Table of Contents
Praise for Mary-Ann Shearer and Perfect Health
As a medical practitioner, I can think of no finer way to enrich a persons life than to improve and ultimately maximize his or her state of health. Perfect Health is a clear, interesting, and well-researched introduction to the principles of an optimum lifestyle. Having incorporated them into my own life and the daily lives of my family, friends, and patients, the rewards and benefits have been immeasurable.
LEIGH SINDELMAN, PH.D.
Perfect Health is a book aimed simply at improving long-term family and individual health. The dedication of the author in sharing her research of the optimal eating plan is unsurpassed, and the passion she feels with regard to this all-important subject is tangible. Her references are both sound and current. I have found this book to be a valuable tool both in my own research and as a reference for my familys well-being.
CHARLOTTE MESCHEDE
B.Sc. Dietetics (University of Natal), South Africa
The demands of our modern lifestyle cause significant detrimental effects on eyes and vision, such as dry eyes, spiraling prescriptions, unsightly and uncomfortable conjunctival degenerations, cataracts, and retinal deterioration. Having personally enjoyed the benefits of the Perfect Health lifestyle, it is wonderful to be able to make lifestyle recommendations that could reverse the deterioration, rather than just mask the symptoms.
Perfect Health is just so logical. It has ensured supreme health through the character-forming times we have survived over the years. Thank you, Mary-Ann and Mark, for persevering to share this with any who would listen.
GORDON BURNHAM-KING
Optometrist, Former President, South African Optometric Association
Eating the Natural Way has improved my energy levels and made me a calmer person. As a consequence, I am able to cope very well in stressful conditions. Many people look for solutions when they encounter problems in their lives. We are fortunate and very happy that we have found Perfect Health while we are still young. It has improved our lives tremendously and we hope to grow old gracefully.
ALISON MENDES
Natural Health Consultant, U.K.
OTHER TITLES BY MARY-ANN SHEARER
The Natural Way: A Familys Guide to Vibrant Health
The Natural Way: Recipe Book 1
The Natural Way: Recipe Book 2
Healthy Kids: The Natural Way
Perfect Weight: The Natural Way
Take Control: The Natural Way
FOREWORD
MY FIRST HEALTH BOOK, The Natural Way, was released in October 1991 in South Africa. The book took off and is, to date, the bestselling health and nutrition book in southern Africa. Just months before my final draft went to the publisher I discovered that the most comprehensive research to be done in the field had just been completed. Then, in 2005 Dr. T. Colin Campbells epic book The China Study was released in the U.S. This book had been written by the head of the study. What is exciting for me, and other people who have reaped the benefits of The Natural Way, is that his research completely supports the lifestyle The Natural Way promotes.
In this new edition, Perfect Health: The Natural Way, especially written for the U.S., I have added more information to help you take responsibility for your health. It seems bizarre that when I first wrote The Natural Way, I did it by hand (I could not type well in those daysa mere fifteen years ago), and there were no cell phones or e-mail, and a laptop, like the one I am typing this on, was something I only dreamt of!
I now have a Web sitewww.mary-anns.comand a free e-mail newsletter that goes out every two weeks to people across the world, a monthly Digimag, or digital magazine, on DVD that includes cooking demonstrations, interviews, seminars and talks, and trained Natural Health consultants and coaches. It makes it much easier to offer you nutritional and lifestyle support. Although just reading this book is enough to revolutionize the health of thousands with no additional help. Many of their success stories are told in this updated version.
I have also penned five other titles, which are available on our Web site. The demand The Natural Way created has resulted in my husband, Mark, and I developing a range of healthy food products under Mary-Anns label. A Natural Health and Nutrition Course and a Natural Health Consulting Course were established to help many of you who want to assist others. (See www.mary-anns.com.)
Health has become mainstream and it is awesome to see how families across the world are hungry for real knowledge and wisdom about health without the hype and sales pitches. People have taken responsibility for their health and well-being, and gone on to help others do the same.
Writing this book has been one of the most rewarding things we could have done. Mark and I are constantly blown away by the testimonies we have heard. There is nothing better than seeing people literally change before our eyes.
Weight drops off, sinuses clear up, hair begins to grow thick and glossy; sleeping problems, tonsillitis, painful periods, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as Yuppie Flu), lupus, digestive problems, and even AIDS symptoms disappear and are replaced with glowing health and energy. People report that their brains appear to be functioning properly for the first time and marriages and relationships drastically improve. (I know ours did.)
Does this happen overnight? No. It is a long-term commitment to a healthy lifestyle with no gimmicks or false promises.
Anyone can follow these principles; no matter what age or income group they fall in, the Perfect Health principles are universal and simple enough for anyone to understand and implement.
It is all about understanding how your body works and learning to listen to your body.
By committing to the Perfect Health lifestyle, you will find, as thousands of other people have, that you can:
Eliminate and prevent disease
Reach and maintain your ideal weight
Have increased energy
Sleep better
Have regular bowel movements
Take control of your health habits
Improve brain function, moods, behavior, and concentration
Have positive emotions and outlook on life
Improve your self-esteem, and have more time and energy to focus on loved ones
Find it easier to attain your goals and dreams
Live a longer and more enriching life
To Health!
Mary-Ann,2007
CHAPTER ONE
The Shearer Family
How Our Diet and Health Evolved
WHY HAVE I WRITTEN THIS BOOK? There are many reasons.
I first became interested in nutrition in my late teens. I wanted to take charge of my own health. Perhaps this sounds pretentious, but when I looked at animals in the wild and compared them with domesticated animals, I began to realize that diet and lifestyle play a major role in attaining health and well-being. Have you ever seen or heard of an overweight buck or deer suffering from gout, ear infections, or osteoporosis? Neither have I. Have you ever encountered a domesticated cat or dog suffering from these ailments? I have, too!