What’s the trade-off?

Decisions, decisions

Every day we make decisions off-the-cuff, most of which seem to be short term. Should I get the oil changed in my car today? Is that the best use of my time versus my pocketbook?  It’s not as if you think carefully through every decision, weighing the pros and cons, and consciously knowing why you made that decision. At 8:00 in the morning it might just be an underlying pressure/pleasure thing and an off-the-cuff choice.

When it comes to the oil it may be that you have reached the 5000 miles mark but who cares!  On the other hand the oil light might have come on yesterday (or the day before.) That changes the pressure but there won’t be much value, pleasure wise.  I have never found an oil change to be particularly pleasurable.

Pleasure versus pressure

Of course short term might turn out to be a long term decision. If you ignore that oil light in the interest of not spending an hour or $35 you could pay (literally) for that decision. So what are the odds? The odds are you knew full well that you needed the oil changed but you simply ignored it until, voila’, the oil light comes on. Damage is happening throughout the engine.

Now it’s a crisis. Potentially it may be too late to avoid the car sitting on the side of the road, being without transportation, and spending a ton more than the $35 you “saved.” And there will be a chunk  of time attached to that problem. Pressure, pressure everywhere!

So the question with every decision is always the same, what’s the trade off?  As it relates to health let’s consider that question in light of pressure versus pleasure.

Pleasure in what you eat

You take great pleasure in eating what you eat. Of course you do!  You have years of practice eating what you like. You see advertisements on TV, Facebook, and other social media from commercial food producers, fast food restaurants, and your friends, etc. helping you to imagine the pleasure you might get from eating “something” else. No conscious pressure here, just anticipation and realization of pleasure.

Are you even remotely interested (concerned about) doing something different, diet wise?  Maybe you have read my book but more likely not. After all it cost $15 and you are pretty sure the reading won’t hold a candle to the latest mystery book written by your favorite author. You just aren’t interested. At least you aren’t interested until the struggle begins.

Pressure when your health goes wrong

Yesterday I got a call from an old friend. Her daughter’s husband had just been diagnosed pre-diabetic. Both of his parent’s are diabetic and using insulin pumps. So has this young man reached the 5000 mile mark or is his oil light on? Three days ago life was good. One day later the pressure was on.

My friend has sent her my book and asked me to provide her anything I have written or seen that would help them deal with his health. Of course I will. And you may rest assured I will do my best to help him avoid what I know to be the long term consequences. Beyond the info provided in the book, I have written and posted many articles describing the penalties.

A pre-diabetic diagnosis means that blood sugar and insulin levels are increasing. At some point the pancreas stops pumping out enough insulin to control blood sugar. Ignored, eventually pre-diabetes becomes full blown diabetes and damage has already happened in the kidneys, heart, and liver (at a minimum).

These three organs are essential. This post may help you to understand that better. The oil light may not be on yet but it will be. You don’t make the problem go away by putting electrical tape over the light. You have to change the oil.

It’s a trade-off

So it’s a trade-off. The majority of American’s are diabetic or pre-diabetic primarily because their diets are short on nutrition and long on the pleasure of taste. This is true whether you have a “diagnosis” or not. Every one of those people is headed for a crisis. It isn’t uncommon for diabetes to be discovered after a heart attack or stage 3 kidney disease. It’s just a matter of time.

Are you at 5000 miles or is your oil light on?  Once again I encourage you to learn how your diet impacts your health and make the right choices. My  book,  It’s All about the Food, is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle version. Books are also available at Bob’s Food City, Marilyn’s Old Country Store, Mount Ida Pharmacy, and the Chamber of Commerce in Mount Ida, AR.