Many years ago a book by the title 'Live to Ninety and Stay Young' caught my eye on a book shelf. It is by Andrew Stewart of Dorset England and I believe now out of print. For me the book was to be the introduction to a life long study of health and lifestyle living.

One of the quirks of the book is that as soon as you open the front cover there is a photo of Andrew Stewart at age 90 years. Below his photo he has the following list of health attributes and I quote, "No nasal catarrh or headaches for 55 years, Can read newsprint without glasses, Digestive trouble absent, Sleeps 8 hours natural sleep, Hearing good, Eyesight perfect, Good crop of white hair, Can walk miles without fatigue, Can drive a car, Can sail a boat, The blood pressure of a young man"!

This got my imagination going. How could this be? I thought to myself. It certainly did not match the health of the seniors around me. Totally the opposite in fact.

Most of the senior aged people I knew had health problems.

Andrew Stewart's book was revealing, motivational from a health perspective, and disturbing at the same time. Until then I never heard of the ideas of eating the right foods and exercise and right living. It was all new to me. Another important point that stands out in the book are the case studies. People who mended their lifestyle and in turn mended their health as well.

Andrew Stewart himself was a sick man at the age of 29 years. He improved his health by becoming aware of what makes up a healhty lifestyle.

Most of the calcium in the body is found in the bones and teeth. If your body does not get enough calcium guess where it starts to pull calcium from? You guessed it , the bones and teeth.

Some of you reading this might think the sole purpose of this Hub is health. Well it's more than that. A rich and rewarding long life can mean a lot of things. Here are some of my reasons why it is a good idea to live to 90 and stay young.

1. Anti aging is a valuable skill. To give back to our community. The education, training, and personal development that a person undertakes is substantial. Many years of experience and lifelong battles are there. It would be a shame to waste it.

In some cultures the more senior aged people are revered. They are considered the 'Wise Ones '. They are sought after for advice and counsel. It is a shame this is not the case in our society. It is more of a case of, ' Where is the nearest retirement village or old person home where I can park Grandma or Grandpa until their expiration date arrives?'. This attitude is a shame really.

It is a sad reflection on how we view seniors. It is a reflection on our inner values. Which in my opinion could do with massive improvement. We are at the point in our society where we have enough ' Information'. What we now need is more 'Wisdom'.

2. Anti aging is a valuable skill. Good health into senior years means less individual stress. It can also mean more self confidence. The quickest way to lose self confidence is to depend on somoene else to do everything for you. A good feeling about yourself creates less individual stress.

3. Anti aging is a valuable skill. Good health in senior years means less family stress. In our modern age stress is everywhere so who wants to deal with yet another component of it? A rich family life, even when you are not living with family members, is possible. But it takes good health to enjoy it.

and the food produced is not nearly as good as it was fifty years ago. With poor, or adulterated food, you cannot be healthy.' Dr. Frederick L. Hoffman

The chapter ' Are We Slowly Being Poisoned' explains the impact that chemicals in food can have on our health. Some bodies can handle and excrete the chemical buildup better than others. Everyone has a different constitution. That is why we notice effects in some bodies and not in others.

Rapid growth in city populations has caused a demand for more food. There is big incentive for larger crops with quantity substituted for quality. Farmers say chemical fertilizers are the answer.

The variey of chemicals in our food is amazing. Preservatives, leavening, emulsifying, bleaching, coloring and flavouring. Chemicals are numerous and increasing all the time. The farmer sprays his crops to keep insects away but has little knowledge of how the human body goes about processing these chemicals.

Dr Stoner of the Toxicology Research Unit of the Medical Council of Laboratories at Carshalton, Surrey, England in 1964 said that the safety of chemicals can never be proved. Human bodies soak up the chemicals like a sponge. One part per million might not sound like much but if it accumulates over a lifetime it could be more than someone can handle.

Here are some of the advantages of good health. If you want to add to this list please let me know.

Advantage 1. Energy to burn. You have heaps of energy to do what you want to do and pursue your goals. It could be anything. Riding a horse or writing a Hub. You have the energy reserves to pull it off.

Advantage 2. You can contribute to friends and family. It is very satisfying when you can give to people you care about. You have the constitution to do it.

Advantage 3. Be an inspiration to others. If someone looks at you and says, ' Wow! you look great. Are you taking Botox?' You can explain to them that the reason you look great is because of your natural healthy lifestyle. They in turn might benefit and pick up some healthy lifestyle tips.

Advantage 4. Another advantage of good health is... ( Over to you Hubbers! )

Another essential mineral is iron. People deficient in iron show lack of energy, poor appetite and pale complexion. Iron produces haemoglobin. Iron is an essential component of the blood.

The unseen risks of civilised life are documneted. Here he goes into the dangers of ingesting too much refined sugar and refined carbohydrates. He then goes on to say our bodies are not used to such an onslaught of refined foods. Period. This alone has caused major health headaches.

His Book amazes me. It was wriiten in 1968 and he documents a report by the Reaserach Committee in the British Medical Journal on Toxic Chemicals. Mentions that DDT and other chemicals are building up in the human body. Our immune system, organs and tissues, have to counter this toxic buildup in some way.

He talks about how most people eat by habit. With little understanding of what processing firms do to adulterate food with bleaches, preservatives and dyes to make it look alluring. The imporatnt point he makes is that food looks good and tastes nice but has little nutritional value. He gives a new meaning to the motto " purchaser beware!"

Here are some common and uncommon foods. What we eat today becomes a part of us tomorrow. Hubbers, do you want any of your favourite foods included that are healthy and good for you?

Apples. Doctor Birchner-Benner was sick in bed with jaundice. He was too sick to eat. One day his wife was preparing cooked apples. He ate some and found them palatable. The next day he ate some raw apples. To his amazement he started getting better.

Later he made numerous tests on people who agreed to eat a diet of raw uncooked food and got amazing results. Doctor Birchner-Benner is the creator of the world famous Birchner-Benner breakfast muesli.

Bananas. The armies of Alexander the Great found them in India in 327 B.C. When ripe they are easy to digest. They can also be mashed. They have a high fuel value being rich and carbohydrates. Also alkaline making them good for over acidity.

Green Barley. Well known as a broad spectrum nutrient. What does this mean? It has the one of the highest sources of nutrients from across the entire food spectrum. It is useful for our modern age as today most of our soil is depleted of minerals and other nutrients due to overuse of chemical fertilizers in crop growing.

Lemon. Many people use freshly squeezed lemon juice in hot water. They take it on an empty stomach upon arising. Has a cleansing effect on the stomach.

Raw juice. Raw juicing is popular. Carrot and celery are common ones but there are many vegetables and fruits you can juice. Juicing is a huge subject in itself . Maybe I will do a Hub just on juicing in the near future.

Tahini. A great source of calcium and magnesium. Unhulled is good as it contains more minerals.

Here is the deal in a nutshell. If the nutrients are not in the plants, they will not be in your body. So if only 3 minerals such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous are used to grow the crops and you eat from the crop you are only going to have 3 minerals in your body. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. This is A MAJOR key to the problem. We need to eat food with the full complement of minerals and nutrients.

Some Primary Producers have already been questioning the use of artificial fertilizers and chemical sprays. Farmers know better than I do the effect of deficient soils. Organisms, among other necessary elements, are needed for healthy plant growth.

The presence of organic nutrients in the soil will help build immunity to disease and pests. Soil fertility relates directly back to the presence of minerals and organisms in the soil.

If there are any farmers out there maybe some of your input here would be a great help.

The following shows why I have such an interest and passion in the vast subject of health. At your funeral how would you like your eulogy to be written?

The Eulogy of You

Overall ( your name ) was of value to society and not a burden. A fun and interesting person who people enjoyed being around. Freinds, family and the community gained great benefit from the knowledge shared and the experience gained by association with ( your name ). What else would you like to add here?