Just wanted to share a quick thought to clarify what my basic message is on this Website. It is this: Health is mostly under our control and what we need except in extreme circumstances, comes from Nature, not from synthetic drugs and surgeons.
The hard part is avoiding the bad stuff in common foods and medicines that are actually weakening our immunity, causing us to gain weight we don't need, and generally slowing us down. Why are these things hard to avoid? For one thing, the processed foods are designed to cause us to eat more than we need, with "flavor-enhancers" and added sugars, to which we pre-diabetics (and all of us, really) are naturally susceptible.
Turning down these processed or restaurant meals is difficult -- and we are busy and we need to eat something -- but, to feel our best and be our healthiest, we really need to do better, most of the time.
I know this is unpopular. I find it hard to do, but I feel & perform so much better when I make arrangements to explain to restaurants (or find restaurants) who will prepare my food the way I want it. Generally, I must do my own cooking and buy more-expensive organic produce and gluten-free bread, for example.
But, it's worth it! I feel better, more energetic, and I keep my weight essentially unchanged since my high school days.
These are personal values I have embedded, along with the good habits that have made them possible. At the age of 70, I'm happy with my results.
There's plenty to enjoy in the world of food, but it's just necessary to eat more carefully -- and not just indulge in anything that looks/smells/tastes good. (There's usually a healthier version of the same item available -- and I believe our health is worth the trouble and expense of getting it.)
After about 6 years of writing this Website, I am ready to accept that my beliefs and practices won't ever be widely accepted. I'm all about taking any healthy short-cuts I can -- and I mention them here (kratom, is a prime example) -- but there's a lot of stuff we should avoid that's probably not going to go over so well.
What motivates me was seeing my older parents lose their health while I was still a child -- and they were just doing what many of their upper middle-class friends were doing. Their diet was very good and they were temperate folks (except for my father's smoking). My mother's trust in her doctor to supply Rx drugs(never opioids) was, I believe, her downfall.
Seeing their sad end-of-life struggles makes me want something much better -- and, judging by results so far, thanks to better advice from Doc Wallach -- I'm confident I've found it.
I hope you'll join me in enjoying life better, longer.