This time, I had to listen to myself

For many years, in fact, almost 30 years, I have been telling people what to do. Not because I think I have all the answers and not because I think everyone should listen to me, or that I am always right. I have simply felt that my job as a family doctor was to impart my knowledge, translate it and compartmentalize it to suit the person who is sitting in front of me. I try to ask enough questions that will enable me to understand the person in front of me. I try to see if they have any medical issues, any issues I can actually help with. I see if they are interested in getting more information and then start to tackle the delicate task. Read: Letters to my younger self They may have come in for a sore throat, a depressive episode or a worrying symptoms. I listen and try to establish a plan of action and if appropriate, at that very visit, I start to ask about lifestyle issues. It is not always the right time, or the right questions to ask. But with the many years of experience, I try to sail between the topics and gently ask about their daily habits. I may start with smoking because everyone expects a doctor to ask about smoking. And if I feel I can, I will move on to ask about exercise, diet, stress, sleep and any other factors I think can provide me with valuable information, and no less provide them with useful guidance. So I find myself often telling people to try to decrease their sugar and starch intake. Their sugar values may be creeping up over the last few years. They may have shared with me that they have a family history of diabetes or I may just want to help them control their weight to avoid “having to take medicine for the rest of your life” as I often put it. I am not sure how much my advice helps, but I do know that if a patient asks for it, then there are much better chances that it can help them. So as I said, I am always, at least five times a day giving advice regarding changing, or improving eating habits. I feel that I have a right to tell them, because indeed, I have studied nutrition and lifestyle courses forever, and because I myself am always being careful with my eating choices and my exercise routines. But one day, about five weeks ago, I decided to listen to myself, to see how difficult it really is to stop eating sugars. I allowed myself fruits, dates, prunes but no white flour, no cakes cookies, sweet, crackers , juice, sugared yogurts or sweetened drinks. I decided I would do it for as long as I can, allowing some leniency on Saturdays. I was completely surprised at how difficult it has been. Although I really believe(d) that I was always being careful, indeed that was not the case. If I had been so strict with my sugars, it wasn’t supposed to be so difficult. I found myself after my meal looking for something a little sweet. In the past I may have only taken a cracker with some homemade low sugar jam, but no not today! Or I may have taken oatmeal with some sugar, but no. I may have taken just one small cube of chocolate, but no sirry, not today. And so on and so on. So it has been five weeks now. And I am far from getting used to it. I am doing it as an experiment, as an act of solidarity with my patients, as a preventive measure. But it has indeed taught me that knowing, saying and doing are all very different. However I do feel that it is not impossible. But it’s not easy either. The amount of temptations on the outside are innumerable, the smell of fresh baked products, the long aisles of sweetened goods, that daily advertising campaigns. It almost seems as if everyone, except the careful few, are on a rampage to cause people to get diabetes, be overweight or to simply be unhealthy. People need to be strong and to put on the other side of the equation: health, strength, empowerment, self-discipline, resistance to external pressure and pride in the fact that they alone are taking responsibility for their life, and not the endless advertisers who only want to make a profit at the expense of anyone they can. I will continue my experiment and if one day, it will indeed become easy for me, I will surely write again. I am curious to see how long that may take. Dr. Dalhia Chiche-More is a family doctor and writer based in Jerusalem.

This time, I had to listen to myself

Register for free access or login.

Business Topic