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The financial porifblio is not
a man's most important asset.

ED NAKFOOR
Special to the Jewish News

U

nlike a seasoned cook guarding an old
family recipe, Don Appel is quite at
ease sharing his approach to staying
healthy.
"There's no magic pill," says the semi-retired
75-year-old Birmingham resident who returned to
the area after having lived in sunnier climes on
the East and West coasts for close to two decades.
Rather, he attributes his good health to a regimen
that combines the right diet with daily exercise.
For example, he avoids sugar in favor of the
natural herb Stevia to sweeten his coffee. He eats
mostly vegetarian fare save for some fish, eggs and
minimal dairy, and favors organically grown pro-
duce.
He doesn't smoke— never did for that matter
— drinks only occasionally, and swears by the
energy-boosting, body-cleansing prowess of wheat
grass juice, made fresh, of course, as are the rest
of his fruit and vegetable elixirs. They include a
crisp cucumber-parsley-celery sipper.
And in addition to his thrice-weekly sunrise tai
chi and almost daily yoga classes in downtown
Birmingham, Appell's primary form of exercise is
walking. Lots of walking. After all, what would
you expect from the owner of Don's TLC Pet
Care?
"When my blood pressure is checked during my
annual physical, the first question they ask is,
`What kind of exercise are you doir.g?'" His num-
bers consistently fall within the ideal range for his

age group.
Appel points out, though, that this healthy
lifestyle evolved over time. As a child he tended to
be on the heavy side and remembers a note his -
teacher once sent home. It read, "Don can't bend
over to buckle his galoshes." Just the prodding he
needed, perhaps, to take up tennis?
In his mid-30s, his focus was solely on exercise,
including caring for and rid-
ing horses, aerobics and
working out at a gym up to
five times a week. Today, he's
kinder to his joints, and
there's a strong emphasis on
nutrition, attributed to an
early visit to a organic health
food store in Boca Raton,
Fla., and most recently to his
wife of 12 years, Liesel, who
is a vegan vegetarian. Quite
simply, Appel says, "It's a
matter of education."

Diabetes Danger

Educating the American pub-
lic to the dangers of a poor
diet and lack of physical
activity is the reason Dr.
George Grunberger left his
tenured position at the
Wayne State University
School of Medicine in
Detroit, resigned as director

of its diabetes program and established the
Grunberger Diabetes Institute in Bloomfield Hills
last spring.
"Doing this is really my passion," Dr.
Grunberger says. "I want to increase awareness of
the fact that you need to [stay active] and eat in
moderation," says the trim 51-year-old. He jogs a
few miles each morning before work and shuns
junk and fast foods.
Dr. Grunberger
explains that close to
$150 billion is spent
annually on diabetes
treatment; the figure is
expected to climb to $1
trillion in 10 years. "It's
the most expensive
chronic disease," he
says.
Dr. Grunberger is
referring to type 2 dia-
betes, the condition in
which the body doesn't
make enough insulin to
balance high blood
sugar levels, or the
insulin is not used effi-
ciently. And once blood

Above, Don Appel prac-
tices tai
Left, he walks Fritz in
Birmingham.

10/25
2002

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