Open Future Health Blog

Your habits when you are in your 40's and 50's are the foundation for your good health and fitness at 85. Improved diet is the low cost alternative to extensive medical intervention later in life. The body has the ability to heal itself, if we treat it with respect. ANYBODY who adopts a healthy diet, at ANY AGE, will benefit, and as the months go by, those benefits will multiply.

The Beginning of a Health Blog (March 2016)

Four years ago (2012) I was offered a "free trial" of a Stemtech product, and to humour to person who offered it to me, I agreed to take the sample. Surprise! Some remarkable things happened, that at age 70, I didn't expect.

Note, 2022: Stemtech was a mistake. Don't do that. Read to the end.

I still considered myself "fit for my age" but I was lying to myself. My weight was 94kg, increasing about 1kg a year. Not good.

Over the next two years my health went from good to very good. I lost 17kg for a start. Once I realised that I could actively improve my health status, I began to look for other ways to do that. Over the next year I changed a lot of things, far too many. But my health did improve.

Edit; 2022: {My first reaction was that the Stemtech suppliments were valuable. About 18 months later I rejected that view.} The critical thing was that I became interested in my health and keen to take action to make it better. As the researchers in the "Dunedin Study" say I became "conscientious" about my health, and that made a big difference.

It's also important to note that to this point I had made many mistakes. There is health disinformation everywhere, some of it I believed and followed. The obvious thing is to be vegetarian, which is a critical error to my way of thinking now.

When I say my health was "very good" above, one again I'm lying. I've no idea what "very good" health is. When the doctor, confirms that my health is "excellent" as in the paragraph below, that just means no diabetes, cancer or cardio-vascular disease detected. {He means not yet sick enough to treat. }

I was so pleased that I ordered a full medical health check with my Doctor. He confirmed what I knew, that my health was excellent, but of course now I had some numbers to support that intuition.

Generally, people don't believe that their health can be improved. You give people good advice but they can't accept it. You tell people where to get good information for themselves,but they never bother to look. They have no faith that any better "health" than the one they are experiencing is possible.

I've discovered that there are many rungs on the health ladder, many of them far above, the sort of health I once understood, to be me at my best. That's a real surprise. I now believe that we don't need to get sick in our 60's and 70's. We can be healthy and well, until very late in life.

Nutrition is the Key

About 18 months ago, I was experimenting with my diet. I was forced into that by an allergic reaction to "me" I think. My immune system became over active, I had a rash all over my body, and it lasted for months. I tried all manner of dietary restrictions to try and find out what was causing it. Now I think, "none of those."

But, we had some success with gluten free, and it seemed even better if I was free of all cereals and flour.

Two years ago (2014) I discovered that there was something called a Ketogenic Diet, that was used for weight loss, and to help type 2 diabetics control their blood sugars.

I listened to Dr Tim Noakes explain all of the theory on a video. I was impressed, but that wasn't at all what I was intending to do.

However, encouraged by the rash I couldn't prevent, I ended up following the Banting Diet, promoted by The Real Meal Revolution. It's a really good programme, and that's why a year later, this web site exists.

John Stephen Veitch