My mother had been struggling with a few health issues for a while.
I tried explaining what was going on and how she could work on it, several times.
Yet as we say in Hindi ‘ghar ki murgi daal baraabar’ (translation: you tend to ignore what you have with you already, even if it is pricey).
So I had an idea.
I decided to set her up on a diet under a nutritionist for a full year.
But there was a challenge.
As much as I know my mom, she would absolutely reject this idea for multiple reasons:
– She likes to come up with impromptu ideas on ‘what to eat today’. The idea of following a plan for food was inconceivable in the first place.
– When she gets to know what I’ll be spending for this, all she would say is ”so much money on diet coaching”.
– And on top of it, the idea of cooking a separate meal for herself and the family would be a clear NO.
As it seemed, this challenge was difficult to overcome.
I had a plan, though 🙂.
I’m her son after all.
If I get obsessed with an idea, I cannot sit without exploring alternative ways to overcome a challenge.
Here, I did just that.
I managed to convince her on a simple condition:
– To give this a ‘try’ for just 3 months. If she doesn’t like it after that, we’ll stop.
After I explained to her, how we’ll all eat what she’ll eat and how this will save 10x more money in terms of medical bills, she agreed.
Three months later, she had all her blood markers show improvement – LDL, Uric Acid, B12, D3, etc.
She was slimmer, more energetic, and faced no joint pain now.
The biggest change came in the form of compliments from our relatives for how her “face was glowing”.
And it wasn’t her alone.
All 4 of us got similar benefits – more energy, no mid-day drowsiness, weight drop, etc.
Investment for one, benefits for four.
Talk about ROI 😎
Now it is easy to convince her for this for a full year.
In fact, I see this investment as a medical cover.
I cannot find a good health cover for my parents nearing 70.
But if I can set my mom up for healthy eating, I’ll save both my parents from a host of health issues.
If she follows good eating habits across all the six seasons in a year under the watch of a nutritionist, she’ll have a blueprint for good health for the next five years, at least.
After five years, the body, especially at her age, would have changed a lot, in terms of absorption levels, etc.
Then, I will set them up for nutrition coaching again.
The 40-50K I would invest here will effectively be a cover for at least two people for the next five years.
Still a health cover, just preventive.
And I suggest the same to all of my friends.
If we start looking at expenses on health as a cover or investment, we are closer to a longer life, fitter, healthier, and a better life than we think.