One of my favorite people on earth is a great friend I grew up with who lives in KCMO. For those who are unaware, Kansas City is home of the Chiefs, Royals and — equally as important — Gates, Bryant’s and Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ, just to name a few of my personal favorite Midwest BBQ spots.

About six weeks ago, while riding his bike on a short 20 mile-ride, he ran into some problems. He had almost reached home and realized he had run out of water. Being one of those hot, humid days, he circled back to a pit stop to help recharge for the last leg home. As he’s standing in line to pay, he collapses. Luckily, he was still wearing his bike helmet when he hit the floor hard. He was having a heart attack. After several folks bent to assist him, he came to. He called his wife to come pick him and his bike up and then, collapsed again. The EMT arrived within minutes. In route, they paddled him back from death's door. He was very lucky and is making a slow recovery at home with lots of decisions to make.

The point of this storyline comes to play weeks after his emergency surgery to put in a stent: After being discharged from the hospital, he was told by his heart surgeon, several days later, that he would require one, possibly two, additional stent surgeries. Wanting another opinion, he has seen a total of three top-flight heart surgeons and conversely, has gotten three different paths to choose.

Here’s the kicker: Two out three never brought up nutrition or diet. In fact, they asked the two doctors about their training and asked if nutrition and diet weren't a factor of plausible paths to a healthier heart. They weren't much reassured by the response.

The third doctor laid out a strict plant-based diet — basically, eating nothing with a face. I thought that was an interesting way of saying "no animal protein." Nuts, berries and all the things you think of when eating a plant-based meal, no bad oils or excess fat should be used in any of the food preparations.

In our conversation he mentioned losing quite a bit of weight after that slow gain most of us old timers collect. Being a running back in his early life he prides himself on staying fit. We discussed at length how much he now feels nutrition and diet are playing a role in his journey back to health.

My query to you this week is, on a scale of 0%-100%, how much do you feel nutrition and what you eat play in your current health situation? A simple question; please share your honest thoughts.

Live well always.

Are we what we eat?

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