HOW TO LIVE HEALTHY AFTER 40, AND EXTEND YOUR LIFE EXPECTANCY

A physician provides advice for permanent lifestyle change as prevention and suggests treatments to promote lifelong health.

Taha, who is also diabetic, has seen many patients with chronic conditions–he dispenses much experience-based information here. The author frequently looks back to his Mediterranean homeland, exploring how the previous generation enjoyed long lives through a healthy lifestyle that included exercise as a part of living, not as an afterthought, and whole foods full of nutrients unknown at the time. Taha devotes the largest segment of the book to metabolic syndrome and diabetes, which are approaching epidemic numbers in the United States. The author thoroughly discusses the impact of sugars, both overt and hidden, in the standard American diet–they are implicated in diabetes as well as other chronic conditions addressed in this book such as high cholesterol and heart disease. He also addresses obesity, recommending his detailed diabetic diet for weight loss, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol and triglycerides, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer and other conditions. Taha repeatedly recommends the consumption of extra-virgin olive oil, nuts, produce and fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, alongside exercise. While How to Live Healthy After 40 provides a great deal of valuable information for disease prevention and treatment, it is frequently repetitive, even within a chapter, and contains many minor errors that indicate a lack of editing. Readers will find standard medical advice with lifestyle tips on diet and exercise, as well as specific dietary treatments that may aid certain conditions, such as consumption of particular herbs or spices and black grapes. A valuable addition to these lesser-known dietary aids would have been a thorough reference and resource list. Still, the book offers many tips on avoiding and treating chronic conditions for those just beginning their reading on the topic.

A flawed-yet-useful resource for readers willing to do follow-up research.