Bernard Preston
Bernard Preston invites you to think, laugh and relax; and enjoy life a little more.
Much of this site is about preserving Mother Earth intact for our children so they will not be dancing on our graves and cursing the day this generation was born; more than any other we are bringing our world ever closer to extinction.
There are also short stories, gleaned from the coalface of this doctor's life and work, giving us fascinating glimpses into the professional world of a DC.
The official website of Bernard Preston, DC
This is the official website of the author of six books, Bernard Preston. Here you will discover his passion for enjoying life in fine fettle; and giving real meaning to the oft spoken but largely ignored saying that prevention is better than a cure.
In many ways permaculture is not just about Mother Earth but also enjoying sparkling well-being ourselves through delicious, fresh food grown in our own backyards; together with plenty of exercise. Turning a compost heap will challenge your body every bit as much as pumping iron at the gym. It will be a lot more fun; and you will have something to show for all your hard work at the end of the day.
It is interesting that folk who live in the five Blue Zones of the world never diet and do not go out and exercise; instead they structure their food and lifestyle in such a way that these very tiresome activities are simply not necessary.
This page was last updated by Dr Bernard Preston on 8th October, 2024.
"Complementing medicine," says he, "not complimenting them."
That is something quite different.
Serious about your well-being
Well-being is a struggle for all of us. Either join the party or
start preparing for a lifetime of pain and medication; did you know that British women are disabled for a third of their lives?
If you are as determined as I am to enjoy a full life, then I am here to help you. We are not fanatics but certainly are motivated.
I am so grateful
that both Helen and I are 75, in sparkling fine-fettle and still working at our professions a
few hours most days; and have no need for any chronic medication whatsoever.
But accidents and injuries can happen to any one of us; good doctors are important and I am not being dismissive of them. I myself had a ruptured appendix last year and was very grateful for the services of an excellent surgeon; he saved my life, literally.
Choice foods
Choice foods are for those who are sick and tired of feeling exhausted all the time. Let your sustenance be your medicine, said Hippocrates, the Father of Wellness; how far we have strayed from our roots. For Preston personally it meant becoming passionate about backyard permaculture.
Bernard Preston's other passion is a love of slow food, made fast; growing it himself where possible, with the help of his very able wife and preparing choice delectables that they can rustle up in a short time. After all, if we do not look after our bodies, where will we go and live?
Disease targets those who refuse to learn about nutritious choice foods. With 37 million Americans being diabetic and another 96M adults being on the verge of the disease[2] it's all about lifestyle. It is little different in South Africa.
If you too are prediabetic and your blood sugar soars too high, and stays up then you are seriously at risk; inflammatory cytokines are released making us vulnerable to every passing pathogen and becoming yet another statistic.
Create a cyan zone
Cyan is a primary colour; it is a mixture of blue and green.
At this site we are trying to blend together all the joys of Blue Zones, where folk live happily into old age filled with vitality, with being a greenie; caring for the planet and for ourselves at the same time.
What is bad for Mother Earth is certainly damaging for us too. Just think of the profound climate change we are seeing with its massive floods contrasting with drought and terrible fires.
Carelessly dropping plastic into landfills and the oceans means that on average every human being is now consuming 5g of tiny microparticles every week just from their water; that's about the size of a credit card. It is having a devastating effect on our autoimmune systems.
Our cyan-coloured E car is not only good for the planet but it also reduces our exposure to petroleum products; it is a good admix of the virtues of blue and green living. Charging it from solar means not one person can challenge our stance.
Cyan zone folk care for themselves and the planet.
Three meals a day
I am not sure where three meals a day came from but it seems to go back to the days of the Medes and Persians; that gives it some substance. When chatting to the obese, interestingly they often skip one; and snack in between.
Staying in good kilter is my passion; you can share it. It all starts with the breakfast menu, remembering that your goal must be at least eight coloured foods every day. Delicious in-season fruit must be there; right now it is mulberries every morning for us. Next month it will be plums; we are able to enjoy lemons and limes for most of the year.
Whole grains and legumes show a "subsequent meal effect;" they help to keep our blood glucose in better shape all day long. We choose Eggs Hilton for our breakfast. It is absolutely delicious; it's fascinating that our grandchildren choose it over processed sugary cereals.
Here are some easy lunch recipes for the working person; time is at a premium in most of our lives. Yet it is not difficult to toss in a couple of different kinds of lettuce and always a tomato for the prostate gland; and one or two slices of 100% wholemeal bread.
Butter is back and should never have been banished to Coventry say the scientists; it is the trans fatty-acids and refined carbs that are the killers.
And then there are fast dinner recipes
for the working woman; variety is the key and especially focusing on
those colours that the kids have been enjoying. Folate consumption is
directly related to school achievement; and vitamins B6 and E to arrest the development of frailty[1].
Easy soup recipes can really simplify lunch and supper. For some they cause indigestion; could it be the onions? Actually it is more likely the starch; reduce the rice, potatoes and bread at dinner and you will have a much easier night. Since we discovered kefir benefits, my own heartburn has been drastically reduced.
Simpler weight loss
One of the simplest, well-researched ways of losing weight is merely to extend the overnight fast. Even though you eat exactly the same food, having dinner an hour or two earlier, and enjoying your morning meal rather later, will help you shed unwanted extra pounds.
For those who are seriously obese, a huge risk factor in these times, moving to two meals is proving effective; a late breakfast and an early dinner, with no lunch and no snacking. To lose a lot of weight you have to get total starch beneath 50 grams per day; even the good carbs may have to be limited for a season.
Eating numerous small meals or snacking continually, does exactly the opposite.
Refined carbohydrates are public-enemy number one.
The staff of life
When talking of breakfast and lunch at any rate, and for dinner for many, the staff of life is always present. Unfortunately most supermarket bread today can best be described as junk food. Made from refined flour it has a high glycemic index; even the so-called wholewheat loaves have had much of the goodies extracted. We get left with the empty carbs.
I consider our Panera bread menu recipe, and the low GI loaf amongst our most important pages; unfortunately 100 percent wholemeal flour is difficult to find. You may have to mill it yourself.
Having said that, if you are prediabetic, even our low GI bread may give you an unwelcome blood sugar surge; always take a short walk after any starchy meal.
There are important pages found on the subject of soups and starches with many recipes. Carbohydrates are under attack in our obese world, but Bernard Preston asks whether it is chocolate cake or hummus that makes you fat? There is a vast difference biochemically, and we should be very careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Should we be eating legumes because of their vegetable protein, or avoiding them due to the carbs they contain? You will find plenty on the subject; there are now over 800 pages at this site, all well-researched and not based on opinion.
Herbs and spices are for the enrichment of our food; and to turn the rather boring and unpalatable foods into a delight. They also have anti-inflammatory properties.
What is potting in the garden
Whilst busy in his garden Bernard Preston ponders ways to reduce cholesterol without the use of statins with their nasty side-effects. By planting and eating foods that lower the LDL fraction he discovers that, despite his love of butter and rich dairy products, he can keep his blood cholesterol at 164 (4.2); that is well within the normal limits.
While you may not have a garden like his, learn how to plant a beautiful lemon tree; and a couple of pole bean seeds every week along a fence that will keep you in fresh green legumes to reduce your reliance on red meat for protein.
What is potting in the garden is an important part of this site. Just one bright red jalapeno plant is a delight to the eyes in the midst of your flower garden; oddly they are rich in an anti-inflammatory phytochemical called capsaicin and vitamin C.
Currently we are discovering the wonder of worm farms and working with chickens in the garden; it is all about growing great tasting fruit and vegetables unspoiled by pesticides and chemicals.
Organic food, fertilized by chicken manure, like your winter squash prowling along the compost pile, and then grilled in the solar electric oven or in a pressure-cooker are more highlights; our butternut recipe is one of our favourites. It is rich in beta carotenes, but beware of roasting vegetables if you are prediabetic; it raises the glycemic index.
Research
following a large group for twenty years shows that those eating about
eight coloured foods each day have a 35 percent lower all cause of death;
that is massive.
And then of course the red foods like chilies and tomatoes, so vital for that half of mankind who have a prostate gland; it is all about a substance called a lycopene that has magical properties.
Permaculture is the design of a highly productive ecosystem designed to provide us with delicious food without spoiling the environment. Bernard Preston looks to this rainwater harvesting model for their home and garden and capturing solar power energy for electricity.
Processed food
Processing of foods by manufacturers is a serious business and a subject that Bernard Preston speaks about passionately. Nowhere is it more typically seen than in these orange juice facts.
After taking a wonderful food like an
orange, processing it, then manufacturers sell us what is nothing more than junk
masquerading as something vitally good.
The same could be said for wheat, but purchasing your own grinder is an expensive business. But if you are serious about your food, you will consider it if you cannot buy 100 percent wholemeal flour; the upside is that you will never again need to use vitamin E capsules and worry about your homocysteine levels. The germ and bran are rich sources of choline and betaine too.
There are almost none in refined flour.
That bran also is the source of most of our lignans; the phytochemicals that help prevent breast and malignancies. Is it any coincidence that the prevalence has soared since the universal refining of wheat began?
Solar Power Energy
Solar power energy might be for you, particularly if you live in a country where the electricity supply is unreliable; Bernard Preston has made some significant mistakes along the way from which you can learn.
Collecting your own solar power energy is a huge part of our philosophy; it is hugely cost-effective and reduces carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
Capturing power from the elements is a central concern of permaculture; climate change from the greenhouse effect of all the carbon dioxide produced from oil and coal is destroying the blue planet.
At a day in the life of solar geek Bernard Preston, he takes you through the mistakes to avoid.
How to start beekeeping
How to start beekeeping is set out by Bernard Preston in this site but this is about African bees. They are rather different to those from Europe and can be particularly vicious.
Raising bees and producing rich lightly-filtered raw honey for its
pollen is another of Bernie's passions. The stuff from the supermarket is generally
processed and spoiled; and oft adulterated.
Bees are vanishing from the planet at an alarming rate; the pollination of our food sources is even more important than their honey. Backyard permaculture, if you have the space, should include a few hives. The synergy of green living includes excellent yields from your fruit trees and vegetables.
Chickens in the garden
Keeping hens in the organic garden for their free-range eggs and
their manure is a huge step forward in backyard permaculture; but also
provides many challenges. They will attack your vegetables with a vengeance
in search of greens and protein.
To become self-sufficient we are growing more corn this year and have entered the wonder of worm farms. These critters double in number every month providing plenty of protein for the hens; and make the compost pile more effective. They eat their own weight of food every day.
Enjoy this site; greenie, Christian and lover of life, Bernard Preston will show you his version.
Author Bernard Preston
Light-hearted and easy bedside reading, Bernie's inspirational books will gladden the hearts of all those who simply love the genre started by James Herriot with his veterinarian diaries.
Told in humorous vein, he describes the struggle of ordinary people to discover well-being; and how one person strives to provide it. Many folk are looking for new answers for biomechanical pain. A day in the life of Dr Bernard Preston, gives his slant on the profession.
He is no fanatic, recognizing that drugs and surgery are both an important part of keeping us in fine fettle; yet finding that we can often do it better for many biomechanical conditions, more safely and in a shorter time. The page "Meet Bernard Preston" will give you some background about him.
Can you believe that 39% of older Americans are taking five or more prescription drugs and 90 percent are taking at least one?
Share with Bernie his passion for abundant well-being and expect to reach a vital eighty years with all your marbles intact. Is it inconceivable that one could eagerly look forward to old age?
Not afraid to take the mickey out of medicine, or his colleagues for that matter, Preston will have you chuckling all the way into your sweet dreams as he paints his word pictures in his books, telling how it is at the coalface. Son of two DCs, and his own daughter too, few can tell the inside story of complementary care better; or with more charm.
Frog in my Throat, his first book tells of the struggles of the young graduate trying to find his way; but constantly under threat by organized healthcare.
Preston's second book, Bats in my Belfry describes how he faces the pressures of practice, almost suffering a complete burnout. The titles themselves tell a tale; these journals are light and fascinating.
His hobbies and, at his wife's insistence a proper vacation save the day; and the catharsis of writing his stories of what it is really like on the inside.
Practice is filled with irritants, some tiny but others immense; they constantly threaten to rock the boat. Never was this more true, as he recalls in Stones in my Clog than the seven enormously satisfying years spent in the Netherlands.
Along the way, though, be ready to be challenged, for Preston will call you to that higher place where well-being is the norm; and the prospects of old age are to be eagerly looked forward to rather than dreaded.
Caring for the temple
Inspired by the thoughts of St Francis of Assisi, who called his stubborn body Brother Ass, Bernie has started a new series of courses on how to care for our lives. Believing that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that it behooves us to look after our mortal frames, is the starting point.
Caring for the temple is a controversial subject; many and even most Christians do not see spiritual virtue in looking after their bodies. That is why we are little, if any more hale and hearty than those outside of the faith; and our lives are just as often needlessly cut short long before we have served out our intended time in his service.
The point made is that if Brother Ass stubbornly will not daily brush and floss his teeth, he must not grumble if he becomes a toothless old nag. Likewise he must not complain bitterly to God if he allows himself to become obese and diabetic when his toes fall off.
If Brother Ass insists on a soda and a hot dog for lunch every day, just because he is a Christian he cannot expect God to set his angels around him.
Bernard Preston
Bernard Preston's inspirational books are delightful cameos of incidents and anecdotes taken from the life and work of a DC.
Stones in my Clog
Stones in my clog is Bernard Preston's third book of yarns from the clinic.
Moving to Holland, the third of Bernard Preston's inspirational books, Stones in my Clog is at last complete. Tracing his odyssey through Holland on his bicycle, he inadvertently makes a buffoon of himself on television, after making exciting new discoveries in the rapidly expanding galaxy of complementary care.
You will love this third of his inspirational books.
This chiro, he wrote about frogs,
Then changed his allegiance to clogs.
Rats, he has been haunted by bats,
And now all he does is write blogs.
- by an elderly favourite aunt.
Bernard Preston's lonely road of faith is touched on in all of his volumes. Although these inspirational books are not religious in nature, he openly acknowledges that he is a believer. Coward's Castle gives some of his reflections on controversial issues facing the Church Universal. You can contact him if you feel very strongly about his views.
Without any strong sectarian ties, Bernard Preston is a lay minister in the Anglican church, but has for periods of his life worshiped in widely different denominations. In fact, he is strongly against cultism in any form. Says he, I have no doubt that we will one day discover to our horror that we are all heretics, deserving nothing less than being burnt at the stake should correct doctrine be all important.
A Family Affair
A family affair is Bernard Preston's fourth book.
Well, it is not just blogs that he is scribbling. Bernard Preston's fourth title, A Family Affair, is now complete. A totally different kettle of fish, this trilogy is more complex, and in a quite distinct genre. It will certainly titillate and perhaps enrage you, especially if you are religious. You certainly will not put the book down. It, too, is available at Amazon in digital format. You can enjoy the opening chapters by clicking on AFA in the navigation bar.
Useful links
When browsing use right click and "Open Link in New Tab" or you may get a bad gateway signal.
Newsletter
Our newsletter is entitled "create a cyan zone" at your home, preserving both yourself and Mother Earth for future generations; and the family too, of course. We promise not to spam you with daily emails promoting various products. You may get an occasional nudge to buy one of my books.
Here are the back issues.
- Lifestyle and ideal body weight
- What are ultra-processed foods?
- Investing in long-term health
- Diseases from plastic exposure
- Intensive lifestyle management for obesity has limited value
- A world largely devoid of Parkinson's Disease
- The impact of friendly bacteria in the tum on the prevention of cancer
- There's a hole in the bucket
- Everyone is talking about weight loss drugs
- Pull the sweet tooth
- If you suffer from heartburn plant a susu
- Refined maize meal and stunting
- Should agriculture and industry get priority for water and electricity?
- Nature is calling
- Mill your own flour
- Bake your own sourdough bread
- Microplastics from our water
- Alternative types of water storage
- Wear your clothes out
- Comfort foods
- Create a bee-friendly environment
- Go to bed slightly hungry
- Keep bees
- Blue zone folk are religious
- Reduce plastic waste
- Family is important
- What can go in compost?
- Grow broad beans for longevity
- Harvest and store sunshine
- Blue zone exercise
- Harvest and store your rainwater
- Create a cyan zone at your home
Did you find this page interesting? How about forwarding it to a friendly book or food junkie? Better still, a social media tick would help.
Address:
56 Groenekloof Rd,
Hilton, KZN
South Africa
Website:
https://www.bernard-preston.com