Transhuman Page
Individual Sphere
Body Page
Lifestyle and Diet
Responsibility starts with a satisfactory coalition between one's self and the demanding 1012 cells of one's own body. -- Lilly, in Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer
Not all methods of self-transformation require advanced, unproven technology; some have been available for a long time. Exercise, balanced eating and healthy habits have big life extension and body improvement potential.
Needless to say, there is an immense literature and number of websites about health, dieting and exercise out there. Which methods work the best for whom is a complex subject; it is a good idea to look around, study the literature and make an educated decision, not just believe in every passing fad. In general, the more flexible methods are the more useful.
Sections
Diet
Self-augmentation by David Musick. About
the simple things we can do to augment ourselves.
Health
Health is an important but ill-defined concept. A transhumanist definition might be that health is optimal functioning given the desires of the person and available techniques for treatment (see Nanomedicine by Robert A. Freitas Jr. for a more through discussion of a transhumanist perspective of health and disease).
The
Determinants Of Health From A Historical Perspective by John W. Frank
and J. Fraser Mustard. What determines how healthy we are?
Treatment of the
common cold by Sherif B Mossad (BMJ 1998;317:33-36). Review
of what can be done about the common cold. Nanotechnology
and Medicine by Ralph C. Merkle.
Keep
on taking the URLs. As more health information becomes available on
the web, the relationship between patient and doctor will change. Diet
General
Food Safety and Nutrition
Information at IFIC (International Food Information Council) 
10 Tips To Healthy
Eating
Does eating fruit and vegetables
protect against heart attack and stroke? by Andrew R Ness & John
W Powles. A study of the scientific evidence: yes, they are healthy.
Dr. Walford's
Food Database Search
Control
The Hacker's
Diet, How to lose weight and hair through stress and poor nutrition.
By John Walker. 
Obesity,
Leptin, and the Brain, editorial in NEJM, Feb 1996. About the recent
findings about leptin, the ob gene and the hypothalamus.
Obesity
Gene Quest Lures Pharmaceutical And Biofirms with Promise of Fat Profits
By Carol Potera (Genetic Engineering News, September 1 1995).
Calorie Restriction
The so far most effective method of slowing ageing and disease.
Survival Guide to the Holiday Season by Steven
Wm. Fowkes
Functional Foods
Functional Foods.
About foods which are biologically active not just in a nutrition sense.
Military
Strategies for Sustainment of Nutrition and Immune Function in the Field.
About stress, immune function and food.
Supplements
The
Supplemental Fallacy (XO Magazine). An useful reminder that there
are no magic pills; most nutrient supplements simply do not do much.
Do
Sports Claims Measure Up? (Nutrition Science News May 1997). Evaluating
supplement claims.
Antioxidants:
An Antidote to Aging?
Aphrodisiacal Drugs.
Should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Dietary
Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids
Dietary
Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate,
Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline
Dietary
Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride
The
Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Sustaining and Enhancing Performance
FAQ: Hormone Therapy
for Transsexuals. Adjusting the body to fit the gender identity.
Dietary
supplements in Google
Bodybuilding
supplements in Google
Taste and Sensualism
It is important to remember that food should not just be nutritious, but also delicious. As transhumanists, our goal is to enjoy life, not just prolong it. We should always keep our senses and minds open to new sensations and experiences in order to grow and enjoy.
Experiments in
Good Taste. On the perception of taste, and genetic differences in
tasting ability. Since the tastes are detected by genetically determined
this suggests that we could add new taste receptors for an even subtler
sense of taste.
Flavor: Keeping
Pleasure In Its Place. About how taste gives us pleasure.
Food Editors Prefer
"Umami" Taste Sensation About a fifth basic taste.
The Aphrodisiac Home Page.
About drugs and foods with (reputed) aphrodisiac effects.
Arise
(Associates for Research Into the Science of Enjoyment). Organisation
for the study of pleasure.
The Responsible Parent's Guide
to Healthy Mood-Boosters for all the Family by David Pearce. A thorough
review of mood-enhancing psychopharmacology.
Exercise and Bodybuilding
Walking for Exercise and
Pleasure
Walking
the Ultimate Exercise?
Reality Check:
The Future of Physical Fitness (Wired). When will we get the future
of fitness?
Getting Fit Your Way - A
Self-Paced Fitness Guide
Athletic Fitness vs. Health
Fitness. After all, there is a difference between being fit and being
an athlete.
US Army Physical
Fitness Research Institute. Includes several usefuls texts.
Improving Motor
Performance This review suggests that mental training does have noticeable
positive effects.
Men's
Fitness One in the large number of fitness/health journals.
Fitness in Yahoo
Bodybuilding
Muscle Media Online "The
Art and Science of Bodybuilding".
Bodybuilding
in Yahoo
Other Sites
CyberDiet.
Adapting a healthy lifestyle and diet.
Books
See also
Anders Sandberg / asa@nada.kth.se 2000-03-11