Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (59 page)

St. John’s wort has been shown to be as effective as antidepressant medications without the side effects. Consult your medical practitioner before taking it, especially if you are on any other medications.

Black cohosh can aid mood.

Motherwort is soothing.

The spice saffron can be used in tiny amounts (just a few strands) to promote emotional stability; add it at the end of cooking to rice and vegetables.

Acupuncture is balancing and can be extremely helpful, especially if you can find a practitioner who uses Japanese needles, which are small and gentle on the skin.

Ageing

You can be vital, useful, healthy, and vibrant at all ages, right up to the end of your physical body. My friend Kitty used to teach me the Alexander Technique, giving lessons into her late 90s. She continued working until a couple of days before she passed away. This was a woman who emanated the most vibrant energy; who stood erect with sparkling eyes, and who told jokes with passion just a decade before her centennial. My mentor, Dr. Sam Getlin, kept working with love and vigor until he was 102. And I recently saw my friend Norman at a health publishing exhibition. Norman, now in his mid-80s, assured me he still climbs the twenty-something flights of stairs every morning in his New Jersey apartment building.

My point here is that young, middle, or elderly, if you take care of yourself, you are youthful at any age. While people today may actually be living longer, they are living, or rather existing, in a much degenerative state. The hospitals are full. It is absolutely and utterly unnecessary for us all to be subjected to the ills, the diseases, and the overall bad health of modern society. You can live so much better, stronger, and more nimble as you add years.

In fact, I will go so far as to say that the older you are, the better the chances you have to be fitter and healthier. The more years of chronology you add to your life, the more years you have to build your muscles, to grow your stamina, expand your mind, and free your soul. Even with my own physical body, I have had fitness instructors tell me that my abdominal core is like a rock. It wasn’t like that when I was younger. My own emotional and spiritual quotients are far more developed today than when I was in my 20s because I have had the time to develop and evolve, to grow. This is the beauty and wisdom of ageing. So, you see, time and ageing actually are not our foe, but a wonderful friend.

I am not oblivious to how the body may slow down as we get older; or how we may feel aches and pains, stiffness, lethargy,
ails, or even boredom as the years move on. I am no teenager myself; and I have consulted with hundreds if not thousands of clients of all ages to know how the body changes with time and gravity. But you must know, whether we are talking about the abs, skin, hair, nails, mind, or spiritual foundation, we have the power to excel forward to new advanced levels and heights of excellence if we take up the reins.

Long-lived populations

On the Japanese island of Okinawa, the inhabitants are famous for their longevity. These people live to a phenomenally ripe old age and there are more centenarians in Okinawa than anywhere else in the world. The Okinawan Centenarian Study, which investigated these islanders for 25 years to discover their secret, describes how the islanders age much more slowly than the rest of us.

Death rates from stroke, cancer, and heart disease are 59 percent, 69 percent, and 59 percent lower respectively of the average for the rest of Japan. They spend on average a breathtaking 97 percent of their lives free from disease and disability. So what is their secret? The Okinawans eat healthy, natural food and they don’t overeat. They do, however, manage to put away around seven servings of fruits and vegetables, seven servings of whole grains, and two servings of soy and six glasses of water daily, plus oily fish three times a week on average, lots of green tea, and no alcohol. They have a particular fondness for soy, sweet potatoes, and watermelon, and meat is eaten only occasionally.

And of course there’s the lifestyle: unhurried, with plenty of exercise and a strong emphasis on spending time with family. They favor meditation, qi gong, and tai chi.

It’s not just Japan—other regions around the globe boast populations with long life expectancies and exceptional good health. The Hunza in the Hindu Kush Mountains, the
Georgians of the low Caucasus Mountains, and the Greeks all have above-average life expectancy and exceptional wellness.

The common denominators between all these long-living populations are:

Diet abundant and varied in fresh fruits, vegetables, and natural foods.

Low levels of animal protein or vegetarian.

Absence of processed foods.

Calm, peaceful living.

Regular exercise.