Chuck, are you serious? You've never heard of free radicals or antioxidants? I get the feeling you avert your eyes whenever you read that your diet should consist primarily of fruits and vegetables. Ignoring your health isn't masculine, dude, it's dangerous. I know that sounds harsh, but seriously, I'm in shock you've never heard these terms. Wake up and eat the broccoli, before it's too late.

LOL. I am not interested in human biology and nutrition, and as a hypochondriac I don't like hearing about such things. I eat some fruits and vegetables because my doctor recommends it, and that's good enough for me. Of course I've heard the terms before, but no I didn't know what they mean. I assure you that it has nothing to do with trying to be masculine (so much for understanding the opposite sex.)

That said, I understand the motivations for your comment--you're worried about my health because you care about me. And I really appreciate that. But don't worry I'll be okay. If anything my diet is far better now than it has been in years. Rest assured this blueberry juice isn't the first time I've eaten an antioxidant. I love berries, and I eat tomatoes or tomato products practically every day, and I drink a lot of tea. All of those things are high in antioxidants. In a typical week I'm likely to eat bananas, applesauce, soup with vegetables, yogurt with fruit, all manner of fruit juices, kidney beans, pinto beans, baked beans, bread, and the list goes on. My diet is limited but not a disaster area, and I supplement it with vitamin-enriched ensure drinks. I eat very little meat, and when I get meat it is usually chicken or turkey.

I talk a good game but don't worry I'm not sucking down gumdrops, twinkies, and fatback all day. :-)

I am glad to hear that. Variety is important. I wouldn't count on the ensure stuff to give you what you need, but I'm sure it's better than a soda. (Water is sort of a habit, maybe you should try drinking more water if it will help with chronic problems you have. There are flavorings for water that have no calories.)

The "masculine" comment actually came from your other post -- the "typical man" remark. "My" man, I agree he's not typical, does not ignore his diet and wouldn't be caught dead eating spray-can cheese on crackers. When he's hungry he cooks. What I thought was, "typical Chuck," (as you might very well think "typical Maggie" if I ever talk about brownies), and that's what gave me the idea that you think Real Men Don't Think About Their Diet. Or perhaps Real Men Don't Cook, They Scrounge for Canned Cheese When They're Hungry. It's certainly not a quality I attribute to the opposite sex.

But thanks, I understand the opposite sex as much as I need to, and in as much as you can take half the population and lump them into one category.

Hee hee. The "typical man" comment I was expecting to get was that it is very much a typical man to simply make do when the house is out of food, instead of going out and shopping rather than leaving that chore to his spouse.

I think it's great that James loves to cook. This is an interest I do not share. But then again, I enjoy the taste of Easy Cheese, and I suspect James does not. He tends to have a very refined sense of taste that I do not. We've sampled edibles together in the past where he has commented on flavors I cannot detect.

I actually don't think real men or real women do any particular thing or have any particular trait. :-)

Anyway, thanks for your concern! My diet has vastly improved since my last bout of pneumonia in early 2007.

BTW I am actually drinking a lot more water these days. Unflavored water tends to make me feel sick, but the Dasani flavored waters go down a lot easier.

I try to keep oranges at hand for snacks. When I over-eat, it's generally healthy food at unhealthy amounts. I guess I'm lucky that I am satisfied by eating things like fruit, vegetables and meat that are less processed.

Of course, I love french fried and chips, too.

You know, some teas are high in antioxidants as well. Eating well really ought not to be a chore, there are so many good foods! I have always got the impression, though, that you have some very strong likes and dislikes that get in the way of your diet. I guess that's a hurdle that makes things a lot tougher.

I'm not a big fan of blueberry juice, bit pomegranate is pretty good. I prefer eating fresh rather than getting juice. That's mainly because, with fresh you get more antioxidants and you get the fiber, too.

I wish I had a recommendation that you'd actually like.

I like oranges too--I've had several clementines this week.

Dude, Where'd you get the idea that you need an anti oxidant for gout? Gout is a buildup of uric acid. you get crystals forming in your joints because you aren't clearing the stuff fast/well enough. It does seem liquids are good for gout (because they help clear the acid) and I'm sure blueberry juice in general is good for you. Although juice in general isn't much better for you than soda,etc is since it's still tends to be very high calorie. But antioxidants if anything (and research hasn't really proved much yet) MIGHT help in the very long run in lowering risks for cancers, heart disease, etc. Won't help in the near term for gout though.

B.O.B.

I think Chuck is drinking the blueberry juice because he believes it will help his gout, and noticed the claim on the label and thought it was strange.

I did a google on blueberry juice and gout and didn't see any sites come up that I'd consider scientific, but then nobody believed blueberry or cranberry juice curing UTIs was scientific until they did a scientific study that showed they do prevent the little buggers from sticking to the bladder wall, so as long as it doesn't hurt, there's no harm in drinking it, and as you point out, he needs the liquids.

But I agree, juice has a lot of calories. I only drink orange juice when I'm teaching and I'm really hungry, otherwise I drink water, milk, tea, or coffee (without cream).

I am drinking blueberry juice because it is low in purines. Gout sufferers are encouraged to lower their intake of purines, and to increase their fluid intake during an attack. Websites I checked recommended cherries, strawberries, and blueberries and the juice of these as good low-purine snacks/drinks.

Sorry my misunderstanding about why blueberry juice. I will say thought that a site I looked at (I thought I was developing gout last year because I had pain in the same joint as you and my dad has it, turns out mine was a bunion forming, ain't getting old grand) did recommend low purine but went on to say that carbonated beverages and coffee were also good. So a diet soda would be just as good and would have no purine. I suppose I shouldn't be discouraging you from drinking juice but you didn't seem to like it.

B.O.B.

I've realized that part of getting old is just stuff accumulating over time. I mean, we've been around 40(+) years, things are going to happen in that time just by random chance, and it isn't all systems breaking down. I do think that we have far too many doctors, though. I want a good ol' GP who knows everything and to whom I can give a laundry list of complaints. I don't want a specialist for every system in my body. Just eye doctor, dentist, GP is bad enough, multiply that by three because I have two children, but then they've got specialists (especially M), and I've got specialists, and I think it magnifies your illness to have to go see a special doctor twice a year.

You're not old, B.O.B.!! Just accumulating life experience.