What does Joe Black eat?

I received a note from a reader this week, mostly appreciating what I didn’t have to say about Covid-19. But she did add, “tell us this—what does Joe Black eat?” 

Ooooh…I don’t know. Does anyone really want to know? Should I be worried? Can I be completely honest? How specific do I get?


OK. Here goes. Judge me as you will. But go back. Way back. 

For most of my life, I have followed what we were told was a heart healthy diet. Low fat. High carbs. Lots of fruit and vegetables. If anyone wanted to lose weight, they were told to avoid bread and potatoes (which maybe should have told us something).


About eight years ago, it was discovered that I had a significant level of atherosclerosis. Hardening of the arteries. Further testing indicated that my coronary arteries are probably doing their job so I’m not likely to have a heart attack but I will fight blood pressure issues for the rest of my life.


At about the same time, a friend of mine introduced me to research clearly indicating that we had it all wrong—that carbs were the culprit. And I was a carb-fed animal. Carbs for breakfast. Carbs for lunch. Carbs on my bike rides. More carbs with dinner. I ate but I was hungry all the time.


That friend also introduced me to Whole30, basically 30 days without carbs. I can tell you that for a couple of weeks, it wasn’t too bad. Then it hit me—it was tough. My energy levels were zero. My performance on the bicycle was awful. I got dropped in the parking lot.


But by the end of the 30 days, I felt pretty good. I lost weight. I wasn’t hungry all the time. My problems with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) went away.


Don’t get me wrong…you can’t exist without carbs. As a biker, I need more than most, especially on a 3-4 hour ride. But it should be complex carbs. And you don’t need as much as you think. I will follow a low carb diet for the rest of my life. I am convinced it is the most heart-healthy approach out there.


And about that low fat. We now know that there are good fats and that a diet totally avoiding fats has problems of its own. We just have to seek out the good ones.


The other thing that I have changed is how I shop. I’ve always read labels but now what I’m looking for is simplicity. Most of the items in my grocery cart have one name, easily understood. Broccoli. Spinach. Salmon. Eggs. Milk. Various fruits. My friend, the late Sam Beall of Blackberry Farm, taught me why butter was better than margarine (check the ingredients). Simplicity.


So what is a typical Joe Black meal? It trends toward sameness. When I find something I like, I stick with it until I get tired of it. Here’s what I had yesterday.


Breakfast: Two eggs, almond milk, almond flour pancakes, maple syrup. Lunch: Chicken salad, carrots, fruit, coconut water. Dinner: Grilled chicken, asparagus, Jasmine rice, pumpkin pie.


I drink a Kombucha every day and snack on Pistachios. I have a distinct weakness for Benton’s bacon, Haagen-Dazs ice cream, Fritos, dark chocolate, and hot dogs with chili and slaw. A late night snack is likely to be tart cherry juice and a handful of Cheetos (don’t ask me to explain that one…I can’t). I believe that we need to enjoy our food and I’m not afraid of desserts.


I love good restaurants and avoid the chains. If the chef and the owner are the same person, that’s my kind of place. I love seafood of all kinds and a really great steak, cooked medium rare, is heavenly.


So, there you have it. I’m not going to try and tell you what to eat-I’m not a nutritionist. This is what works for me. Do your research and eat what’s right for you but avoid white sugar and white flour whatever you do. 

Your heart will thank you for it.

Noticing The Little Things

I will not write about Covid-19. I will not write about Covid-19. I will NOT write about Covid-19.

There. Got that out of my system. But since we aren’t doing much in the way of sports and this is the Sports Section, what’s left? What lessons can I teach? What wisdom can I impart?

Well, maybe not much. My world is very singular now. And most of my inspiration comes from experiences—things I do, see, or hear. Right now, my life is work, eat, sleep, repeat, so I’m finding far less inspiration.

So, I went outside. Sat out on the back of the building where I work, having a snack. The sky was what the meteorologists call “partly cloudy.” Not the big Cumulus clouds that you can use your imagination on. Plain, normal clouds. And a light breeze. A little cool. Perfect weather, really.

I’ve seen a rabbit in our parking lot for a while but while snacking, I saw the squirrel that had left signs that he was hereabouts. He was on the side of the one little Maple tree beside where I usually park for work. Twitchy as they all are, he didn’t like my presence. I was in his world.

When I stopped to look, I noticed birds everywhere. They didn’t seem to be practicing social distancing. My curiosity up, I walked down to the small creek that runs behind our office and splits the Maryville Little League Park.

It seems like I’ve been around that little creek for half my life, first with my kids playing ball on those fields and for nearly 20 years, in an office nearby. I never thought much about it. It was just someplace where kids liked to throw rocks and sometimes fall in.

I never thought of it as a life form but as I gazed into the waters, I noticed lots of life. 

So I took off my shoes and crept down into the creek. The water was cold but after I got used to it, I started exploring. I noticed tiny fish everywhere and several different kinds of aquatic plants. On close inspection, it was teeming with life. Never noticed any of that.

I stopped to listen and could hear the creek gurgling, the birds singing. It didn’t seem like there was as much road noise. Maybe traffic is down because people are staying home more. I could even hear kids playing nearby.

By now my senses were on full alert. I stopped, inhaled, and smelled…nothing. I’ve been in big cities and there is a constant odor, usually rather unpleasant. I grew up in an industrial town that smelled of rotten eggs.

But then I picked up just a hint of something sweet. Honeysuckle was in bloom not too far away and when I really focused, I could distinguish that particularly nice smell. Just because I’m an inquisitive sort, I put on the mask that I had in my pocket to see if it filtered the honeysuckle odor out. I was pleasantly surprised that it did not.

I looked at that little Maple that I’ve written about a few times. Just a stick when first planted, I would say it is now a teenager. One thing I like about it is how it reflects the seasons. Bare in winter. Budded in spring, full bloom in summer. Bright colors in fall. I try to make it a metaphor for life sometimes, but that’s just the poet in me. In all of us.

Is there a point to all this? Yes. Despite the pandemic, the sun will still shine. Regardless of the masks, there are smells to be smelled, sounds to be heard, wonders to be noticed.

I'm Positive That...

Coronavirus. Doom and gloom. Fear the Beast. I’ve done my part on the scare tactics. I’ve filled this space with warnings and dire predictions.


So what’s a guy to do? Shut out the world? Hide in the mountains until this is all over? I’ve just about quit watching the news—something about the body count (the number dead from the Coronavirus) that is just too much. It’s reminiscent of the news from the Vietnam era that I grew up in.


I can’t ignore the fact that it seems like a lot of people are just ignoring this thing, going on about their lives like there is nothing to be concerned about. Some people seem to have interpreted “Safer at Home” to mean “stores are open-let’s go shopping!”


Not a real threat? Look no further than the nursing home in nearby Etowah. Talk to the children of those nursing home residents in Maine or in Kentucky. Talk to anybody in New York City. 
I have a friend at a hospital in New Haven, Connecticut that last week was filled with Coronavirus patients. Literally filled. The threat is very real and is still out there.


Agree or not, we’re beginning the move back to some degree of normalcy, although I would insist that we’re going to find a “new normal” out there. Some things can never go back to the way they were. Stores, restaurants, and other non-essential businesses are opening although there are a lot of rules that must be followed. Masks, social distancing, and counting heads at the door will be the rule of business for most of the summer.


“Safer At Home” is no longer a mandate but is still a good idea. I saw a meme this week that said “I’m going to come out of this thing a Hunk, a Chunk, or a Drunk.” There’s a lot of truth in that.


There are obviously some negative coping mechanisms being employed. And believe me, you will employ coping mechanisms. You probably already are. But I would like to suggest that you seek out positive coping mechanisms.


Like exercise. You’ve got more free time. Take advantage of that. We also know that regular exercise will help keep you healthier and maybe make you less susceptible to the Coronavirus.


This should be a time to eat better. More time to plan meals. More time to cook. Although the lines at the fast food places are long, I think that’s just folks finally getting out and wanting something, anything that isn’t in their own freezer or cupboard.


Put away the digital devices and get to know your family better. Yeah, I said it. Mr. Hooked-to-his-phone. They’re great and I crave that FaceTime with the grandkids that I don’t get to be around but sitting in front of the computer or TV for hours on end is simply a bad idea. Find alternatives.


Sleep more. I know I have. Not getting enough sleep is probably my biggest health mistake. There isn’t a study out there (that I’ve been able to find) that tells you anything but that you should get adequate sleep. Like 7-9 hours.


Get in touch with important people in your life that you haven’t talked to in forever. Give them a call. Send them a note. Tell them what they mean to you. That book you’ve been wanting to finally read? Now’s the time.


Work in the dirt. It helps. Plants something. Anything. Then watch it grow. There are few things more satisfying that being able to eat straight from your own garden. Whatever you do, look for the positives. 

Or wake me when this thing is over.