The 10 Secrets of 100% Healthy People by Patrick Holford. Book review.

We've had a lovely warm day up here in the sticks of North Lincolnshire. A good opportunity to tidy the garden, trim the hedges and mow the lawn. With a bit of luck that will be the last grass cutting I will have to do this year. I've been getting on with the patchwork again while watching catchup tv, I'm determined it's not going to take me forever to finish it. I did think about going to Tesco, I've got a £4 off voucher on a £30 spend, spose I could stock up on store cupboard essentials, seems daft to throw away £4. In the end I didn't go, the shop is too busy on a Saturday. Last chance tomorrow, I might go.

I haven't done a book review for ages, because I haven't been doing much reading. I still get books out of the library though, they lie around the house and I pick them up at random and read bits as and when I feel like it. Need to keep using the mobile library in case the council get the idea that we don't need it any more. We definitely do need it.

Anyway, I have read Patrick Holford before, he is a leading spokesman on nutrition and mental health issues, with a string of letters after his name. A lot of the book is about diet, it talks about a health road map, it explains what effects certain foods have on the body, and what happens if we get it wrong.

According to a survey of 55,000 people, only 6% were in the optimum health category, whereas 50% were in the moderate category, and 44% were in the poor or very poor category. He does offer a free health check on his web site, but due to site renovations it is temporarily not available. Patrick looked at the healthiest people in optimum health, and compared them with the unhealthiest people to see if there were any significant differences in their dietary habits.

He came up with these recommendations for achieving optimum health. Reduce wheat consumption to one serving a day. Stop eating sugar based snacks. Don't add salt to food, avoid salted snacks. Reduce intake of dairy to one serving a day. Reduce refined foods. Eat more fruit and veg, eight to ten servings a day. Limit tea and coffee to occasional use. Reduce red meat to two servings a week. Eat more oily fish. Eat more seeds and nuts. Drink eight glasses of water a day.

I think we have all heard about some or all of these recommendations, and I think we all probably fail to stick rigidly to it. But it's good to keep this guide in our minds.

Part three of the book is all about setting your health goals and targets. Refining your diet and taking control of your health. There is a lot in the book about supplements. I don't take any at all, so I am in two minds about that. The book advertises his web site, and of course he sells all the supplements he talks about.     

There are chapters about fitness and exercise, emotional health, and meditation. It deals with the mind as well as the body.

 

Overall a very informative book, useful to keep dipping into when you let your diet slip a bit and eat crap. I certainly need a reminder now and again. £12.99 to buy from a shop, free from the library.