replacement… that list goes on and on too. But I’m lucky to still be alive. And what else should I expect? Although we humans’ life expectancy may have tripled in the last century, the modern male’s physical health and strength both peak in his 20s, and hell, it’s simply… all downhill from there. At a certain point in the ordinary descent towards “the end”, one bodily system, or another, just gives up.

Hey man, I’m tired. I’ve given you a good life. I just can’t take it anymore. I’m out.

This could be your heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, bones, brain, gallbladder, esophagus, arteries, nerves, you name it. There are a plethora of systems which can, and eventually do… wear down and ultimately… give up the ghost.

Well, just a few years before I moved here to Santa Fe, while still living in LA on all my life-sustaining medically-prescribed drugs: my multi-colored cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering pills, my gout-prevention capsules, my anti-depressants, along with a smorgasbord of others for specialties like pain, digestion, and the malady of the month, along with my occasional allergy-causing antimalarials for Southeast Asian travel, and high-altitude prevention poppers for the 14,000 foot high Andes, my current life was suddenly interrupted with yet another medical intrusion.

I’m sorry, Eric, but your A1c is 6.9. I’m afraid that makes you officially “Type 2 diabetic”.

That’s Doc Sapkin, my PCP (primary care physician). He’s been with me for most of my 30 years at USC, the University with Significant (health) Care. I trust him.

I’m sorry, Josh, (we’re on a first-name basis when a medical crisis appears), but what the hell is A1c?

Well, it’s also known as the hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c test, a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months. It's the common test used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes and to help manage the condition The higher the number, the more sugar in your blood. Anything over 6.5 is considered “diabetic”.

Not good, I say.

I immediately call my unofficial “PCP #2”, Dr. Bobbha, my New York childhood friend who went the way I was supposed to go, into the medical profession, and became a pharmaceutical psychiatrist. Bobbha’s been my “personal medical advisor” for my entire adult life, my “second opinion” and the best researcher I know, on everything I’ve had from cancer in 1989 to painful leg neuropathy which curses me right now.

Trules, you don’t want to add diabetes to your impressive list of maladies. Do everything you can to lower your A1c. Diet, exercise, starve yourself if you have to, because diabetes is not just a lousy frigging disease all by itself, but it will ruin your liver, your kidneys, and just about everything else that’s keeping you alive. Lower your A1c! You hear me?

They said I could take a drug called Metformin.

“They”? Who’s “they”? Metformin has a shitload of side effects that you do NOT want. Start dieting today, Trules. No sugar, desserts… nothing white: rice, bread potatoes. Have organic oatmeal in the mornings. Use unsweetened maple syrup. You need to lose 20 pounds.

You’re kidding me, Bobbha? I love steak and potatoes. Peach and banana smoothies. Pistachio ice cream.

Trules, I kid you not. You do not want to be diabetic!

And that was that.

I relented. I went on A DIET. “Dr. Bobbha’s Diet”. Eating exactly what he said and what you just read above. Surya, my wife, watched me like a hawk. She nixed the fruit smoothies and instead, blended me green vegetable concoctions every morning which I drank before the oatmeal. Every day - for 3 months. I ate salads, cooked vegetables, and no fruits - because, I learned, the fresh fruit all turned to glucose/sugar, almost immediately. I ate chicken, fish, a little red meat for dinner, no rice or potatoes. No toast in the morning. No sandwiches for lunch. It was torture.

But… it paid off.

I lost Bobbha’s 20 pounds in 3 months (190 to 170) and…

My next A1c blood test was… 5.9.

Doc Sapkin couldn’t believe it.

Excellent. Just diet and exercise? I don’t think I’ve ever seen an A1c drop a whole point in 3 months.

I just had the bloody hell scared out of me.

Whatever it was, good job.

I was proud of myself. (And my gatekeeper wife.)

Then…

We moved to Santa Fe. Exsel, my son, hated being ripped out of 10th grade and forced to leave LA, but… Surya got a bevy of new restaurant jobs, good news, and I… watched my A1c…

Rise .2 points every three months.

Yeah, ok, I slacked off my rabid Dr. Bobbha diet and started sneaking some “white” here and there, and even some Santa Fe bakery and sweets.

I’m a bad man.

But now… my A1c is 6.4, definitely “prediabetic” and just .1 before I’m officially pronounced “diabetic” - again.

A very bad man.

I have a new PCP in Santa Fe, Doc Aiken. He’s more like a paunchy pleasant riverboat captain than a short meticulous Jewish doctor with a towering library of medical books.

But I still exercise regularly, having traded in my lifelong tennis racket for a new pickleball paddle. Five times a week.

I have a bevy of new pickleball friends.

One is “Doctor Doug”, not really a professional medical doctor, but an enthusiastic health guru and food fanatic. In a good way, of course.

Doctor Doug is 80+ years old, rail thin, with a bald pate and a wicked backhand. Somehow, in between and after games, I reveal my medical “disability” to him, and now he sends me a bevy of well-meaning texts.

Last time we met, I mentioned cinnamon, unsweetened chocolate, and berberine to you, but many other natural substances can be helpful, such as chromium (chromium picolinate), vanadium, bitter melon, gymnena, etc.  Berberine is reportedly as good as metformin but without the side effects. But try the chocolate and cinnamon first.

What? Doctor Doug is telling me that chocolate isn’t “sweet”?

It’s true. Just go to Trader Joe and buy the organic powder. Use Stevia to sweeten it. And throw in a little cinnamon. That’s what I do every day. Go to PubMed and Medscape for info on diabetes or pre-diabetes. And I just noticed a new product called sugardefender24.com

Ok, non-sweet chocolate, Doug. If you say so! With cinnamon.

I tell The Boss about it and she goes on our weekly Trader Joe run and comes home with 3 organic chocolate BARS. They all have sugar in them.

You misunderstood me. I’ll stop by myself next time I’m near Trader Joe’s.

Then “Doctor” Doug says,

There’s a new CBD gummy from Natural Bliss that might be worth considering.  (Why they have to package it in a sugar-filled gummy is beyond me).

This one really gets my goat. I know about these CBD gummy offers. I get at least five a day on my Facebook and Instagram feeds. Is it just me and my cybermetrics, or do you get them too?

Dr. Oz swears he’ll lower your A1c in just 2 weeks (maybe 4 weeks?), or your money back!

As seen on Shark Tank, lower your A1c, your high blood pressure, your cholesterol, your obesity, ANYTHING you want to fxxking lower…or your money back! XYZ’S “special discount” CBD gummies. Guaranteed.

I even order one of the CBD gummies online: $39.99 for a bottle. And guess what? My credit card is charged $198.99!

Guess who got their money back?

A final text from Doctor Doug:

There are also many Chinese herbal formulas that could be helpful. See the “Best Chinese Medicine” website. “Tango” has a nice Oriental supplement for blood sugar called Metaphase. I actually use this product.

Stop! Too much information. Too much information!

Then…

Another new pickleball friend, white-bearded and turban-wearing Ravi, a Sikh, asks me in between games,

Would you be interested in writing a story on Khalsa Farms, the natural organic farm in Espanola that I’m doing PR on? Actually, you know Singh from pickleball too, right? He’s the President of the farm’s non-profit.

Singh, President of Khalsa Farms

Now here’s an interesting coincidence/turn of events, wouldn’t you say? My A1c reduction crusade leading me to an offer to write about an organic farm that could lead me to that ever-elusive, much-feared — whole food, plant-based DIET.

I tell Ravi that,

I usually just write about… myself. (Haha.) But thanks for the offer. Let me look into it.

I do and I discover that:

Khalsa Farms, located on a gentle slope of farmland in Sombrillo, New Mexico, a village just south of Española (less than an hour from Santa Fe), took on the daunting challenge of regenerating several neglected northern New Mexican fields and an old apple orchard… and succeeded.

In 2018, they began constructing an 8,600-square-foot greenhouse and digging an underground climate battery that uses geothermal air movement to regulate seasonal temperatures, adding an additional three grow tunnels that provided more protection for vegetables during the fluctuating seasonal weather.

Currently, they grow vegetables twelve months of the year, using sustainable practices, the highest environmental awareness, and modern technology.

We take pride in caring for and beautifying this land and sustaining it for future generations, so it can continue to grow the most healthy and full-flavored produce. We use restorative and sustainable farming methods, planting only non-GMO organic seeds. 

And look! It’s even situated on land named after “Ram Das”, my main man, born Richard Alpert, the Harvard professor, who along with colleague, Timothy Leary, more or less invented the “turn on, tune in, drop out” psychedelic revolution of the 1960s. In particular, Ram Das wrote a very-widely read book (at least by our counterculture) called “Be Here Now”, which preached in a very mundane and accessible way how to “live in the moment”, which, for me personally, who was about to embark on a life of improvisation, creativity, and unplanned adventure, was the very Bible and bedrock of belief.

Khalsa Farm’s greenhouse and grow-tunnel space now equal 10,200 square feet, creating mini-climates that allow them to grow cold-season crops, warm-season crops, plus sub-tropical plants, like turmeric, and ginger. They steward a diverse and harmonious ecosystem by establishing healthy soil microbiomes, composting, and using manure teas and worm castings. They utilize no chemicals, artificial fertilizers, or pesticides while rotating crops, planting cover crops, and integrating sheet composting in some locations. And knowing that water is a very precious element in New Mexico. they irrigate their plants via drip hoses that are controlled by timers, directing water directly to the plant roots, thus conserving water. 

They even have Community Programs which continually increase the allocation of funds and food to their extended community and neighbors, by contributing weekly to local food banks and free meal programs. Khalsa Farms also offers reduced pricing for low-income families at their Farm Stand in Espanola, and during certain seasons, they cook lunch for homeless shelters and social service programs.

An organic farmer is the best peacemaker we have today because there is more violence, more death, more destruction, and more war, through a violent (animal killing, for-profit) industrial agricultural system. And to shift away from that into an agriculture of peace is exactly what organic farming is doing.

What can I say, I’m impressed. Why not help save the planet while eating healthily and reducing my A1c?

How do I get me some organic fooooood?

Well, it turns out that Khalsa Farms makes that easy too… even for me here in Santa Fe.

They make vegetable and fresh produce shopping convenient, naturally with an online store. You can review the produce photos and read the descriptions before you place your order. Each item shows when inventory is low or not available, and with just a few clicks, you can select your vegetables and pay with a major credit card, bank transfer, cash, or check. Barn2Door, a farmer software, hosts the online store.

Khalsa Farms harvests their vegetables the day before their customers’ scheduled pickup. They hold them in their walk-in refrigerator, so they are entirely fresh upon purchase. For that reason, you have to place your orders before SUNDAY at 6:00 PM.

And also naturally…

They have a variety of ways to order:

1. CSA (aka Bundle Bag)

You may be unfamiliar with the term Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). However, the idea behind it is an ancient practice. Farmers raise the food, and the community supports the farmer. It’s an exchange of energies between the farmer and the neighboring locals. A CSA is a convenient way to order weekly vegetables. You don’t need to contemplate what to order for the week. Let Khalsa Farms do it for you.

The CSA bag contains their top-quality produce. Each week the items in the CSA bag change, but the standard items are leafy salad greens, seasonal produce, microgreens, and herbs. Fresh fruit is included when in season. 

They have 2 Bundle Bag sizes:

• Family Bundle Bag $25

• Mini Bundle Bag $15

Each week they also include a few bonus items, so when you add all the items in the CSA bag, you receive an additional 15% worth of produce above what you pay for.

2. Special Order

Their online store also offers weekly seasonal produce. Each item has a photo with a description. Some produce is grown throughout the year, while other items are only seasonal. Choosing “Special Order” provides you the option to select the products and the quantity that you want. You pay for as much or as little as you want.

3. CSA PLUS Special Order

Often shoppers choose a CSA/Bundle Bag because of the extra value, plus “add on” items from Special Order. So, ordering both may be the best choice for you.

If you have any questions, you can email their customer service. csa@khalsafamilyfarms.com

So….

Am I ready to sign up? Maybe start with a regular “Mini Bundle Bag”?

Ahhh…. now that is the question.

How can Meathed Trules go organic? Go whole food, plant-based?

What’ll I eat?

Back to more green-blended smoothies in the morning? Veggie lasagna? Oops, NO pasta! Forgeddaboutit.

Eggplant parmigiana? Lox with no bagels?

Salad, salad, salad. Cooked, steamed, and raw veggies? NO rice!

Occasional barbecued steak, NO potatoes. Forget the pistachio ice cream (which I’ve already nixed for over 2 years). No mac ‘n cheese.

Hamburger, si, French fries, no.

As a famous frienda mine once said,

Lemme think about it.

Ok, now I know that you, my healthy and knowledgable readers, know LOTS of tasty and delicious, whole food and plant-based meals, dishes, recipes, and delicacies.

But, you should also know that - I don’t like following recipes.

I told you - I like to improvise - even in the tasty, but minimal, cooking I manage to do.

Still - send me what you know. I promise to read every recommendation.

You have my word.

In the meantime…

Enjoy what you eat.

And stay healthy.

I’ll do my best to do the same…

Vegetatively,

Trules

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