CHAPTER TWO - Monosaccharides

A brief look at chapter fourteen (you can' t!  You'll have to wait until I post it!)  will show you that I now intend dealing with two sugars, glucose and fructose.
Biologically, they are probably THE most important of all the sugars!

Nature produces vast quantities of them in the whole vegetable kingdom and if we feed ourselves with them in the natural, whole state, we will also be getting a useful contribution of minerals, vitamins and enzymes.  The calories they supply need not be counted provided the fruit is used in the best way AND also provided that other forms of carbohydrate are restricted.

The ideal source is FRUIT, fresh whole ripe fruit.

The best way to eat fruit is alone - make a meal of fruit.  Don't use it as a little extra at the end or the beginning of a meal, AND, above all, DO NOT AND ANY SUGAR!

As a point of interest; the carbohydrate content of fruits vary between 7% and 20% of the fruit mass.

We have found that the Diamond's idea of sticking to fruit alone for the whole morning to be excellent.  We feel very energetic on this arrangement but thereafter we go along with Essie Honiball (partially) using fruit, nuts, yoghurt (non pasteurised) and sometimes vegetables in a blended mix.  What interesting combinations we come up with!
Before noon there are just two fruits which we exclude namely, Avocados and Bananas; avos because of their high fat content (16.4%) and banana's carbohydrates are complex.
The protein content of fruit varies between 0.2 and 1.3% fat (between trace and 1.0% in grapes!) - all valuable contributions.
Fruit sugars (glucose and fructose) yield almost 100% of their energy as they require a minimum of modification.

CHAPTER ONE - GENERAL

We first adopted the all-fruit breakfast style, as suggested by the Diamonds, about 1992.  Initially, we weren't too conscientious about it, but we certainly found some improvements in our health.  A friend of mine has been on the Atkins routing for several years.  He has a particularly awkward problem threatening diabetes and reports favourably on it without needing to invoke medical assistance.  I decided to make a serious study of it as it is very close to the Munro ideas, but more systematic.  Munro, without actually saying so, made me very conscious of the fact that the caloric theory is pointless, even stupid, so I gave up counting calories.  Atkins confirmed this idea and substitutes a guide by counting carbohydrates.

At this point is seems necessary to put in an aside.  Why should we bother further with our pursuit of a natural, drug-free state of health?  We are really doing very well;

• Rona was containing her blood pressure problem without medical drugs, using herbs;
• her thyroid problem was being controlled with a little extra vitamin plus a homeopathic preparation;
• I couldn't avoid some medication being in the hands of an ophthalmologist for conditions threatening blindness;
• we had a mere passing acquaintance with colds and 'flu.
• We were pretty poor customers of our GP and apothecary.

Well, we just felt we had not really completed the search, the search for perfection - what we felt our Creator was holding out to us; after all, had we not been singled out as evidence by so much prompting and guidance?

While my study of Atkins' ideas was in progress, Rona came across a very slim, unobtrusive book one day while we were visiting the public library.  It was called  "I Live on Fruit" by Essie Honiball.  It was the first edition of her book and it contained photographs of what she looked like before and after she adopted a diet consisting solely of fresh fruit (in season) and a small portion of plain, untoasted nuts under the guidance of a man who had been studying the subject for years and years.  At the time she started under his care, she was really just "skin and bone" weighing something like 30 kg and not responding to any of the treatments prescribed by her doctors.  A few years later she was well covered at about double that mass.  It was the photographs that really caught my attention as they reminded me of how emaciated my first wife looked at the time of her death.  It also reminded me of a book we had acquired while we were living in Tasmania. "Live Food Juices", in which Dr Kirschner describes curing a patient of a similar wasting disease using only carrot juice - one U.S gallon per day!  He showed similar photographs.  I couldn't get to read Essie's book quickly enough.  Since then we have acquired the latest edition of her book - she has been on the diet for over 30 years now and is living in Montagu.  She's done a really marvelous job spreading the knowledge.

Now I had a variety of approaches to the question of healthy eating to compare.  Each of them had some merit, none were without merit.  I know that, from my own observations and from what I had reported to me by persons who felt much the same as I did.  It seemed obvious that in the case of some bodily constitutions, conditions had arisen, maybe of genetic origin, such that tolerances differed widely.  There is also a great possibility that years of dieting in a particular manner induces either weaknesses or strengths in a particular direction.  What then, is the best way to go about finding a diet which can really be described as an ALL ROUND health diet, suitable for everybody?

Certain points stood out very plainly as I considered this matter.

1. The first point is that modern western man tends to be an over eater.  There is a simple explanation for this that I will cover later.
2. The second point that came clearly through, was that most people ate far too much starchy food.  The dangers that lurk therein will be explained later.
3. Less obvious but often confirmed by medical experience, is the heavy consumption of protein, especially animal protein.  I'll attempt to cover this later as well.

The conclusion at which I arrived after comparing all of the books and ideas available therein, pointed very clearly to the concept of wholeness so that "wholesome" meant what it said in the strictest possible way, beyond our meagre understanding of what our Creator had in mind for our well being, that is to say, almost holiness.

At this stage, I think it best to summarize the approach we are using at present and maybe mention what we believe to be our ultimate goal, rather than bore you with our reasonings - such will be provided in the final chapters.  By following this procedure, you can get to the nitty-gritty quite quickly.

In discussing diet, authors often do so under the heading PROTEIN, CARBOHYDRATE, FAT, and probably various minerals and vitamins.  In discussing health the chances are great that EXERCISE and BREATHING will also receive some attention.  For reason which will become apparent later, I propose following a slightly different procedure; the headings I'll be using are MONO SACCHARIDES, DI and TRI-SACCHARIDES, STARCHES and CELLULOSES (i.e. four separate headings in the place of CARBOHYDRATE), FAT, PROTEIN, EXERCISE, BREATHING, "MEDICINAL" HERBS, ELIMINATION, MENTAL STATE and IMPLEMENTATION.

Introduction

At various times over the years, I have committed to paper the progress we, my wife and I, have made in our pursuit of health for our family.  The object of this present effort (in 1997),  is to bring the saga up to date.  Each time I did a write up I provided a copy for each member of the family to or ignore as he/she thought fit.  I have no intention of repeating all the early details, but to make this intelligible, I will need to refer briefly to some of the key points on the journey which began approximately 45 years ago.  The younger members of our immediate family probably have a special need for this knowledge and we would be failing in our duty as parents if we did not share it with them.  Our knowledge was acquired at great cost, emotionally and financially, and it would be wicked on our part if we did not attempt to share it with them.  It would be foolish on their part if they neglected the opportunity to benefit from our experience.  Wise is the man who learns from his own mistakes; but how much wiser is he who learns from another's?
Since the subject is also of interest to some friends and acquaintances, I do it for them too as I have already been approached for copies.

 

I first learnt that what and how one eats can affect health conditions about 73 years ago.  I really only learned the lesson which was given then, very recently, for at that time the impact on me was more a matter of annoyance and regret.  My Dad had a "sweet tooth" and regularly bought a good supply of sweets to which I was allowed fairly generous access.  I used to come out in a rash of "itchy bumps" which drove me to distraction and I scratched myself raw.  The doctor who was consulted said the condition was caused by either too much sugar or too much meat.  We were not big meat eaters, so obviously the sugar was to blame.  As young as I was, with encouragement from the family, I was able to resist the temptations reasonably well; I even stopped taking sugar in tea, thus copying my mother, rather than my father.

About 45-50 years ago, my first wife "Tinker" was getting more and more ill and responded poorly to the medical treatment.  I was loaned a copy of a book by Dr. Munro titled "Man Alive You're Half Dead".  He branded all foodstuffs containing sugar and starch as "Devil's Food", and while not actually banning them, he strongly recommended separating them from protein and fat foodstuffs because of the difference in conditions as regards digestive environment.  It is beyond doubt that I benefited from the adoption of Munro's ideas, but there seemed to be little improvement as far as Tinker's condition was concerned.  Ultimately Tinker succumbed in 1945.  To this day I strongly believe that SHE DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE - IF WE CHOOSE TO LEARN FROM THAT TRAGEDY.

Had it not been for Rona, my wife, companion and helper from 1946, all could and probably would have been lost.  Being busy with daily activities, having a growing family, all the factors we humans encounter and have to cope with, meant that really, we learned very slowly.  While in Tasmania we acquired a goodly number of excellent naturopathic books from Melbourne where we had contact with a mail-order house supplying health foods, rare herbs, homeopathic supplies as well.  One book I need to mention is "Live Food Juices" by H E Kirschner.  On returning to South Africa, we added many books to our library.  Here I'll only mention those that deal with diet in relation to health:-

• "How To Get Well" by Paavo Airola
• Several little books by Morris Krok
• "Mucusless Healing System" by Arnold Ehret
• "Dr Atkins Diet Revolution" by R C Atkins
• "Fit for Life" by H & M Diamond
• "I Live on Fruit" by Essie Honiball

Since writing most of the text in this little work of mine, we came across  another book in which the author, and Osteopath named Giraud W Campbell expresses views very similar to those expressed in the books previously mentioned, but places emphasis in slightly different areas.  The book is titled "A Doctors Proven Cure for Arthritis".

Foreword by Author

The last book I studied before completing this writing was "A Doctor's New Proven Home Cure for Arthritis" by Giraud W Campbell, D.O., an Osteopath.  He could, rightly, speak of a "Cure" because he went further than diet.  In my case, I'm thinking along the lines of prevention.  If we prevent the development of an ill-health situation, there is nothing to cure!

A most important point I must make to the reader of my efforts is that you are an individual, there is nobody else exactly like you, there you need to study your own reactions to specific conditions.  My task was to provide guide-lines by making suggestions.  Remember you owe it to yourself and your loved ones.

Robert O. Hall
Graaff-Reinet.
July 1997.

A healthy view on life!

My father was an exceptionally intelligent man. He was a man of whom it could have been said, "He was ahead of his time". This was true in many ways; he was a brilliant at everything he did and indeed, his life portrayed that. Everything was stamped with his inimitable stamp of thoroughness and excellence. He trained, at a young age, as a chemical engineer yet he trained people in his old age in electronics, chemistry, mathematics, hairdressing, technical drawing, refrigeration....


In one area the world today would say he was eccentric and most definitely, "behind his time". That was in the area of personal health and hygiene. In these areas he favoured homeopathy, naturopathy, fasting and other methods frowned upon by many in today's highly 'advanced' world of medicine, health and related disciplines.


Towards the end of his life on this planet, Dad published a book, for his family and close relatives, of his findings, his learnings and his opinions on matters pertaining to health, what it is, how to get it and how to keep it.


During the next few weeks, I will be including in this blog, pages from his book. This is something that I obtained his approval for and something I have been putting off until now.


So, prepare to learn from a genius as I publish these pages over the next months.

Lightning - Finished at last!

Dean Koontz - Lightning
At last I finished this novel!
It was a very enjoyable read.  The characters were interesting and captivating.  The plot was somewhat unexpected and unpredictable.  It is not one of the best books I have read but 'Lightning' was good!

It is a strange name for a novel but as you get into it it becomes apparent why as intense electrical storms accompanied significant events that occur at frequent intervals in the book.

I read slow though - or maybe other people read fast?
I wish I could time how long I spend reading a novel!  When I read reviews of others about the book, they talk of reading it in a single sitting or, in 14 hours!  Maybe its just that I don't have a single span of time like that to read in but I am sure it takes a whole lot longer than 14 hours to get through it!

The only complaints I had about Lightning was that the end seems to - like with other of Dean Koontz's novels - come to a rather rushed close.  As expected, the last few pages of the end is a chronology that describes in short 'time chunks', how the characters lives continue.

Now I am reading another Dean Koontz novel.
This one is called 'Night Chills'

Rover Streetwise

Rover Streetwise
A recent aquisition, the Rover Streetwise has proven to be a pleasing car for me to drive.  I travel between Pretoria and Johannesburg on a daily basis and surprising as it may seem, the Streetwise takes some of the pain out of the trip.

• It is not a high performance car. 
• It has a very heavy clutch. 
• Its torque range is not at all impressive.
• Nobody wants to buy them.  Something to do with Rover not being around anymore?

BUT...

• It is solid
• It Feels safe
• When you are in its good torque range it feels good
• It cruises well
• It is very economical!

It seems like the longer I have it the more economical it becomes!  I start with just under 7 litres per 100 kilometers.  It has dropped consistently to where my last tank full of diesel was a mere 5.54 litres per 100 kilometers!  Itravel about 750 kilometers on a tank of diesel and that is on a mix of about 30% city driving.

I dont think my old BMW 325TDS had consumption as good as that.  It came close though.  The BMW had

Much better performance

fantastic torque range

easy to drive

solid

safe

reliable - excepting for the times it had a short circuit  that BMW could not find until I traded it in for a new 735i

cheap to run - because of the motorplan

The only car I have had that comes close to these two in economy (and I have had many cars) was another old BMW Cheetah 1800.  It was

• Basic
• easy to service
• easy to understand
• had a clutch that had seen better days
• paint was well oxidized

BUT...

• I travelled all the way from Johannesburg to Durban and travelled around in Durban for a week before filling up.  It was a consumption of between 4 and 4.5 litres per 100 km.
• I don't think I exceed 80km/hour though!  My father seemed to think it was a good speed and he was driving with me!
• It was my second car- my first had been totalled in a head-on collision after I had owned it for about 6 months.

Vuvuzelas in Joburg

The Bible tells the story of the children Israel who, after wandering for some time, came upon Jericho - a formidable city.  They were terrified to enter it yet after some sweet talking by their inspired leaders, they marched around it seven time and after blowing on their trumpets, the city walls collapsed and they were able to overrun the city.

Today, throughout South Africa, a cacophony of sound exploded as hysterical soccer enthusiasts all started blowing their VUVUZELAs at 12 noon to show their support of Bafana Bafana, the South Africa national soccer team.

I wonder if all the VUVUZELAs being blown in unison could have the same effect as the Children of Israel's trumpets had on the city of Jericho?  If it can, the South Africa better watch out!

But then, maybe not!
The children of Israel were God's chosen people.......

Tooth Fairy and Dental health

I, think I will stop going to dentists.

My last three visits to these modern day Tooth Fairies has resulted in 3 teeth going.  It would not be so bad if it was just loosing a tooth but the discomfort really makes it a rather big issue.

When I was a child I used to look forward to the days that my teeth would loosen and come out - sometimes with some assistance from external devices.  The loose tooth would come out and be kept secure so it could be placed in a slipper at the foot of the bed.  In the morning, instead of a rather ugly looking tooth, there would be a coin left either by some daft little mouse or a fairy with a fetish for collecting childrens' teeth.

Now, at 51 years old, the teeth are still firmly rooted but due to decay, have to be extracted.  If only they would come out easily.

Half a lifetime ago I lost my first tooth when it was knocked out by a Mercedes in a head on collision on a highway.

Years later, another tooth decide to cleave in twain and after months of having a split tooth, half fell out.  Some months later the other half crumbled and collapsed and so I went to the Dental School where they removed it.  The dental student was a pretty young lady who was very worried about the discomfort I was experiencing and instructed me in the correct use of dental floss.

At the end of last year, after experiencing some pain on one side of my mouth I went to the dental school again.  The semester was finished so the only dentists available to do the work were the experienced lecturers.  The pain was being caused by infection underneath a tooth whose base had re skilled to become a bacteria generator and the prognosis was that the tooth should be extracted together with the offensive bacteria.  The doctor, professor or lecturer injected anesthetic in the appropriate places and after a suitable amount of time, tested the work area.

"OUCH!"

"Okay ve vill poot some mor anaesthetic"

Test again.

"OW!!"

"Ja, stil not goode? Ve shal poot sum more"
"After dis ve can do no more Ja? You hav had de limit then Ja!"

Test again

Bearable

So she started removing it.  Like me, the tooth was being stubborn and was not too keen to be evicted from its place.

"You must be a patient ziss is going to take a little effort!"

More pressure, twisting and pulling.

This was getting intense.
It was starting to be very painful but as a man I dare not let it be seen!  My right arm decided to rebel and it started shaking.

"No! Vot is de matter?  It is not that sore! You haf had enuf injekshuns Ja? Behafe yourself!!"

There is no way to respond.  She has a hand in my mouth together with a pair of fancy pliers, a pipe sucking trying to remove the lining of my mouth and another silver tube that is spraying water into the demolition site.

I hold tight to the chair but the right arm will not be constrained and it is waving furiously at my side and encouraging my legs to join the rebellion which they too start to do.

Doctor Sadistky by this time has the pliers held in two hands both gripping with all their might to the surgical steel handles.  She is trying hard not to put her foot against my face so that she can really pull hard and prevent me from being pulled out of the chair.
She twists, turns and wriggles, discards the pliers and replaces them with another, more powerful looking pair!
Eventually the tooth decides that resistance is futile and it relinquishes its hold on the lower jaw and with a resounding CRACK! it comes out.

'Dis woz not so bad ja?  Why were you like da baby? Whats the matter with you?'  Dr Dread asks.

It had to be my worst experience ever at a dentist.  I am convinced that Poland exiled her and the only place she could get a place to work was at the Dental school!

She said another would have to be pulled out too but that it could wait till the new year.  No way was I going back there!

So, today, months after that experience, I went to see another dentist.  We are on a medical aid now which means that Dentists can extract more than just teeth - they extract money too from the medical aid!
Anyway, the dentist sees the condition of my mouth and identifies a tooth that needs work now.

He will try to save it but if not, he will have to extract it.

I get the injections - not too bad.

He sees quite soon that he will not be able to save it.
He battles for a while to get it out but he is successful.
No pain during the procedure.
Why can't all dentists work as nicely as him?

All the above is of course mainly my fault - I should have looked after my teeth better and not gone for 5 years without any work being done or checkups.

We live, we learn and we loose our teeth.
Dentures, here I come!

Ag Pleeez Daddie...

At least I am a hit with my family!

After deciding to 'can' my marginal attempts at blogging and at the same time close my Google AdWords account, I have decided to continue with the blogging part.  My children (all adults now) asked why no more updates - after having laughed hysterically at my spelling and my subjects.  When I told them of my decision, the begged me in true SA style saying 'Ag Pleez Daddy, you have to carry on.  We like it!'

So to keep my posterity happy I will continue in spite of feeling that I am plunging into the bottomless pit of meaningless drivel that permeates cyberspace and makes it a hazardous and meaningless trip for those who venture to spend any of their precious time 'surfing' the choppy seas that exist in this borderless realm.

I guess it can be a little like a journal though; something that distant relatives 5 and 6 generations from now can view with the high tech history viewers of their time and think 'Wow, what made that prehistoric old man tick?'

When it comes to journals I am not much use either.  To me a journal is a book - normally black - whose edges are still perfectly straight, sharp and well defined; who pages still cling to each other on the edges excepting for the first few which have been disfigured by some spidery scrawl of handwriting that the author cannot even read.

The best attempt I ever had at keeping a journal was while I was on Mission.  That was only because it formed part of the routine missionaries are supposed to keep.  Even then there were many days that were not accounted for.  Sometimes the days became weeks and the weeks may even have turned to months.  So, I'm not very good at that.

I am very good at snoring.

Neighbours close their windows and hang heavy drapes when I move into an area.  I assist the economy of glaziers and builders as home owners become aware of weaknesses in their properties and seek to rectify them before realizing that the best cure is to seek another quiet suburb!  Estate agents thrive as panic selling sets in and unsuspecting buyers snap up 'bargins' only to realize that they too desire the peaceful quiet suburbs miles away from the source of the tremors.

Well, enough of that useless mish-mash, yaddah, yaddah, blah, blah.
Time to post this into that teeming, boundless pool of binary chaos.