bkkreed

I suggest you check out http://perfecthealthdiet.com/ The author is a scientist and excellent researcher. His diet is inherently fairly keto: Mostly veggies, healthy fat, some meat, fish, egg, etc. But the difference is that he gives very good evidence that some amount of "safe" carbs are ok, and in fact very beneficial long term. He always backs up his advice with good reasons and evidence.

As Umbanda says, accidents and emergencies often happen when we are under-prepared. I didn't realize how commonly young, healthy people suffer strokes/traumatic brain damage. The costs for survivors of severe brain damage are astronomical, and continue for the rest of their lives.

My youngest had a tbi at 22, an athlete in top condition who had recently moved and was therefore temporarily without insurance; . Medical and rehabilitation costs forced us to move to Thailand from the U.S. And we are among the lucky -- our family has been able to afford rehabilitation and medical care here.

Are there still active land mines in Thailand?

You might consider the Paleo diet, sometimes called Ancestral. Gluten-free food is everywhere: on a Paleo diet, carbs are things like sweet potato, white potato, Kabocha pumpkin, plantain; baked goods can be made with almond flour, coconut flour -- or flourless using cream, butter, eggs, dark chocolate. There are many many paleo websites with amazingly delicious recipes.

Thais, the sample being wife and her girlfriends, spend incredible amounts of money on "herbs" and other supplements. When I ask how she knows that it is "good," that is will help whatever is wrong, the response is always, Oh, Nong had friend who had problem and she took and now is better."

Supplements should have to prove that their products produce the outcomes that they claim. If they say it cures cancer, then they should have to have clinical trials that show that their product CAUSED a cure. If they cannot do then they cannot say their herb does anything and this should disclosure should be required on the label.

If people can choose for themselves, they at least have a chance of doing independent research and selecting a product for their specific symptoms and metabolic type. If only "experts" decide for everyone else, the chances of corrupting special interest influence is endlessly proven. Also, prescription drugs from experts are often harmful, unproven, or useless.

Health is very complicated. Licensed practitioners and experts are highly specialized and narrow in their expertise. No one can be an expert on your health but yourself. And that's a choice that requires work and effort. Those unwilling to do their own due diligence should not use political clout to restrict the increasing numbers of individuals who use modern information resources to guide personal health decisions.

The restriction of herbs and other supplements in Thailand is a terrible misallocation of power; it empowers a small monopoly and dis-empowers the larger populace who cannot obtain very useful, non-toxic remedies for most health issues.

I am looking for a full time dietitian or nutritionist. I have tried several Department of Employment offices and universities but no luck. Also, advertisements in some Thai newspapers have not yielded any response. I believe there are many unemployed new graduates but I don't know where else to look. Does anybody have any suggestions? Thank you.

Each individual is so metabolically unique, I advise a bit of wariness about trusting graduates of standard nutrition programs. They are well schooled in balancing calories and determining other abstract nutritional measures, but are usually uniformed about the complexities of individual differences. They generally have little regard for quality of food sourcing (as seen most horrifically in hospital food and nauseous, canned artificial "food" tube fed to severely ill patients.) Self-education and keen self observation are the most reliable, albeit time consuming directions for achieving health. There are many websites with researchers offering cutting edge information on the latest research and analyses for people serious about healthy lifestyles.

Two of my favorites among many good health sites are: chriskresser.com and perfecthealthdiet.com (the name is off-putting, but the research is good.)

We also are looking for friends/activities for two teenage homeschooled boys. They grew up in the Philippines but now live with their American dad in Bangkok. The 15 year old is studying languages, teaching himself German and Russian; he speaks English, Tagalog, and is studying Thai. He's a big reader and loves sports too.

The younger brother also loves to read and draw, speaks English, Tagalog, is studying Thai, loves sports and fun. Your idea of photo field trips and learning to produce videos is terrific.

Thanks to all in this thread for some great ideas.