My grandma
Hello!
This morning I was thinking of all the recent health fads on the market today. People claiming that they have the panacea to good health seem to be popping up everywhere. It can get very confusing and will continue to get more and more confusing as these health fads keep turning up!
I don’t have the answers, and I believe that no one is right or wrong. We all have our beliefs about what will create good health and a long life. What I DO know is that those who claim they have all the answers, are usually full of themselves.
I’m joking! 😉
My grandma passed away at age 97. My grandparents were born and raised in the former Yugoslavia, moved to the USA for a good portion of their adult life, then moved back to retire.
My grandma was in good health and only visited the doctor a handful of times in her life. In her life! In her life, she never:
- Fasted
- Engaged in any type of “cleanse”
- Had a colonic
- Exercised profusely
- Dabbled in diets such as macrobiotics, vegan, raw, etc.
- Took copious amounts of vitamins on a daily basis
- Ate anything fat-free, low-fat, or diet
- Ate soy products
- Consumed concoctions such as kombucha, apple cider vinegar drinks, wheatgrass, green drinks, etc.
- Dieted
Now, I am not saying that any of these things are “bad”. In fact, I have tried many of the things listed. But as I’ve gotten older (and wiser), I’ve realized more and more that moderation is the key to a healthy life. What she DID do:
- Ate unprocessed, fresh foods
- Lived a relatively low-stress life
- Lived in a rural area
- Ate meat, dairy, sugar, and bread products.
- Drank coffee every day
- Never deprived herself
- Never feared food
- Lived an active lifestyle
- Had a strong family unit
- Enjoyed every bite of food she ate!
The moral of this story is that each and every one of us is unique and has different needs. I feel that the long lived people in my family line (she is one of many) can attribute their good health to a low-stress life and unprocessed, clean food. Don’t believe everything you read-decide what is best for you and stick to it.
Until next time, stay balanced!
~Jeannette
Commitment leads to Results! 
I really enjoyed this article. I agree with you. Seems to me that there are more and more and more new ways to have the perfect healthy life. No one has the all the right answers! It’s very rigid thinking to think that the only way to perfect health is to be a vegetarian or to have chronic fastings or be all Raw.
Everyone is different and yes, maybe our lifestyle has become more hectic and sure we have more additives in our food and there is probably something to be said about the way our foods have become more processed in turn actually changing the changing the taste ,structure and pureness of our foods, but I think, I could be wrong, that listening to our bodies and emotions, connecting with people, less stress can contribute to longer health and more vivacious life! Maybe or maybe not.
Enjoy your food, savor each bite regardless if it’s cow or grass, love it, every bite of it!!
I wonder if your Grandma had a nice glass of wine at night? Ha!
Leticia
ps I do love my Kambucha:)
Thanks for the reply Leticia! You are right on in my book. And I do love my funky stuff, too! (as you know) But I also know that there are no answers. 🙂 To each their own-live and let live!
PS, you don’t have to publish my last post, just kind of informing you where I am coming from and I had to comment. Thanks.
Here is probably one of my favorite physical fitness blogs on the net, http://www.charmcitykettlebells.com , the blog owner Sandy is a real helpful fellow. I am the one talking on this blog as Tom http://www.charmcitykettlebells.com/training-tips-tricks/jillian-michaels-should-do-a-metabolic-swing-like-this/comment-page-1/#comment-1496 and I’ve got to comment,
Los Angles Kettlebells, that one woman, Asian, Courtney Cheng as Sandy knew her name, is a 102 pound woman and swung a 100 pound kettle bell, kind of fascinated me and that is what part of my question was about. Amazing. Okay, that’s all, thanks and you don’t need to publish my data and all that, just checking in.