Healthy

“Food should be our medicine, and medicine should be our food.”

– Hippocrates

This page is mostly for me.  Feel free to tag along. 

This page is a record of the books I have read, the research I have explored, the documentaries I have watched, and the personal experiments I have conducted in an effort to improve my own health.

I am not a doctor, nutritionist, or medical professional. I am simply a student who enjoys learning and experimenting on myself. Everything you read here reflects my own experiences, observations, and opinions—not medical advice.

If you’re curious about nutrition, exercise, sleep, longevity, or healthy living, you’re welcome to follow along. Perhaps something I learn will be useful to you on your own journey. 

This journey began for me when I lost my father.  He died at 68 years old.  My father in law died at 67.  My kids barely remember either of their grandfathers.  It would have been nice to have them around while my kids were growing up.

I decided I’d like to be around for my grandkids someday.

I looked at the diet and lifestyle of both men.  Both were born in the 1940’s and like most men of that generation, they were fairly active.  They were both still physically strong when they died.

Also like the men and women of that generation, both had terrible diets.  They consumed the standard American diet, or SAD, for short.

My dad died in November of 2013.  He is buried in the Alabama National Cemetery near Montevallo, Alabama.

Around this time, a friend recommended I watch the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  And, that is when my journey began.

I do not believe you can out-run a bad diet.

If you are eating the standard American diet, day after day, you have already lost.  I came to this conclusion after watching my dad and my father in law.

 After watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives.  This movie had a powerful impact in my life.  I have watched it multiple times.  I wish everyone in America would watch it.

Next, I watched Food Inc.  I almost wish I hadn’t.  It’s disgusting.  Watching Food Inc. pretty much sealed things.  I turned my life in a new direction.  I became vegetarian.  That was over ten years ago.

Interestingly, I had never before experienced food “peer pressure”.   It began almost immediately.

Essentially, it goes like this.  You’re a vegetarian?  But, where do you get protein?

That’s about as far as the argument goes.  Some people will push it to the next step.  “A cousin of mine was vegetarian for a while.  She ended up so weak she started eating meat again.  I could never become a vegetarian.”  And, that’s it.  That’s about the extent of the conversation.  Whenever I would begin to give my reasons, the other person would move on to another conversation.  Every. Single. Time.

So, to respond to the extremely powerful arguments above (read with sarcasm) I created this page. If you are interested in my journey, if you are interested in the reasons I became vegetarian, you can read on.  At the bottom of this page, I am also compiling a list of famous vegetarians who may challenge your preconceived notions.

After watching the documentaries I mentioned above, I started reading.

Because I was interested in running at the time, I read Finding Ultra by Rich Roll.  I’ve blogged about his book here: https://dwanethomas.com/finding-ultra/.  I read this book in Colorado while my family and I were waiting for my son to recover from a terrible accident.  (He recovered, by the way.)  For years, I was a sedentary teacher.  Teaching is not a very active career.  I wanted energy again.  Rich Roll had a similar story.  He was a sedentary lawyer who also wanted energy again.  So he changed his diet, and changed his habits.

Growing up, I never really thought of any food as more powerful than another.  Like my dad, I also enjoyed the standard American diet.  When I read David Wolfe’s book Superfoods, I discovered the true power of plants.  Honestly, I wish I had found out earlier.  This information is hidden in plain site in America.  You will likely never see a broccoli commercial.  But, you will see meat and dairy commercials.  There is a lot of money to be made in meat and dairy.  There isn’t much money in broccoli.

The journey had begun for me.  My wife bought a Vitamix blender and I started making healthy smoothies.  That blender changed my life.  I replaced breakfast and lunch with healthy smoothies and have never looked back.

As for exercise, do what you want to do, but do something.  I try to follow the workout routine of Tom Cruise, who is ten years older than me (and in better shape than me).  I lift weights three or four times a week.  On the other days, he picks something fun: sea-kayaking, caving, fencing, treadmill, rock-climbing, hiking, jogging, running, etc…   

Of course, he lives in California and I live in Tennessee.  California, as far I can tell, has perfect weather and rewards you for being outside.  Tennessee has extreme heat and humidity during the summer.  During the winter, Tennessee has extreme cold.  Tennessee punishes you for going outside.

Tennessee: Costal cost with none of the benefits.

Mostly, I just hang out on the treadmill.  During certain parts of the year, I love mountain biking.  Someday, I will move away.  For now, I am stuck here.

I continue to read and learn.  This page is still in progress (summer 2026).  Here I will gather the diet and exercise recommendations I have found to be helpful.    

– Dwane