During my younger years, I would eat Cheetos and a 20 oz. soda for lunch, half a dozen Krispy Kremes as a midnight snack, half a pint of Dreyer’s for a mid-noon snack, an entire Red Baron pizza for dinner, and the list goes on… This was prior to my Junior year in college, when my body could somehow inhale exorbitant amounts of junk food and continue to operate as if I was getting my recommended 5-daily fruits and veggies. I was Superman, I had practically no regard for health!
Then, one night I had trouble sleeping because I was having a hard time breathing. I forced myself to sleep through it, thinking it was just some random occurrence that would disappear the following day. I woke up, and the difficult breathing persisted. I went to the doctor, and I will never forget the words that came out his mouth; “Leland, you have Gastritis, and once you have it, you will have it for the rest of your life.” For those that don’t know, Gastritis is another way of saying GERD, or Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or Acid reflux. Symptoms usually include difficulty breathing and a sour taste in the mouth. My doctor couldn’t give me an answer for what could have caused this, but according to him and various other medical references, Acid reflux can result from drinking too much alcohol, fatty foods, acidic foods, and stress. Yep, all that delicious junk food I ate in the past definitely contributed to the problem in a big way.
I supposed you could look at that incident as a wake up call, since, from that day forward I made it a point to pay attention to my diet and health. I know I’m not the only one that had a disease happen as a result of less-than-stellar eating habits. Share your life stories, we would all love to hear them!
