8.7.19
Hi my G –
Sup baby? Today I wanted to talk a bit about health and wellness. Specifically, what you eat. It’s something I find really interesting and something I think the average person doesn’t think enough about. Growing up, I was raised on homecooked meals – mixed in with some pizza or some fast food here or there. But every meal followed the same formula. Build around a meat with a carb and a veggie on the side. So, a steak with potatoes and corn or a chicken breast with rice and string beans. The basis of the meals we ate were usually pretty good. Granted, now that I’m older I realize our portions were wildly overdone. But we paired most meals with soda and always had a dessert after dinner. Snacks always in the house, with a ton of processed food readily available. I’m not laying this all out to blame grandma and grandpa, this is how everyone ate.
I’m telling you about what I grew up on because everyone who eats like this that I know now has health issues. And based on a few articles I’ve read and research I’ve done, those health issues are likely linked to food intake. Most of the food produced in the U.S. is powered by corn or soy. Animals we eat are fed corn or soy and to make things tasty, corn is used in some way (oil, binding agent, etc.). I want to raise you to be more aware of what you’re eating and to take in more plants, fruits, nuts and beans. I’m eating a whole lot more of all of those these days and I feel a lot better. I still mix in pizza and last night mom and I had pasta with some Italian bread, but for the most part, I’ve been trying to eat more leafy vegetables. I’m still eating more meat than I probably should – definitely something I want to work on – but it’s hard to break 30-year-old habits. I’m amazed at Uncle Joe… he watched a documentary on Netflix that talked about the benefits of an all plant-based diet and decided to give it a try. He’s lost a ton of weight and most importantly, he feels better! His health issues have lessened. I really really want grandpa to try to change his diet because he’s had heart issues and has had diabetes for a few years now, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen. Maybe I can use you as the motivation – eat better to be around for my kid! Lol. I thought going to the hospital for almost having a heart attack would shift things, but maybe he just doesn’t know where to start. Maybe I should be the one to lay it out for him.
I want you to grow up on spinach and broccoli and kidney beans and fresh eggs. I don’t want to raise a chicken nugget kid. Sure, you can have some of that stuff sometimes, but I want you to be healthy. I read that kids born after 2000 are projected to be the first generation to not outlive their parents. I don’t want that for you. I don’t want you to be another kid on the playground with diabetes, plagued with health issues their whole life because your parents didn’t watch your sugar intake or the volume of processed foods you ate. I feel terrible for those kids. Growing up I was always told to finish what was on my plate, and I was a good boy; I did what I was told. But now that I’m a grown up and I can make my own decisions, I have a hard time ending a meal without finishing what’s on my plate – and it’s resulted in years of over-eating. I want you to understand when your full. I don’t want to make you feel like you’re letting me down if you don’t finish your food. I’m hoping the balance of me being a gavone and your mom being a picky eater lands you somewhere in the middle.
And in addition to what you eat, I want to teach you the importance of staying active. Exercising and staying fit are important. And not for vain, body image reasons. For health reasons. Less weight means less stress on your joints, better blood flow, longer lifespan. I’ve struggled with my weight for a good portion of my life and it’s not fun. I’ve never been a huge guy, but I certainly was never really tone. The one time in my life I was in shape, I was WAY too skinny. People thought I had something wrong with me, and that only lasted from like 21-23 when I met your mom. Then we started going out and eating everything we wanted, and I ballooned from around 200 to 245 over 8 years. That’s too much. I should be somewhere around 220, that’s my ideal weight for my size. As of a few days ago I was clocking in at 236, so I have a little bit to go, but I wanted to tell you about my experience to give you some perspective. I already love you so much and I want to share what I’ve learned with you. My dad always said he wanted a better life for me than the one him and my mom had. And they’ve given me that. They gave me a home to live in, everything I could have ever wanted or needed, love and support in every step of my life, a college education and a really strong work ethic. I want to pass those onto you. I want to shape you to be the kind of people they are. They’ll help anyone in need and not ask for anything in return. To do that, I think it’s important for you to be healthy and happy. You can’t help someone if you’re not in a good mental space to make yourself available. I love you.
Love you big time,
Dad
