The talented new millennium renaissance man Nick Cannon got back to work after being hospitalized for kidney failure a few weeks ago. Doctors initially diagnosed Cannon with kidney stones, but after a closer look, they determined that Cannon’s kidneys were in the beginning stages of full-blown failure, citing an overdose of protein along with the medication he was taking as the reasons for his kidney’s degeneration.

Cannon told MTV News he now needs to pay closer attention to his diet, which forces him to eliminate some of his indulgences:

“I’m feeling good, I’m in the office, I’m grinding, the only thing that sucks is that I’m on the renal diet,” Cannon said. “It’s all about healthy living and fueling your system, but I don’t get to eat the things that I like to eat. You’ve got to stay hydrated and [eat] fruits and vegetables for breakfast.”

The Men’s Health cover man admits that he won’t be able to eat like his new twins, like processed cereals (“I can’t have none of that stuff anymore”), Cannon lamented that nutritionally dense foods like oats are now on the menu.

“Not even the good oatmeal,” Cannon said. “Real oats, like horse-feed stuff — but it’s cool. I’ve got to start to love it.”

According to MTV, the diet will be implemented in phases, and as his body slowly recovers, he’ll be able to incorporate Lucky Charms and other banned foods into his regimen once again.

“Right now I’m still on the strict diet and I can’t have any sodium, but as a couple of weeks go by and everything gets leveled out, then I can start having low sodium,” he said, revealing that hot sauce has been his solution for adding spice to his diet. “I can still have Tabasco sauce, so I’m excited about that because I love hot sauce. I’ll be putting Tabasco sauce on carrots, like, ‘This tastes delicious!’ ”

Unfortunately like many black men, a health scare has made Cannon take his health seriously. For example, He claims he won’t run away from his doctors anymore:

“I feel 100 percent right now, but obviously the doctors tell you to take it slow,” he said. “This is definitely the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. I’ve always thought that I was doing the right things, but that’s why I now encourage everybody to get checkups, get physicals, know what’s going on in your system and don’t play around with your body.”

“I always considered myself as someone who was in great shape, but I was doing too much [to my body] so my immune system got confused and just started attacking my kidneys,” he continued. “You look at my Twitter picture and I look like I’m in shape, but I was putting the wrong stuff into my body, speeding all the time, not sleeping and eating properly — it’s all about taking time and really caring about yourself and how you fuel yourself.”

The lesson here is that what glitters is not always gold. Most in-shape people look great on the outside, but sometimes they just might be literally dying on the inside.

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8 Comments

  1. Damn homie last week you was the man homie what the fcuk happened to you? Hope he gets better. kidneys ain’t no joke.

  2. I always liked Nic. He seems like a dude that still can’t believe he’s where he’s at in life. But I’m proud of him taking the responsibility for his missteps. I’m sure he’ll do a lot better in the future

  3. The last sentence of the article sums up my sentiments exactly. I’m glad that Nick is feeling better and sharing his story and lifestyle changes. I hope this is a valuable lesson for people to pay closer attention to their diets and realize that having a great body and looking the part means nothing to your overall health if you neglect your body and physical well being.

  4. I hope he gets better soon, one has to look after oneself and kidney failure is no joke.

  5. So sorry to hear of your kidney problems. I also have kidney disease with a low sodium diet. Please adhere to the diet because this is serious stuff. My body swells when mine is not right. Hope you are well soon for Mariah and those beautiful children.

  6. Thanks Nick for being so honest about your health in your time of trouble. Your courage to be honest is a beacon of light for others to follow. One of my favorite sayings is ” a tree don’t grow from root to fruit overnight.” So yes, take your time and all things will produce its fruit in due season. Amen brother Nick, be healthy and be there for your family and be the example, for our children might not always listen to us, but they are watchin, dey be sho nuff watchin.

    peace be upon you
    mark

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