CHAPTER 7
HARDCORE HEALTH FACTS

Sometimes it’s hard to know how far to take things with food and health, and I do not like to base anything on fear. However, there are some interesting facts that I thought I should share, and I am going to start with this: life is about the survival of the fittest. If you are the undernourished person, or the person that does not exercise enough, if at all, or the person that is miserable in your life and in your work, hates your relationship, and has been through traumas in life, and you decide not to do anything at all about changing your life, your diet, your health‐enhancing habits, your mindset and your surroundings … then you are more likely to die of premature ageing and disease; if not, let’s face it, you are going to be quite a grump! If you like being miserable, fine, it’s your life, but I would encourage you to think again!

Any day, at any time, you can make the right choices. The perfect way to get life force, energy, and feelings of well‐being into your precious body is to choose the foods with the most protein, the greatest amounts of vitamins and minerals, the highest source of essential fats, and the best, most natural hormone balancers and providers. Plus the foods with the most phytochemicals and enzymes, and foods which provide you with the optimum amount of oxygen. Nutrition is a relatively new science, believe it or not, and I know that we are all still finding our way. As far as I am aware, the first nutrient was actually discovered right here in my home country, in London, by a man called William Fletcher. He was born in 1872 and was the first scientist to determine that if special factors were removed from foods, disease occurred. He cured beriberi with the use of B vitamins.

Longevity depends on many factors: what you eat, how you think, how you move, what your relationships are like and how much you love your work, or what you do every day to provide your happiness. Overeating is one of the biggest causes of premature death. The people that live the longest, that have the best lives way into old age, are those that do not eat too much and live in a cultural environment that reinforces healthy lifestyles and habits such as a healthy diet and exercise. People living in such settings maintain healthy social relationships, which creates psychological well‐being. Seniors are valued and treasured members of society and looked after by the community and their families. I think this is something we get very wrong here in the Western world. Our parents do a wonderful job of nurturing us, sacrificing things and often struggling to pay for food, school fees, etc. and then off we go into the big wide world, earn our money, embark on our careers, and then are too busy or live so far away so we never see them. Then they get old and sick and we stick them in a nursing home. What is that all about?

There have been numerous TV shows and documentaries showing how important it is to have interaction with young children and animals that provide good mental stimulation as well as unconditional love when you reach old age. Loneliness is a killer. Why can’t an 80‐year‐old grandmother be best friends with a 15‐year‐old boy? They might share the same sense of humour or have similar interests. Why is it that this seems so unlikely? The wisdom that the older generation can give us is priceless. To cast older people off as if they do not matter is nothing but a tragedy. Yes, I know some old people can be grumpy and short‐tempered. But what has led them to become that way? Isolation? Loss of a loved one? Every single human being on this planet has a need and a desire to be loved, needed, and wanted, and if you don’t have that in your life you are going to deteriorate quite quickly.

I had a very special relationship with my grandparents, and always felt that they were a massive part of my upbringing and the influence on my life. I have tried to maintain that relationship between my own children and my parents as it can offer so much joy and teaching. My father is such a gifted man with many talents, one being his creative hands that can carve anything out of wood. My son would never have been exposed to such learning if he didn’t have a great relationship with his grandfather. It’s an art that is dying, and one which I treasure, and so does he. My mother is the kindest ‘home bird’ you will ever meet. Happiest when we are all under her roof eating and talking. She taught my daughter how to bake and how to knit. These are classic skills, but ones which their grandchildren will never forget. For me, having such a good relationship with my grandparents always meant having someone else to confide in, or be answerable to. I was quite a rogue teenager and caused my parents worry for many years. Sometimes my grandparents were easier to talk to about what was going on. Just because there was a 60‐year age gap between them and me didn’t mean they couldn’t understand what was going on. They were so cool and accepting of me, and that made me feel safe and loved, as well as always having my parents’ support too, which gave me double the confidence, and double the love! How lucky was I? Appreciating and valuing these precious times is so important.

So if you are old in years but don’t want to get mentally old, interact with the young, take yourself off to India, go trekking in the mountains, surround yourself with stimulation and love, or go and live on a cruise ship where you have different people to interact with all day long. Surely it has got to be better than being stuck in one room looking at four walls all day long? We were not meant to live in isolation and, if you do, the chances are your health will deteriorate. The other factor in those places where people live the longest was that they tended to their own communal gardens. Not only did this provide them with organic fresh foods, it also gave them the gift of naturally exercising. They were outside, had to lift, chop, stand up, kneel down, use their arm and legs, and just move around daily. When you tend to a garden you are also giving it love and nurturing, which lifts the human spirit.

Okinawa, in Japan, has the highest life expectancy in the world. They suggest that everyone eats only until they are 80% full instead of gorging themselves. Sardinia in Italy is another place reported to have one of the best life expectancies. They are mostly farmers and shepherds, who have the opportunity to live life in the warmth, walk a lot, take time for leisure, and maintain a positive attitude and sense of humour about life.

Another place ranked right up there for longevity is Loma Linda in California. They focus on healthful habits such as vegetarianism, and, being a religious group, warn heavily against alcohol and smoking. They nurture emotional and spiritual health, prize volunteering, and value their family relationships. They drink plenty of water, eat lots of nuts, and maintain a healthy weight.

It is said that in Nicoya, Costa Rica, a man aged 60 has twice the chance of reaching 90 compared with a man living in the US. Interestingly, they have the lowest rates of cancer and advocate finding their sense of purpose and concentrating on physical activity. They spend lots of time outdoors, sleep eight hours a night, and eat beans, corn, and rice as their staples, as well as drinking water that is naturally high in calcium and magnesium. They also concentrate on family and spiritual time.

Take Greece as another example. Ikaria is a Greek island 35 miles off the coast of Turkey. There is virtually no dementia, half the rate of cardiovascular disease, and at least 20% less cancer. There are famous mineral hot springs, so this place has been a health destination for centuries. Coupled with the Mediterranean diet, they eat lots of wild greens and drink nutritious herbal teas. They take regular naps, and socialize daily, staying active through walking, farming, and fishing. Do you see the pattern that is emerging here? These are all habits that we need to learn from and make efforts to implement. One other thing that these longest living societies have in common is that until recent years (sadly, worldly goods are now much more easily transported and available) there was very little consumption of refined sugars and processed foods.

I think what we need to do is to ‘be the change’, and once we are the change, and people see us making a difference, they will follow suit. We have to love ourselves enough to love the food that is going to nourish us. The toughest opponent here though is in your head. Why don’t we stop whining and complaining about how tired we are, how depressed we are, how sick we feel, how much we want to succeed, how much more energy we require … and just crack on! Do you want to create a confident, strong, and capable you? Everything in your life is a reflection of the choices you have made, whether you like it or not. If you want a different result, make a different choice. It doesn’t take generations to change, it takes just minutes.

Six out of ten people in the Western world have cancer. Young people are getting sicker, younger. More babies have brain cancer and leukaemia than ever before, and heart attacks are happening every second somewhere in the world. The fat contained in animal foods (meat) loves heavy metals and holds onto deadly chemicals, the very things that are causing challenges to our bodies and so much disharmony. Today more than 95% of all chronic disease is caused by food choices, toxic food ingredients, lack of nutrition, and sedentary lifestyles. Lack of exercise will kill you, but equally over‐exercising can also harm your body if you are not nutritionally supported. You see, all disease comes from an element of free radical damage. We can repair and get antioxidants from salads, greens, raw fruits, and vegetables, juice and smoothies. (I am talking proper healthy vegetable‐based juices and smoothies.)

In the Western world one in five breakfasts is purchased from fast food restaurants. For starters we don’t need vast amounts of food for breakfast. When we sleep we are fasting and this is the best chance your body has to repair and renew all your luscious cells that want so desperately to keep you well. Whatever you have for breakfast must be nutritious and health‐giving because that is going to set you up for the day. Take the average Western diet. Breakfast consists of milk and sugar‐laden cereal, cups of coffee, sticky pancakes, bacon and eggs, and a ton of toast. Or if you are going down the fast food route, beige stodge. It is a recipe for disaster, not success and vibrancy. You will wake up groggy, get up and pile in this acidic and quite toxic plate of so‐called foods, and your brain will feel foggy, your emotions all over the place or, worse still, deadened.

Have you ever seen the documentary Super Size Me? If you haven’t, take a look at what this kind of food can do to you. If you want to be a brain‐struggling zombie, then fill your boots. Go ahead and see how you feel starting your day this way. My advice would be to wake up and have a health‐enhancing tea, or hot water and lemon, followed by a home‐made green juice. I can promise you that if you do this your body is going to jump for joy and you will feel the energy rising. If you can go to the gym or do some sporting activity such as running after this little concoction, see the difference in your energy. Then around 10 or 11 a.m. have your breakfast.

In the meal suggestions I will explain more about food choice, but as long as you understand the basic principles that’s all that matters. Remember, the more you overeat, the shorter your lifespan is! Take cholesterol as an example of a health problem. In Westernized parts of the world there have been suggestions that if you are over 50 you no longer have to take a cholesterol test. Why? Because you are simply automatically put on statins or similar medications to keep your cholesterol low. What about educating everyone on healthier eating? What about teaching children in every school how to prevent disease so it just becomes the norm? Is it because there is no money in this? Because the drug companies need people to be sick? These types of medications have side effects. They can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure, and even death!

Many people consider the raw food diet to be radical. I am not suggesting for one moment that you transition immediately, or ever completely if that’s not what you want. But knowledge, my friends, is power, and once you know these things, it might just be the wake‐up call you need to make better choices. The point I am trying to make is this: reversing serious diseases is possible. I have seen it with my very own eyes, and it’s magical. The question is would you rather have your chest sawn in half and your heart taken out of your body or would you rather change your diet to prevent that happening? Quite a choice, hey! Look at what so many other species eat. Horses, cows, squirrels, rabbits, gophers, groundhogs, elephants, goats, sheep, antelope, deer, elk, moose, kangaroos, birds and many more just live on a plant‐based diet. They are strong and energetic.

Another massive problem we have is a large number of the world’s population are losing their memory. This is directly linked to a lack of vitamin B12 and of essential fatty acids in our diets. A few days ago I was writing my newspaper column in a coffee shop in Guildford, on my way back from my London clinic (drinking green tea of course!) and I saw a sweet old couple opposite me doing a crossword. They were loving what they were doing and so engaged with each other. They seemed to get it solved relatively quickly. It was such a coincidence, as this was the very subject I was writing about and there they were, as if to confirm what I wanted to say. If I was an artist (which I can guarantee you I am not, stick men is about as far as I can go!) I would draw them. They both looked old and weathered, but healthy and beautiful at the same time. They had a glow to their skin as if they spent time outdoors and rosy cheeks from the cold. I have no idea if they were husband and wife, as they arrived separately, and they looked really pleased to see each other. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek and they barely said a word before they sat down and entered into their crossword puzzle‐solving. It’s almost as if they met just for this very purpose. Maybe without realizing it, they have got it right. When it comes to your brain power, if you don’t use it you lose it. It needs training every day. Like every other muscle in your body, it needs to be in constant use and fed the most beneficial foods in order to maintain its full functioning capacity.

The other important thing about absorbing nutrients from your food is that simple act of chewing! Not only does chewing create mindful eating and appreciation for your food, it also helps to mechanically break up your food and stimulates saliva production for lubrication, helping the digestive enzymes to begin working efficiently. The more you chew, the smaller your food particles are and the more nutrients your small intestines can absorb. As 70% of your immune system is in your intestines, this simple act is essential.

The easiest way to get sick is if your digestion is not happy, and it will literally make you feel miserable. So rather than cleaning up the digestion and trying the simple things first, we prescribe antidepressants instead, which just continues the circle of ill health. Why not look at diet or anything else related to health in order to try and get this person back on track instead of throwing some other toxic drug at this epidemic. Let’s clean up the diet and see what happens before we go down that route.

It’s true that antidepressants can be life‐savers. Recently, a very close friend of mine was suffering from severe depression and the medication did help temporarily to dig him out of a very deep hole. But in the long term, it’s not the answer. I have clients that come to me and have been on antidepressants for 20 years or more. The side effects can range from sleep problems such as insomnia, headaches and dizziness, tremors, shaking and feeling anxious (ironic), pain, weakness, yawning and feeling tired, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, dry mouth, sweating, and hot flushes.

What your cells actually want is oxygen! When you eat sugar, for example, you reduce available oxygen by a third. Even eating fructose from fruits can reduce oxygen if you overdo it. Wheatgrass is the perfect tonic for increasing oxygen in the body. Two ounces of wheat grass, which is a tiny amount, is equivalent to eating 5lbs of green vegetables. The fact is that with the vast majority of the drugs you take there is a chance you might experience some kind of side effect. Try breathing, exercise, and food before you try medication. All raw food, especially greens, contains oxygen. Once you cook your food, just be aware that in most cases the nutrients start to diminish. The fragrance that you smell when you cook your food is actually the oxygen leaving the food. The rawer the food you eat, the greater your enzyme activity is, and the less chance you have of developing serious disease. Even diseases like multiple sclerosis can be helped by this way of living.

Let’s look at milk as another good example of what we need to understand. 100 calories of watercress give us roughly 800 mg of calcium. 100 calories of collards give us 548 mg of calcium. Spinach 450 mg and rocket 1300 mg of calcium. That’s a lot! One glass of milk on average contains about 300 mg of calcium. According to Dr T Colin Campbell, an American biochemist who specializes in the effect of nutrition on long‐term health, casein, which makes up nearly 87% of cow’s milk protein, is carcinogenic. More research is being done constantly on all areas of nutrition, and I am sure you can do your own too and come to your own conclusions. But I wanted to point out that all is not as it seems, and advertisers can lead us into a very false sense of security. It’s about looking beyond and having an open mind to the world around you.

In relation to feeding cattle, redirecting even some of the grain used to feed them could potentially nourish every hungry mouth on the planet, not to mention the water usage: 1 lb of steak takes around 2400 gallons of water to produce. Take a look at the Cowspiracy documentary to find out more about how the meat and dairy industry cause a colossal amount of environmental issues too, so let’s not just blame global warming on car, plane, and train emissions.

As far as sugar is concerned, if you want a healthier alternative, stevia is a natural substitute that might just help wean you off the white stuff, but don’t just use it as a switch from one sweet thing to another. The point is to reduce your consumption. Cancer, diabetes, arthritis, insomnia, osteoporosis, and heart disease all like sugar very much. In fact those life‐altering diseases can suck the life and vitality from you after you’ve had your fill of sweets for the day. Sugar weakens the bacteria in the gut and efficiently helps to destroy your immune system. Eating a plant‐based diet will regulate your blood sugar levels and feed your body with the best substances you can imagine. The higher the quality of foods, the less disease you have the potential of developing. Treat your body with the tender loving care that it deserves. There is NO specific diet that will do what healthy eating does . Stop the radical diets and get engaged to your lifestyle. This is not just a two‐second wonder, these are permanent lifestyle choices.

You can be the richest billionaire on the planet, but it’s not going to save you. Look at Steve Jobs. On his deathbed he wished he had done things differently – spending more time with his loved ones was one thing he was clear about. There was no doubt that the man was a genius and changed our technical world, but it couldn’t buy him health in the end. You’re prepared to pay out for health insurance, and spend money on all sorts of vices, yet people tell me all the time that eating healthily costs a lot. Actually, it really doesn’t have to, but how can you put a price on your health anyway when you are so prepared to invest in other things such as cars, houses, gym memberships, alcohol, shoes, handbags, cigarettes! Whatever you spend your money on, there is no investment like your health. How about making green juice, superfood and vegetables your health insurance instead?

ADVICE: In my opinion your best six doctors are:

1. Sunshine
2. Water
3. Rest
4. Air
5. Exercise
6. Diet

If it really is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.

The four things you will gain from engaging in better lifestyle choices are:

1. Balanced hormones – this will protect you from premature ageing and disease.
2. Increased oxygen – which will feed your cells and protect you from premature ageing and disease.
3. Increased phytochemicals from better food choices – to feed your cells and protect you from premature ageing and disease.
4. Increased enzymes – from better food choices, creating the spark of life which will help every cellular function in your body and to protect you from premature ageing and disease.