I’m re-reading Health Wars by Phillip Day. It’s a great read and makes so much sense to me. In the introduction, he talks a lot about the work of Sir Robert McCarrison – a pioneer in nutrition. Somewhat depressingly (because we don’t seem to have listened) he said in the 1920s or 30s: “the single greatest factor in the acquisition of health is perfectly constituted food”. Sir Robert was a medical doctor who worked in India for 30 years and was one of the first westerners to encounter a tribe living in the foothills of the Himalayas called the Hunzakuts. He was amazed by their health and longevity. In all his time observing them, he saw no incidence of illness or disease. Many of their elders were over 120 years old and just as vibrant and active as the youths. Based on their environment, lifestyle and diet, he came to the conclusion that the 6 principles of longevity are:

• be well mineralised and eat properly constituted food (the Hunzakuts eat lots of mostly raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds)
• be well hydrated (drink plenty of fresh, pure water each day – the Hunzakuts drink glacial water, cloudy with minerals)
• be alkalised (ie, the right pH balance – brought about by the above)
• be active (the Hunzakuts think nothing of walking dozens of miles up and down mountains, carrying heavy loads and they never seem to tire)
• have a positive attitude and optimism for the future
• live in a non-toxic environment (hmmmm, not easy in this world of pollution on every level)