My oldest daughter is a vegan. At first, her choice somewhat puzzled me, in that, the Kirby's come from a long line of meat eaters. We also love our milk and eggs and all of the other food items that come from animals. Honestly, when we would have family "get togethers" we found it hard to be creative when it came to fixing food for her to eat. In reality, it really wasn't difficult, we just found ourselves to be vegan challenged.
Recently, she and I went on a trip and while eating lunch one day we stopped in this quaint little Spanish Restaurant. Much to my surprise the menu was full of vegan choices so I decided to be a big boy and try something new. While I dined on my vegan delights, my daughter seemed amused as she watched me try her vegan chili which contained cactus. Honestly, it was all very good.
So today, I was reviewing some stories online and this headline caught my eye: Vegan is the new Viagra! So, of course, I stopped everything else and began reading the article. Basically what the article said was that men who sometimes have trouble getting and maintaining a stiffie or when they are getting ready to "play pool" their cue stick more resembles a rope, should realize that their erectile dysfunction (Bob Dole's words, not mine) is a strong predictor of the likelihood that they will die of heart disease. The article went on to say that men who suffer with the "limp biscuit", which some consider more of an emotional issue rather than physical, are twice as likely to die from a heart attack than those who don't have trouble keeping Mr. King Snake standing at attention.
What I learned is that cardiovascular disease is brought on by poor nutritional habits. It clogs all of your arteries, not just the one's around the heart. And sometimes, the first warning sign is when Mr. Peeper won't look you in the face anymore...when that magic moment presents itself, he would prefer to stare at the floor.
The final paragraph of the article informed me that eating a plant based vegan diet, along with exercise, can reverse and eliminate cardiovascular disease. Oh sure, a man can take one of those little blue pills and get a boner but the underlying heart disease goes untreated.
Those of you who know me will know that I have been over-weight much of my adult life. Couple my carnivore lifestyle with the Kirby history of heart disease and my chances for a long life and dancing at my grand-daughters wedding become slim to none. And while I haven't had to deal with Boner Bingo yet, I think I'd better get my ass in gear before those arteries become clogged. Maybe I won't go cold turkey (pun intended) and become a full fledged vegan, but I think I might be able to eat cactus and hummus and black beans at few days a week. It can't hurt....
So ladies, love your man and if he's relying on those little blue pills to help you sing "glory hallelujah", there might be a more serious problem looming in the shadows. And men, don't be so macho, change your lifestyle while you can. Here's to your manhood!
Be Well.
Bill
