Staying Healthy on the Homestead

This story embodies both the
frustrations and longing so many
of us feel as we search for our
essential selves and a harmonious
life. A fascinating glimpse of a
lifestyle that has nearly
disappeared but also a blueprint
for those who want to lead a
similar way of life. The simpler
life is within our reach--if we will
choose it.

By Gene Logsdon, He discusses the slow
death of the agrarian lifestyle at the hands
of agribusiness, and clearly delineates the
economic and political forces destroying
small farming in America. But he doesn't just
talk. For years he has lived the contrary
lifestyle he advocates, using ecologically
informed farming techniques and the
agricultural wisdom of his background on a
sustainable, highly profitable "garden farm"
in the valley in which he grew up.

• Eat a wide variety of foods from all 5 food groups: meat and fish, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy. The
French, who have a much more varied diet than Americans, have much lower rates of heart disease and
cancers. Several small meals a day are better than one big one.

• Eat about 40% less food than you would normally eat if left to your own desires. Tests with lab animals
indicate a 50% increase in life expectancy. The body may wear itself out processing excess food. There
is evidence that protein restriction is a key to health and longevity.

• Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Easy to do if you have a Vita-Mix or other smoothie-maker.
Lots of antioxidants in this. fresh garden veggies taste better too.

• Eat fish, nuts, and fiber. A fish a week may cut your risk of sudden death by 50%. Nuts 4 times a
week may cut the risk of heart attack in half. Fiber is essential to clear the colon, and fiber-filled foods
help you lose weight.

• Alcohol, in moderation, is good for you, but red wine is best. Red wine reduces the risk of heart
disease by about 50%, and may help reduce the risk of breast, prostate, liver, colon, rectal, and oral
cancers. It also cuts the risk of osteoporosis. Notice the words "in moderation."

• Stay relatively germ-free by washing your hands frequently, drying with paper towels that you
immediately discard. The mouth is the dirtiest part of your body, so brush and floss regularly.

• Exercise. It doesn’t take much. Walking is fine. It’s relaxing and restores brain cells. Don’t think about
work while you exercise. Listen to music or a book on tape.

• Sex is good for you, qualifying as both fun and exercise. Practice safe sex; avoid the colon, a
repository for germs and disease. That’s as delicately as I can say it.

• Relax and sleep well. It may drastically cut your risk of illness. A brief nap, or other relaxation
technique, during the day helps. Listen to music or read for 20 minutes before going to bed, then sleep
until rested—about 8 hours.

• Enjoy life, like your job, and take time for yourself and your family. Constructive stress is fine, but don’
t fret over every little thing. The happy person lives longer, healthier.

• Take vitamins if you want, especially antioxidants, but don’t rely on them. Various foods have lots of
micronutrients that science is just learning about, and they are not in vitamin pills.

• Don’t rely on alternative medicine. Although it has some value, and is currently in vogue, it is riddled
with quacks and fake cures, some of which have been dredged up from the discredited “cures” of
ancient times. Modern medicine based on science is why we live healthier and longer today. Trust
science.

Move to the country, relax, and enjoy life because it’s good for your health. You’ll exercise more by
walking your property and preparing wood for the fire. You’ll relax and enjoy cultivating your garden,
then eat healthy veggies with fewer germs and pesticides. And you won’t get mugged nearly as often as
you will in the city.