Partner and I are both over fifty, and you know what your doctor tells you to do once you're fifty. It involves fasting for a day beforehand, and not eating red food, and – ahem.
Our test results have been okay so far. I had some small abnormalities a few years ago, but they weren't serious enough to merit special attention. But it's been around five years, and I have my yearly physical in a few weeks, so I have a feeling I know what will be happening again soon.
If I have learned anything through all of this, it is to eat more fiber.
A man of my age and weight needs about 25 grams of fiber a day. A paperclip, or a raisin, weighs a gram. So if I eat twenty-five paperclips worth of fiber a day, I will be fine, and the inside of my colon will be as clean and delicate as a baby's skin.
This is easier said than done.
Here's the fiber lowdown:
• Foods that you think might be full of fiber are not full of fiber. Most cereals. White bread. A surprising number of vegetables.
• On the other hand, beans have a lot of fiber: red beans, black beans, kidney beans, Roman beans, cannellini beans. Also chickpeas. Also lentils. Prepare to be very gassy.
• Peas are remarkably high in fiber. In fact, anything with a skin is rich in fiber. Each cute little pea has a little skin around it. See?
• Pasta is made from hard wheat, and so is full of fiber. Marinara sauce is made from whole tomatoes, and is also full of fiber. No wonder Italians are so vibrant. It’s the fiber!
• You can actually buy Double Fiber bread. It tastes just like regular bread, and it blasts through you like an Atlas missile. It's terrifying.
This is what we do for health.
It's worth it.
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