Health is a personal issue. There are many health advocates with diverse advices on what to consume to stay healthy. There are environmental quality issues. There are genetic issues affecting health of our bodies. And there is an issue of how much stress a body has to endure over a lifetime. And there are issues of how faithful we are in carrying out our intent to stay healthy with so many temptations crossing our paths to carry out a health regiment. I can only speak from my own limited experience of six decades plus, luckily hardly ever ill and gambling on my own intuition and logic on what is needed to stay alive. Every form of living is made up of cells. Each cell is nourished. What do they require? Among others, three very important nutrients: Minerals, Vitamins, and Protein.

I taught and practiced statistical analysis for over two decades and do not trust how data is gathered by the "professionals". I assume that data has been collected carelessly. And that the sample as a "true" representation of the entire population has very likely not been verified. If it were done properly, I would be more inclined to follow my logic and not my intuition when it comes to living a life in health. I stay on top of aches, pains, fatigue and nerves by monitoring myself over the long run. I like to enjoy the ride while alive, wouldn't you? As the philosopher Seneca declares: "Man does not die. He kills himself."

I spend just a mere 5 years of my life working for some University of California medical center to find out that there are too many factors that can affect the quality of your health life. When you are in a hospital, life is not guaranteed. I worked on a "Consent" package with Legal Counsel of the University of California, Berkeley to protect medical specialists and interns from getting sued in a sue-happy country, the USA. If you were in practice and illness is your living, would you heal the patient? Would you bite the hand that feeds you? Morally, the physician is to heal a patient. Today, business is business.

We read about longevity of people in certain areas of the world where the life span is at least 100 years. Different environments, different lifestyles and we attempt to advocate a healthy lifestyle for our area of the world which has different conditions. Does that make sense?

Some of the health advocates hide behind an academic degree (PhD or MD). Other experts use statistical claims supported by sample data based on research by others. In aggregate who can you believe? What can you believe? Should you believe a generalist or a specialist in anything? Or should you believe a notable scientist without due influence when he or she promotes the idea of health? Or should you believe your own intuition when, what and how to eat?

Your flat belly should be an indicator of health and you should seek ways to avoid a protruding, soft and flabby belly. Logically, we should eat only when we sense hunger and not to satisfy ourselves entirely. We should probably eat one meal per day. Or preferably, eat little portions throughout the day masticating slowly and thoroughly. And to stay fit, with some minimal activity or some exercise program. To meet both the ordinary and the unusual demands of his or her daily life safely and effectively. Required to strengthen and maintain your heart-lung capacity and keep your blood circulation system intact. Your life depends on your heart working. Your lungs to take in oxygen from the air and expel carbon dioxide waste from your body. You have a body to maintain that should be more expensive than the most streamlined jetliner. Your body should be maintained by the best food fuels available.

Fitness is how you feel. You should get up in the morning eager to do things. Good health is to enjoy life, to improve the quality of life. And at the end of that day have some energy left. It is likely that slender and peppy people look better, feel better and has signs of vitality, happiness, good appearance and more.

Would it make sense to you that an advocate of maintaining a healthy weight should be physically in support of that claim to write about it? And that an advocate of a healthy and long life should have personal credentials to write about it and not alone quote a bunch of resources? Well, you should not mistrust everything. There is some degree of credibility in any writer you should judge before you experiment, if what he or she advocates, works for you. Even when a physician prescribes a medical drug would it make sense to question, if you are made out to be a guinea pig? After all, has the doctor consumed the drug himself or herself for the treated malady? Likely the drug has been pushed by an agent of a pharmaceutical company. We don't have enough time to sort out the maze of available information so we sometimes have to do some research to locate a medical doctor who also has a Ph.D. in pharmacology. Leaving out self-interest studies, your doctor should be knowledgeable in judging the good and the bad in research. Oftentimes we leave our fate in the hands of a stranger and doctor displaying his or her credentials. No questions asked. Therefore, to stay away from the world of medical centers, you do have to find ways to stay alive monitoring your own health.

Personally I have rarely resorted to prescriptions or any other drugs. I do take vitamins and minerals daily. This is like carpet bombings because I am not sure that I consume enough food or the right kind of foods each day. I read up on what foods are healthy and there is also no consensus on what is good for you. And how much should we consume? I eat like a chicken and only when hungry. It works for me. I eat slowly and masticate my food rather than swallow large quantities in a hurry. I asked myself the question whether I should combine some foods with some others or just one food item alone. I refrain from drinking when I am eating. Wait a half hour or so before I drink. Or if I must, I just take a sip of water. In my case distilled water. It works when at home and I violate my general rule when eating out at a restaurant. And when I feel not optimum, I do review and conjecture what immediately preceding event may have caused some discomfort.

Let's face it. There are too many rules to keep in mind and too many temptations. The main objective is to keep the body from falling apart by one illness. To be healthy is to keep everything intact. It starts from mental hygiene to physical hygiene in keeping all other parts in an optimum healthy state. Develop your own strategy based on your intuition and use logic on what to believe. You have the freedom to choose, have someone choose for you or let life decide for you. Are you out to enjoy life by your own sunny outlook on life, friendly disposition and by getting up in the morning eager to do things? Free of aches, pains, fatigue and nerves? We choose our own happiness. It starts with a vital and healthy Self. And this can only be done by your own self-analysis. I would suggest reading a nutrition book by Jack Z. Yetiv, M.D., Ph. D. that addresses diet and nutrition fads. Do your research continually to weed out sense from nonsense staying in perfect health. It may well safe your life. When it comes to whole foods, pure water, fresh air, sunlight, exercise and rest, beware and become an informed consumer of health. The body is innately designed to heal itself. You are the creator of your health and wellbeing. Do not settle for anything that you cannot understand.

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