Fountain of Youth..?

 

 

Ever since Herodotus mentioned a a fountain containing a special kind of water which gave people amazing longevity, the human race has, well, raced to locate this magical water that would restore youth to anyone who drinks of it.

 

 

Of course we are modern, scientific thinkers and the idea of a magic fountain is quaint and ridiculous. 

 

(But secretly we all wish it were true)

 

I personally wouldn't want to live forever but I would absolutely sign up for a sip of something that would keep me looking and feeling young until my life plays out to it's natural end.  Heck, I would take just the young-feeling part and let the wrinkles and gray hair run rampant.

 

Can we all agree on that?  I think so.

 

Is there a fountain of youth?  No.  But we all know that there are certain formulas to maintaining the best possible health as we age.  Eating healthy foods.  Exercise.  Stress management.  Reduce free radicals.  Take your vitamins.  Get eight hours of sleep a night. etc. etc.

 

The problem is that while all the 'authorities' agree that these are vital in maintaining a healthy life, what they don't agree on is what it all means.  We have all heard the jokes about the medical authorities coming out with a study that says that coffee is a powerful antioxidant and should be enjoyed daily, and the next day they report that coffee will kill you.  Or at least damage you beyond repair.  The same with milk, wine, wheat, corn, sweeteners, and the list goes on.

 

One authority publishes a book saying that a high protein diet is the best while another bestseller asserts that vegan is the way to go.

 

I am pretty sure that the only things that can be agreed upon across the board are organic fruits and vegetables and purified water.  Anything else is entering uncharted waters.  

 

The fact is that we live in a messy, dirty, disease ridden world and at one time we would have died young from measles but now we are killed slowly by Little Debbie.  

 

The fountain of youth is a myth and we can't truly determine what foods will help or harm us.  What we need is not a new and exciting 'medicine' to combat disease but an improved inner health that will enable our bodies to work as intended to create an internal 'fountain of youth'.  A terrain of wellness.