Be healthy and maintain my health

I've always had a love affair with food. There is nothing about food I don't like. I may not have eaten everything but I'm interested in it. My family has several good cooks. I grew up in a happy kitchen and cooked from scratch all my life. Being military brought me in contact with many a great cooks too. I spent a year in culinary school learning to fine tune my skills. During that time I underwent a lifestyle change. (divorce) I cooked my sadness away with many a great/creative recipe. I can make a gourmet peanut butter & jelly sandwich!!!! Then reality set in: weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and of course gout. I could not stay healthy. Being stubborn I just knew I could "do this on my own", well 10 yrs later, I know I can not. With the encouragement of my family I did have surgery and am so glad I did. My love affair with food is still going strong, but in different quantities and healthier ingredients.