Am I gullible? I love all those health articles in the newspapers but you really have to wonder. The essential food for my leukaemia is liver, the giver of iron. I read one story which highlighted it as a superfood, literally bulging with nutrients. However, by far the majority of articles never mention it. Meat, you see, is no longer woke, along with dairy. Consequently, I really do lie in bed at times worrying about how hill farmers are going to survive. The inclination of most articles is to move towards vegetarian foods which are much more socially accceptable. The problem there is that I would need a bale of spinach to obtain enough iron, assuming I could even swallow it. Health advice is a tricky little sod.

Age related

My real problem is with the writers of health articles. Firstly, are they all city folks? The gym, a rare place in a village, seems to be frequently mentioned and implies city dwelling. Secondly, the articles are always full of eye candy, slim, fit, muscled males and females. They often mention older people but rarely show them. And what is age? There is a world of difference between late 40’s and late 70’s but it is rarely highlighted. Some writers even think they are old in their 60’s. That is because the writers are never in their 70’s because they have retired by then. I was as fit as a butcher’s dog at 71 years of age. I was diagnosed with leukaemia when I was 72 years of age. However, even then, my muscle mass was declining each year.

The Gym

I recall a running injury back in my early 40’s. I decided to use the council gym. Being a wobbly, I had to join a group to be shown how to use the various equipment. A young ex army man showed us. Acting as a proxy chimpanzee, he sprang and leapt and flashed his muscles. He had zero understanding of us mere mortals and I never went back. We pensioners need far more research based advice but it will not arise. Big pharma is only interested in research to sell drugs. I think the government should fund research at universities on what exercise and diet is ideal for us as we grow older.

Health advice

What is evident is that as we grow older we cannot absorb nutrient like we did. Consequently, we might need to eat, for instance, more protein than is advised in your 40’s and 50’s. However, all that suggests more calories, which we don’t need. We also need to exercise but exactly what is moderate exercise as opposed to excessive exercise. Bluntly, we exist in relative ignorance about how we should live in our older phase. One thing is certain, being overweight is really bad for you on every count. But who takes any notice of that?