“But what about the olives!” Mary reminds me, in my defence. She’s got a point. In my refrigerator right now, there’s a jar of dry, wrinkled black olives from Morocco, containers of green, Spanish ones stuffed with chipotle peppers, and smooth-skinned, dark Kalamata from Greece, chock full of vitamins, omega 3s, and antioxidants. Also on my kitchen shelves are walnuts, blueberries, and bran. Does it balance out? Risk factors and lifestyle choices – each only half of the picture. I didn’t completely come clean with Dr. Drobac: I do have a significant cardiac family history. My father had coronary artery disease, which caused him frequent bouts of crushing chest pain (angina) for which he popped nitroglycerin pills like candy. He ignored his doctor’s advice to lose weight, even when he eventually developed diabetes and had to go on insulin. At sixty-two, he had a massive heart attack that caused cardiac arrest and he died. My eating habits are also bad and I’m always carrying around an extra twenty (more like thirty) pounds.
