BOOKS on healthy living date back at least 800 years — and include warnings about eating eels with cheese.
Doctors in the 13th century also gave exercise and sleep advice, a researcher has found.
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Professor Noa Nikolsky said: “Understanding a holistic relationship between mind and body is not as modern as we might think.
“We know people have practised preventive medicine since the beginning of time.
“But because those wellness practices were never written down, so much is lost in history.”
Prof Nikolsky, of Miami University in the US, unearthed one 13th century Italian text which reads: “Eating eels is bad for the voice, as those who know anything about medicine will attest.
“And cheese and eel are harmful when eaten together in great quantity, unless you often drink wine.”
She added: “These texts teach you to pay attention to different parts of your body and to your habits.
“These impact your physical and emotional health.
“Whatever the medical merits of the advice, this is valuable to think about.”
