Last century's health advice

[Slashco]

I found these rules in a brochure titled 'The Secret to Long Life', published in 1906. I am displaying them here for their naive candor as well as their lucidity. I think it's interesting to note that with all the diets and exercise fads which have come and gone throughout the years, and with the millions of products and systems which promise miracle results today, these rules are as valid as they were almost a hundred years ago.

I'll try to translate as accurately as possible:

- Don't eat too much!
- Don't eat just anything!
- Don't drink or smoke; avoid meat, sugar and stimulants!
- Eat in a good mood, and unhurried!
- Chew your food well, and if your teeth are unhealthy, get them repaired by a good dentist!
- Drink about 2 glasses of water at lunch and dinner.
- Your only drink should be clear, tasteless, odorless water!
- Don't read during meals!
- Clean, simple, homemade food from your own garden is best.
- Assure a good functioning of your large intestine! (stay regular)
- If you diet, move slowly and gradually from one diet to another.

Any comment here would be superfluous...

 

[The Bad Ass Canadian]

- Don't eat too much!

Yep, that's not a bad idea at all. 5 small meals daily is better than 2 huge ones.

- Don't eat just anything!

That probably goes without saying; considering how much garbage those food proccessing companies throw at us.

The problem with these stupid health tips are that they are so damned vague.
Don't eat just anything? So what should we eat, then? How about some examples......


- Don't drink or smoke; avoid meat, sugar and stimulants!

Sounds like the recipe for a really dull life. Man, would that get boring. I'm living a long and dull exisitence, here. No coffee, cigarettes or beer for me. Steak!? are you out of your mind? I want lemon rinds and rasin skins. Not the whole raisin. Take the skins and steam 'em....

A friend of mine never drank or smoked in his life and now he has cancer of the lymph nodes. That's a piss off.
I think health and longevity is in your genes, to a point.

I do agree that eating well is a key factor, but how fun is it to live life walking the straight and narrow?


- Eat in a good mood, and unhurried!

In this day, and age?!!! HA!!!!

- Chew your food well, and if your teeth are unhealthy, get them repaired by a good dentist!

I like swallowing everything whole. It makes those mornings on the toilet a helluva lot more interesting.

- Drink about 2 glasses of water at lunch and dinner.

Drinking anything during a meal will slow down digestion; even water.

- Your only drink should be clear, tasteless, odorless water!

Some people in this world aren't fortunate enough to have clear tasteless, odourless water.

- Don't read during meals!

What the hell does that have to do with anything?
My god, I'm never reading and eating at the same time again. The concequences could be disastrous!?

- Clean, simple, homemade food from your own garden is best.

I live in an apartment. I'm not gonna start eating what grows outside my place.

- Assure a good functioning of your large intestine! (stay regular)

I brought mine into the shop the other day. The mechanic said my intestine is fine.
How regular is regular? If I sh!t once every hour, I'd be pretty regular.
Also, if I sh!t once a week, I'd still be regular; from a certain point of view.......

- If you diet, move slowly and gradually from one diet to another.

The first diet didn't work......the second diet didn't work.....the third diet........

If any diet really worked, People wouldn't need to come up with stupid uneducated tips like these.


The Bad Ass Canadian

 

[Slashco]

Did you even read my entire post? I said these were written a century ago. Of course they won't make perfect sense today, of course some of them are stupid and naive, I mentioned that! The point was that they had the right idea about being healthy... moderation, natural stuff etc.

(why do I even bother?)

 

[The Bad Ass Canadian]

Sorry Slashco,

I wasn't picking on you...I read the post.

I was just picking it apart as it is relevant today.

Didn't mean to appear as though I was flaming you. Just making fun of the tips, that's all.

There are a few points that still hold up today, and a few that are completely ludicrous.

The Bad Ass Canadian.

 

[flava]

man canadian u had me rollin in your reply lol