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Elton John Is ‘Really Sticking’ to His New Diet After Facing Health Issues: ‘He Feels More Energetic’
Elton John is finally committed to being healthy and staying that way to the relief of loved ones who worried he was living on borrowed time before he decided to turn things around once and for all.
“He’s really sticking to it this time and following a sensible diet that will help his type 2 diabetes and maybe even reverse it, it’s certainly possible,” an insider exclusively tells Closer. “He’s eating fiber-rich foods and non-starchy veggies, fresh fruits, healthy grains and watching his portions, which was always his downfall before, and low salt, no added sugar.”
He was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the early 2000s.
“Of course, he misses the dessert, but he can have a small glass of 100 percent fruit juice when he gets a sweet tooth,” the source adds. “He feels more energetic than he has in years. Elton’s had more than his share of health problems, but he wants to be around for his boys, and it helps that he has such an understanding partner in David [Furnish].”
Elton, 77, has been very open about his health battles in recent years, including knee replacement surgeries, a hip replacement and injuries after falling at home.
In October, the “Rocket Man” singer, who shares kids Zachary and Elijah with David, 62, took the stage at the New York Film Festival premiere of Elton John: Never Too Late to reflect on some of his highs and lows.
“To be honest with you, there’s not much of me left. I don’t have tonsils, adenoids or an appendix. I don’t have a prostate,” he said during his speech.
“I don’t have a right hip or a left knee or a right knee. In fact, the only thing left to me is my left hip,” he added. “But I’m still here. And I can’t thank you [enough], you’re the people that made me. I want to thank David and Zachary and Elijah for making me the happiest man in the world.”
Most recently, Elton revealed that he was dealing with eye issues.
“I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the South of France,” he said during an interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America this month. “It’s been four months now since I’ve been able to see, and my left eye is not the greatest.”
“So there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK,” he said, adding that he felt “kind of stuck at the moment.”
Elton said that he “can’t see anything, can’t read anything, can’t watch anything” but was “taking an initiative” to try and see if there was anything that could be done to improve his eyesight.
Despite his medical woes, Elton looked back on his incredible life and career with a smile. “I’m just very lucky and very grateful,” he shared.
The singer also recently spoke about making changes to his diet to help manage his diabetes.
“I can have an apple, I can eat a bit of melon,” he said during a November 11 episode of “Ruthie’s Table 4” podcast. “As long as you’re sensible about it, it doesn’t shoot your blood sugar up. But what I crave is chocolate and ice cream, I can’t have any ice cream.”
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