"This
book represents my own voyage of discovery," says Dr Geraldine
Mitton. "I asked myself why relatively young people suffered
from heart attacks, strokes and lifestyle diseases, and why older people
were so frail and dependent on multiple medications?"
The
Anti-Ageing
Handbook with its emphasis on nutrition, exercise, therapies, brain
fitness and spiritual wellbeing is a must - both practical and valuable.
This
is an essential handbook packed with fascinating information, a book
that focuses on balance and positive thinking, providing us with a
sustainable blue print that should galvanise us into taking the high
road to staying youthful and to benefit from the best possible quality
of life.
Dr
Geraldine Mitton, currently Medical Director of the
Santé Wellness Group at The Santé
Winelands Hotel and Wellness Centre
in Stellenbosch, is a regular contributor and
member of the advisory boards of the Journal of Natural Medicine, Shape
magazine and the Health Sciences Institute (UK). Geraldine Mitton is a pioneer of integrated medicine who later became Medical Director of a Health Hydro
where she worked with philanthropist and visionary Cleto Saporetti for
many years.
SHOWCOOK
has focused on an excerpt from the chapter 'YOU
ARE WHAT YOU EAT, ASSIMILATE AND ELIMANATE'. Her vital message
to us all is that you are what you eat and that food can either be
ageing or anti-ageing.
It
was Hippocrates who said, ‘Let food be your medicine,’ yet modern
man seems to have forgotten the basic knowledge that, in fact, we are
what we eat. The trillions of cells in our bodies depend on a daily meal
of protein, fatty acids, carbohydrates and a cocktail of vitamins and
minerals working together in synergy.
Yet
each one of us is different. We are unique in terms of our individual
rate of absorption, assimilation and dietary needs. The term used to
describe this is ‘biochemical individuality’. Digestive problems are
common in older people, and one of the most important contributing
factors is dehydration. Although older people may feel less thirsty,
dehydration is ageing. It shows up in the skin. Our bodies are composed
of 70 percent water, and many of our ailments are precipitated or
aggravated by simple dehydration.
Coffee, tea and alcohol are
dehydrating, so they do not count in our daily fluid intake. We lose
about two litres of fluid through respiration, and through our skin,
kidneys and gut. This needs to replaced daily. Serial tea drinkers may
develop zinc and iron deficiencies because absorption is blocked. A
caffeine intake of more than 300 mg daily which is equivalent to two
cups of strong coffee or three cups of tea may cause headaches,
indigestion and anxiety attacks, depending on the efficiency of an
individual’s liver’s detoxification system.
What
about alcohol? Is alcohol ageing? In fact, red wine in moderation is
actually beneficial but remember that more than two drinks a day of any
alcoholic beverage ages the skin, the arteries and just about every
organ of the body.
We
do not eat cigarettes, but it could be said that cigarettes eat us.
Smoking is one of the worst culprits involved in skin ageing. Apart from
being a serious risk factor for heart disease and cancer, smoking
damages the collagen in our skin and causes premature wrinkles.
Foods
that are anti-ageing are those that protect against cancer, heart
disease and stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and most of
the degenerative diseases. Ageing foods create free radicals and
encourage rapid deterioration of body parts and functions.
An
important research finding in recent years has been that calorie
restriction prolongs life. In addition, we know that the metabolism
slows down as we grow older, making it easier to gain weight. The secret
is to eat less, but choose nutrient rich foods. If you think of the
actual size of the stomach – which is about the size of large
grapefruit – it is easy to understand why it is advisable to limit the
size of a meal to the amount that would fit into your outstretched
palms.
