The Acidic/Alkaline Balance Challenge

If your physician has prescribed an ‘anti-inflammatory diet’ would you know what to eat?  Probably not. It’s one of those  “dog year” questions (relatable in practical terms.) It has to do with the pH scale’s acidic/alkaline relationship.  The more acidic one is, the more prone to illness one becomes.

Imagine the pH scale being in a straight line from 1-14.  7 is neutral, (like pure water.) 1 is acidic, (like battery acid) and anything above is considered alkaline.  Balance is what it’s all about. Try to maintain a pH of around 7.3 – 7.4.

What causes inflammation? Stress is a major contributor and in today’s world who isn’t under stress? Find ways to relieve daily stress through exercise, relaxing bubble baths, soft music, fresh air, massages or anything that calms you besides food.

The anti-inflammatory diet isn’t a “diet” as much as a lifestyle choice. One thing is certain, however, not addressing your health concerns will only create larger ones down the road! Chronic inflammation is dangerous! It is not a “little” problem if you ignore will simply go away. Chronic inflammation can eventually cause intense health issues including heart disease, IBS, colitis, arthritis, dementia, kidney disease, and cancers.

A healthy anti-inflammatory diet is on the alkaline side of the pH scale. It primarily consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and whole grains such as oats, quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat (Kashi).  In truth, if you eat as God instructed Adam in the Garden of Eden, you’ll add a lot more life in your years.

Coffee, alcohol, and soft drinks are incredibly acidic so cut down. Increase your water intake with lemon. Although you’ll notice lemon and vinegar is acidic on the pH scale, each actually metabolizes into an alkaline food. (God knew it all the time!)

Every meat is acidic, especially processed meats with dyes and chemicals such as cold cuts, bacon or hot dogs, so consume lean protein like fish, chicken, sirloin, and pork loin.

Sugar and artificial chemically treated foods are highly acidic. Unfortunately, so are the nightshade plants like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant. This doesn’t mean you must give them up entirely, but only consume occasionally. Balance is the key here.

Wheat, unfortunately, is on the acidic side of the scale. However whole wheat contains a great deal of fiber, so only avoid enriched breads and balance whole wheat products with more fruits and vegetables. Try to consume fiber-rich vegetables like sweet potatoes, corn, squash, alfalfa, beans, and lentils. The fiber helps remove toxins from your system and avoids damaging inflammation. Increase water consumption also.

One characteristic of the anti-inflammatory diet is the recommended inclusion of omega-rich fatty acids, especially omega 3’s. These consist of milled flaxseed, walnuts, olive oil (best-used cold), avocados, and good fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines.

Avoid salt and choose to flavor your foods with healthy herbs. Garlic, turmeric, cinnamon and capsaicin are especially helpful with their anti-inflammatory properties!  And don’t worry about not enjoying any treats either. Good dark chocolate contains a lot of antioxidants as does a glass of red wine.

Do you see the pattern here? You can enjoy so much more than you thought you could! Simply eat healthier and consume more whole foods to rid yourself of the artificially flavored, chemically processed boxed foods you might pick up at the supermarket for “convenience.” There is nothing convenient about pain and inflammation! Strive for a happier, healthier lifestyle.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Advertisement

Common “Secrets” to Increasing Vibrancy

  “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;” (2 Corinthians 4: 7-9)

No one wants to lose vibrancy as we age.  Unfortunately, natural aging is the second law of thermodynamics. This scientific law states: ‘everything is winding down.

That alone would convince me that evolution is bunk. How can evolutionists believe we are evolving to a higher being if they also believe in this fundamental law of physics?

Thanks to Adam, we are resigned to live within this fragile clay jar until God calls us Home.

Some accept aging gracefully but I’m not one of them. I want to live as energetically and actively as possible while honoring my temple of the Holy Spirit! Consuming healthier food, which improves our mood and vitality level, is one way to do that.

Here’s how we all can live life more vibrantly:

1. Consume higher quality foods.  If you never changed the oil in your automobile but then drove it 55,000 miles, how would it respond? Not very well. Consider how your heart feels as it pumps blood through miles of blocked arteries to run your engine after it’s been clogged by chemically-processed, fattening food. Visualize all that sludge creeping through your veins. Yuck.
2. How energetic do you feel when you’re ill or are fighting the pain of arthritis? Not very! Omega 3’s3 also boosts the immune system and is anti-inflammatory. (You’ll be able to hold onto that exercise equipment without cringing.) By consuming Omega 3’s instead of saturated fats, you’ll be lubricating your metabolic engine. Where can you find these vital nutrients? In olive and canola oil, halibut, wild-caught salmon, tuna, oysters, trout, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, oatmeal, walnuts, milled flaxseed, pasta, Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale and cod liver oil.
3. Snack on berries and other colorful fruit!  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, red grapes (resveratrol), plums, oranges, or other fruit.
4. Consume more fish, especially salmon, because it restores brain cells and fights dementia. You’ll remember those funny stories you want to tell your grandchildren.
5. Eat breakfast! Consume a good high (5+ grams) fiber cereal: Shredded Wheat, Great Grains, Grape Nuts, and Raisin Bran. Fiber naturally rids your body of toxins and restores natural energy balance. Increase your fiber naturally through whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits!
6. Drink more water. Water plumps up your arteries and removes dangerous toxins out of your system, restoring one’s energy and mental clarity.
7. Coffee, green tea, a glass of red wine, and dark chocolate all contain powerful antioxidants. Recently conducted studies have shown these can ward off dementia.
8. Spice up your life with herbs and seasonings: curry, cinnamon, mint, parsley, turmeric, tabasco, paprika, garlic, and virtually any seasoning except salt. (Blood pressure tends to rise over your lifetime.)  Seniors sometimes lose their sense of taste and tend to eat blander foods but spices stimulate brain cells, releasing serotonin; another feel-good neurotransmitter!
9. Add low-fat dairy and dark leafy vegetables for calcium.  Did you realize that skim milk actually has a higher protein percentage than other milk?  Calcium is extremely important for shrinking and thinning bones.  Add a walk, weight-bearing exercises, and consume 1200 mg. of calcium and one 1000 IU vitamin D supplement daily. But please take them with food to absorb nutrients.
10. Put on a Smile! True beauty comes from within. A positive attitude makes others want to know you! Surround yourself with friends. Praise God for the precious life He gave you!

Praise God for providing common sense. Your Choice.

Wanna Lose Weight Faster?

People ask me all the time, “How can I lose weight faster?”

“Besides hard work, determination, and remaining self-disciplined?” I ask. “Well, I can think of one way: consume fiber.”

Why do I believe that consuming fiber is one of the most important factors in losing weight? I’ll explain. The common denominator in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains is FIBER. No matter how tough that steak was last night, there’s no fiber in protein or fat. (But I bet it slowed the “fork down, spoon down” process, right?)

Most nutrients are dispersed through the digestive tract. If you fail to dispatch the proper nutrients, let’s say magnesium, your hypothalamus (your brain’s metabolic traffic cop) will nag you until it directs you to that scrumptious-magnesium-containing-piece-of-chocolate! By absorbing proper nutrients, it won’t . . .  unless you’re eating due to emotional reasons.

When you slow down the chewing process, enzymes are broken down and nutrients are absorbed/dispersed mostly through your small intestine. Having a clean digestive system will jump-start your metabolism.

Consider this illustration; if you have a garbage disposal in your home and nonchalantly threw scraps of food particles into it but never turned it on, what would happen?  It would build up, attract bugs and start to smell, yuk!  And then when it was finally turned on, it would start grinding so slowly that it might even stop if it was too clogged.  Then you would have to snake the trapped particles or use something to unclog it.

This is a description of how our intestinal system works as well. When one consumes a diet of meat, fats, junk food, and low-fiber foods, the intestines get clogged.  It’s harder to move those foods through the colon because food just kinda sits there.

Since our bodies can’t absorb nutrients that are vital to life, no amount of “dieting” will produce health! Your hypothalamus nags us to eat more food in search of much-needed nutrients, thus you eat more calories but absorb fewer nutrients.

Strive to eat more fiber and keep your entire system working on less!  You’ll have more energy, clearer skin, and less disease.

So what’s fiber?

God told Adam in Genesis 1:29 “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.”     Wow! How smart is God?!!!

There are two kinds of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Sometimes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains include combinations of both.

Soluble fiber; think of it as Liquid Plumr. It turns into a gel that helps lower our treacherous LDL cholesterol.  Think apples,  oranges, pears, beans, and oats, which are excellent sources of soluble fiber.  Soluble fiber keeps our blood sugar levels steady so it’s easier to stand up to temptations.

Insoluble fiber stays intact, it doesn’t break up as it travels through your system.  Think corn which basically exits intact. Fruit skins are insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber draws water into the intestines, making stools bulkier and easier to pass. It’s like Roto-Rooter.

If you ever dropped pizza crust or a piece of whole grain bread into the sink and watched it swell as the water touched it, that’s what happens to fiber in your system. Fiber expands, creating a feeling of fullness.

There are seven forms of fiber: pectin, bran, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, guns, and mucilage. I won’t bore you with all the details. Rest assured though, if you eat 60% of your daily calorie intake containing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, you’ll reduce your risk of colon cancer, heart disease, constipation, obesity, hemorrhoids, and many other diseases. Remember, a man reaps what he sows, so strive to eat healthier!

Caution:

1. Increase fiber gradually.  Excessive fiber intake may decrease the absorption of zinc, iron, and calcium as well as promote more gas.
2. Build up to 25-35 grams of fiber each day.  4 grams = 1 teaspoon.
3. I highly recommend getting fiber from Mother Nature, not fiber laxatives due to possible electrolyte imbalance or laxative dependency.
4. Take vitamin and mineral supplements separately from the fiber.

 

Reving Up a NASCAR Metabolism

“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”  (2 Timothy 2:5)

Ever watched a NASCAR race?  When the race car pulls into its pit, you’ll see the crew spring into action.  They’re aware of the strict rules they must follow for their driver not to be injured or disqualified.  Each crew member works as part of that team to ensure maximum efficiency.

There’s a definite correlation between a NASCAR race and healthier living.  Your brain, heart, liver, lungs, thyroid . . .  every body part, functions as a team to become a winner!

Eat Small Meals Throughout the Day.

For example, one decision that must be made as the driver speeds around the track is how much fuel to place in the tank. The object is to get just enough fuel to make it over the finish line but not too much to reduce speed with unnecessary weight. The wrong decision could mean the end of viable competition. Do the same.

The Right Fuel Makes All the Difference!

It takes energy to make energy. Ingesting the wrong type of fuel can clog our arteries and slows down our efficiency. Chemically based processed foods restrict our energy level by making us sluggish. Too few quality nutrients and we’ll drag ourselves through the day.

It’s a Matter of Balance

Getting valuable nutrients throughout our daily ‘rat race’ is something we should aim for. Too much and we gain weight – not enough and we lose muscle and brain cells.

• Too many calories and our flow of blood circulation is diverted to the stomach and therefore less blood flow is available for the brain and extremities.  (Think Thanksgiving dinner.)
• On the opposite side of the spectrum, if one doesn’t consume enough food, then the brain becomes light-headed and ‘spacey’. The body will start cannibalizing its muscles to refuel. (Think starvation diets.)

Search for Beneficial Selections

The proper bodily fuel produces proper metabolism speed and brain power, allowing it to power up when necessary. We need good fats, wholesome carbohydrates, and lean protein to run efficiently.

When we’re uncontrollably hungry, what do we instinctively grab for quick energy? Sugar, right? Candy, donuts, cookies, etc. It’s our body’s fastest fuel source so that’s what our brain’s hypothalamus tells us we need. It’ll nag us until we give in to that quick-acting, sugary candy if we aren’t supplied with enough nutritional energy. We absolutely need nutrient-dense, quality fuel! Choose juice or other fruit which metabolizes into energy in 15 minutes. Place only productive whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein into our fuel tank for maximum efficiency.

Know Your Body

The NASCAR driver knows exactly what his race car needs because he’s attuned to its reactions. He knows how it acts when running properly and what he must do to win.

Therefore, he’s focused on success and expects his crew to act accordingly!  The entire crew works together for good! When the driver pits, if the tire pressure isn’t properly inflated, a lugnut isn’t tightened, the windshield’s dirty, or the spotter takes his eye off the track, something disastrous might occur.

Stay as focused as that. Following sensible nutritional guidelines keeps us healthy. We need to think of our body parts as separate entities all working for our productive health. It requires discipline to run our best race for the Lord! Honor God with your disciplined spirit!

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

Designed to Succeed

God did not design us to fail. But we are human, and we do.

Of course, as a counselor who specializes in nutrition, I’ve probably heard every excuse known to man. And man, do I dislike excuses! Oh, you had to eat that entire 14-inch pizza that Aunt Maude brought over, did you? “Well, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. After all, she made it just for me,” you said.

I understand. As a people pleaser, you didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

But what if Aunt Maude brought over some cocaine? Would you take it? I would certainly hope not! If you’re a diabetic, that fatty pizza would be just as dangerous to you! My recommendation: Chew a slice slowly, wrap up the rest in small servings and freeze for another time.

If you disobey God’s urging, you own it! It was your choice.  “But I tried to resist.” As that famous philosopher, Yoda replied to Luke Skywalker when he whined, he’d try, acknowledged, “No. Either do or do not. There is no try.” Now drink water, walk five miles, lift weights, play tennis or some other exercise. Do the crime, do the time.

Some of my patients protested, “I feel stupid. I failed.”

As Thomas Edison once declared, “I never fail. I just found 2,000 ways something didn’t work.” Failure makes us better educated. Face it, sometimes experience hurts. So, you were weak – learn from it. As I’ve mentioned before, most patients who came to see me had failed on many diets. Nothing worked – at least for any length of time.

Most believed that if success was to be achieved, there must be a gimmick, or they had to suffer to reach success. This is what I call “the penance principle.” It’s a false way of thinking. God designed us with innate, common sense. Use it. How can a hot dog diet (yes, there is one) be nutritionally sound?

Our loving Father desires to give His children only good gifts. That’s why He provided so many nutritionally dense selections to choose from.

“So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11) 

If God doesn’t provide for our requests, He has a good reason – so figure it out. Despite what some believe, He is not Lucy who takes away Charlie Brown’s football.

Now, what should we ask for when we pray for our daily bread? Should we ask for 3 lbs. of French Fries covered in cheese sauce? Would that be a good gift? No, we’d get sick or it could harm our heart.

If you face a culinary challenge, God has already given you the “tools” to overcome it. A knowledgeable brain, a spirit that knows right from wrong, and legs to walk away from temptation.

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”   (1 Corinthians 10:13)

It all breaks down to our mental, physiological, and spiritual relationship to food. Which do we love more? Our belly or Christ? A momentary pleasure or knowing that we have resisted temptation? The food itself is not wrong based on Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 9:3. Our reaction to it can be!

Please don’t allow food to become your idol.

Living with Fibromyalgia

In 1991 as I began my nutritional counseling career, fibromyalgia (FMS) was just emerging onto the medical scene. When the doctors I worked for couldn’t determine a specific cause, they inevitably sent the patient to me.

As I sat and listened to their symptoms and heard their plea for help, it was truly frustrating for us both. There were no guidelines at that time and many doctors believed it to be a “psychological inducement caused by stress.”  Translation: “It’s in your head.”

The more I listened, the more convinced I was that FMS was not a myth. There seemed to be a connection among most patients: 80% of them worked around chemicals. They were hairstylists, manicurists, lab and pest control technicians, house cleaners, etc. which I found to be curious. The skin is the largest organ of the body. Doesn’t it seem reasonable that since the skin can breathe in toxins that remain in the muscles and joints, couldn’t fibromyalgia be a result of toxic build-up in the body?

Another possibility: FMS cases are increasing yearly. So are the chemical additives placed in foods found on grocery shelves! Is there a connection here? Just in case, I’d urge all to go back to the original “diet” plan God gave Adam. (Genesis 1:29) You’ll understand that God is smarter than we are.

As far as I know, to date, there is no cure for FMS but I pray there is hope, and here is what I humbly offer to fight it:

1. Keep a food diary for at least a month. Track every food you place in your mouth. (Your health depends on it so don’t whine!) Circle any boxed, canned, or bagged food that contains dyes, chemical additives, or preservatives, and if your symptoms increase, don’t ever purchase these again.
2. Increase your intake of purified, distilled water and lemon water. (Rid your diet of Splenda and chemically infused diet drinks. These are toxins.)
3. Try juicing (but don’t forget fiber foods) and consume more alkaline foods. Use my search engine for posts on the pH scale.
4. Wash all of your fruits and vegetables thoroughly! Even pre-washed packages contain some risk of pesticides. Increase organic foods if possible.
5. Protect yourself with high antioxidant choices. Antioxidants protect the skin and will hopefully create a force field against outside pollutants.
6. Increase fiber-rich choices. This will not only detoxify your body quickly by binding and removing toxins through the kidneys and liver but allow more protective nutrients to enter your bloodstream through the small intestine.
7. Get out and walk! Fresh air releases endorphins and serotonin which improves the mood and reduces stress.

Change your diet. Search for the most powerful antioxidant foods available:

1. Garlic, onions, and leeks all contain powerful chemicals which boost the immune system. I’ve written about this a lot. See any posts on healing foods.
2. The friendly bacteria, acidophilus is found in natural, good quality yogurt. Mountain High, Stonyfield, Stony Farms, Yoplait Natural, and Fage, Greek (or any without additives) will fight the harmful bacteria in your system.
3. Spicy foods release soothing neurotransmitters that calm pain. Try increasing hot spicy foods containing capsaicin, (cayenne pepper) or hot salsas, peppers, horseradish, and wasabi.
4. Chlorophyll will boost immune-fighting properties. This includes alfalfa, kelp, spinach, kale, broccoli, or wheat grass. All green foods contain chlorophyll. (but NO! Not moldy cheese.)

Lastly, it is not only “in your head.” Sometimes it’s in your heart too, for it takes Herculean effort to remain upbeat when in pain.  I urge you to surround yourself with TRUE friends who will accept you as you are! God will never abandon you.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Managing Diabetes Sensibly

Amy sat across from my desk, her eyes brimming with tears. One of our doctors had just diagnosed her with Type 2 diabetes and she needed to change her dietary habits. That’s where I came in.

Type 2 Diabetes is a debilitating but manageable illness which is becoming more prevalent in today’s culture.

My new patient had recently come from her father’s hospital bedside. He had lost a limb to diabetes, and she was frightened she’d suffer the same fate.

Apparently, she had argued with her father for years to take better care of himself, but to no avail. He refused to recognize that his unhealthy lifestyle was affecting his daughter’s mental health, along with destroying his own body. He failed to realize that if one family member struggles, all are affected.

He continued to eat chemically processed, fattening foods, too many sugary items and never exercised.  Now Amy had received the same diagnosis; Type 2 Diabetes, and she was scared but ready to fight for her health.

What makes someone fight for wellness while others apathetically accept their fate? It begins with a determined mindset!

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Believe that vibrant health is worth fighting for!  Treasure what God has given you. Diabetes needn’t be a death sentence if you are willing to change.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, take control. Lose and maintain a sensible weight. Changing habits is the first challenge and that is something you must desire more than sweets and fast food.

Never act like a victim and ask, “why me?”  I’ve had patients who actually stated that diabetes was the best thing that had ever happened to them because it was a wake-up call!  Many of my patients controlled their disease with diet, and exercise and felt fantastic for the first time in decades! They only wished they had done it sooner.

The Key is Education and Small Steps:

1. Increase fiber to 25-35 grams daily (4-9 tsp.) Fiber allows insulin to enter more slowly into the bloodstream. There are two types of fiber and we need both.

Soluble fiber becomes a gel in our system, moving dangerous LDL cholesterol out while lowering blood sugar. (It’s like Liquid Plummer.)  A shortlist includes beans and sweet potatoes. Brussel sprouts, applesauce, avocado, pears, chia seeds, broccoli.

Insoluble fiber is like Rotor Rooter, remaining intact as it clears our intestines (corn, potato skins, beets, apple skins) It pushes out toxins so valuable nutrients can be absorbed through the digestive tract.

Choose a variety of fibers including whole grains, (oats, quinoa, long grain rice) fruits, (apples, pears, prunes), and vegetables, (peas, legumes, beans, bananas, and sweet potatoes.)

2. Get into a Daily Routine because this stabilizes blood sugar. Ensure that you eat around the same times each day and exercise at regular intervals. This keeps your blood sugar levels steady and reduces stress on your vital organs.

3. Create a sensible pathway to de-stress. When our bodies are stressed, it not only raises our insulin levels but also creates a hazardous acidic pH level, making us hungrier and more prone to illness.

Create a strategy to de-stress: get fresh air, listen to music, take soothing baths, schedule a massage, or simply sit and read on your back patio.

4. Exercise routinely! Diabetics run the risk of circulatory problems and nerve damage. But don’t overdo exercise. That would add stress! Find an exercise routine you enjoy and keep doing it! Try walking, biking, swimming, dancing, gardening, and jogging.

5. Greatly reduce or eliminate artificial sweeteners. They’re addictive! They also tend to calcify the kidneys. In addition, the body cannot metabolize them, so these chemicals remain in your liver, building up toxins.

Most importantly, artificial sweeteners increase insulin levels because your body is tricked into expecting more food! Stevia has an alkaline pH and is a good substitute. My patients consumed small amounts of regular sugar while giving up the simple sugars in donuts, cakes, pies, and candy.

6. Drink lots of pure water – at least 8 glasses – it washes away toxins!

Yes, diabetes is a tough disease to manage, but remember you’re worth the effort! You have Strengths you might not recognize yet. Our Lord Sustains!

Trust Physiological Truth

As we were driving home from vacation this past week, we traveled through a section of the flattest portion of the earth I’ve ever seen. If someone believed in the “Flat Earth Society,” this might have been where it first evolved. But it was only a small portion of the Earth. They weren’t seeing the whole picture.

I found it similar to those who read one Scripture verse and announce the Bible has falsehoods. Or someone who hears a celebrity endorsing a diet plan and accepts it as healthy?

1. Research, people! Research before preaching absolutes!

God wants us to glory in abundant, healthy living, not suffer. That’s why He placed mankind in a Garden. Many suffer needlessly on a diet that tastes like plastic due to a celebrity endorsement. “It worked for (celebrity) so it will work for me!”

God never meant for us to live on complicated, fallacy-laden, restrictive diet plans. These clearly reject our Maker’s fundamental truths in physiology.

Do you believe in Absolute Truth? Absolute health truths in the law of physiology cannot be dismissed. Advanced science discovered how complex and intricate our mind/body/spirit connection is. This merely validates the Word of God:

For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139: 13-16)

Modern science is discovering daily that we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made! Some scientists recognize God’s handiwork in man’s creation but regretfully many don’t. How could those who don’t believe in God’s intricate design explain the complicated and amazing bodily function of the tiny Bacterial Flagellum? How could a piece of bodily machinery that intricate simply evolve inside us by chance? It must have had a Creator. It takes more faith to believe we arrived through mud clumps or crystals than if God created man!

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” (Psalm 14:1)

2.  Search for Truth in your physical well-being.

False Diet Gurus can profess whatever they wish while people follow like sheep, searching for that easy, painless, weight loss magical pill. It does not exist and even if it did, it wouldn’t help because our body will go into self-protection mode. This also won’t help the person who is emotionally or unconsciously challenged by food issues.

A Chinese saying cautions, “Even if 5,000 men are wrong, they are still wrong.” For example, no matter how men state that one can jump off the Grand Canyon without a parachute and fly by flapping their arms, it just ain’t gonna happen! Certain natural gravitational laws will prevent that from occurring.

That pertains to physiological laws as well. No matter how many times someone tries to create their own magical diet plan, if it’s not physiologically sound, it won’t work. A true weight loss plan is sensible, obtainable, and nutritionally sound in which they can abide forever.

3. Recognize and Establish Your Goal

Not having a goal reminds me of a scene from Alice in Wonderland when Alice meets the Cheshire Cat.

She asks: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where–” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
(Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 6)

If one sets out on a journey, they must have a purpose, a plan, or they won’t reach their desired destination. What’s your goal? A particular weight? A size? More energy?

Find your purpose and strive for healthy living. (My objective in writing “Life’s Too Short to Eat Bad Cheese” was to encourage, motivate and convey how to live an abundantly healthy life.)

Avoid Being Lured into a Marketing Net

A preacher once compared fish being lured by enticing fishhooks to humans being ensnared by the temptations of this world. Fishhooks can look very enticing to fish, but they are also dangerous.

Now being a nutritionist, I view everything through a nutritional lens. I immediately thought, hmmm, how true. Another similarity between nutrition and spirituality.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16 (KJV)

How many times have we innocently strolled along the grocery aisles or the local mall when we suddenly get a whiff of cinnamon, coffee, or popcorn and start salivating? Or walk past the Food Court and a McDonald’s calls our name? (Eating at a restaurant is not wrong. However, as we attempt to become healthier, we cannot allow food to control us, then we have a problem.)

As we focus on finding that perfect pair of jeans, we can’t get the thought of those cinnamon pretzel sticks out of our minds, no matter how hard we try! Now we notice that every corner has an Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, or Wetzel’s Pretzels. Temptation begins to lure us in through its cinnamon, buttery aroma, and a feast for the eyes as we observe others pulling apart its flakey bounty.

“Look at that delicious item over there! It smells so GOOD!” That’s all it takes, and we’re hooked! Losing control, we feel like failures and Satan gleefully dances while we suffer.

Why is it that as determined as we are to eat healthily, we notice tempting food choices abounding everywhere?! Satan wishes to destroy our bodily temple with unhealthy fats, preservatives and chemicals. He can’t read our minds but he sure is attuned to our human nature. He’s deduced what our weak links have been. It takes Herculean power to resist his hook baited with temptation, but it sure feels even better when we do!

Marketing departments know what it takes to lure us in too.  As the world becomes more globally secular through the internet, television shows, musical jingles, food commercials, etc. It’s easy even for a strong Christian to be side-tracked nowadays with the many lures of those enticing worldly advertisements.

So how do we resist the fishhook of temptation? It’s extremely tough, so we must be prepared. God wants us healthy!

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

Logically, when it comes to food, think ahead to challenges. You already know as you shop for gifts, there are plenty of stumbling blocks at the mall. Don’t allow yourself to be lured into failure – be prepared:

1. Don’t go hungry. Duh, right?
2. Love cinnamon? Have it on your yogurt, in your coffee, or on your whole-wheat toast before you go. Your hypothalamus, (the little traffic cop in your brain which controls nutrient pathways) will disperse desire for that particular substance.
3. Bring a snack with you, such as homemade granola, peanut butter on whole-grain crackers, a peppermint, grapes, a banana or an apple.
4. Shop with a disciplined friend who isn’t a “yes ‘man” when it comes to being tempted and will keep you in control.
5. At home, mute commercials, play solitaire, or talk to your spouse, children or friend.
6. Reward yourself with something you want more than food when you overcome temptation! Perhaps a scarf, book, CD, earrings, a manicure, or another non-food reward.

I promise you; nothing tastes as great as being Victorious will! Remain strong and disciplined.

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

Don’t Be Misled by Mythical “Pie in the Sky” Diet Plans

Even after being diagnosed with high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, heart disease or other health complication, some still pursue destructive diet plans. Why? They’re chasing after rainbows!

Warning: There are many harmful diet plans advertised today that can tempt the Christian to do physical harm to their bodily temple. Oh, how Satan rejoices in a Christian’s weakness when he fails to comprehend basic biblical physiological truths!

Certain diet options are simply dangerous!!! Don’t be stubborn and seek speedy weight loss because you’d be choosing the wrong solution.  There’s no quick path to healthy weight loss!

Remember these basic practical truths.  God wants His best for us! He placed Adam in a Garden – not in a desert, mountaintop or by a beach. Why? Because everything we need to sustain optimum health can be found in a Garden.

Our destination is our choice, choose abundant vitality as one of them.

“I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but not everything is constructive.”  (1 Corinthians 10:23)

• Any food is fine in moderation. Although I would urge you not to consume foods with artificial ingredientts, chemicals, preservatives and dyes, there is no such thing as a good or bad food. Food’s only nutrients meant to create energy on a daily basis.

 

• Eat for nutrients. How’s your energy level lately? Our bodies are designed to run like a machine. We wouldn’t place sludge in our car’s gas tank so we shouldn’t place unhealthy junk in our personal machine.

Just as God created our body with different functions, one nutrient cannot accomplish everything in the body. Every nutrient works together to create optimum health and we need a variety to sustain a healthier lifestyle.

“But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. (1 Corinthians 12:18-20)

• A good diet plan is a life-long one. “Oh my gosh Ellie, you mean I have to eat like this every day????” to which I reply, “Oh my, you mean I have to brush my teeth every day??” Do you wash your face, brush your hair, go through a morning ritual every day? Eating right should become as second nature as any other daily routine.

 

• Counting calories and measuring portions is important at the beginning because it gives you a sense of portion size. But to do this for the rest of your life is as discouraging as walking across the continental USA. Some have – but few people have that much discipline.

It’s easier and smarer to learn to “eyeball” portions after measuring amounts onto a bowl or plate and eventually recognizing sizing. Constantly counting? One becomes discouraged counting fat grams, calories, weighing and measuring every item. This practice is quickly discarded when frustration sets in.

 

• Some fad diets actually do work for some people. They’re also abusive. I think someone won the $1 billion mega-lottery too. Will you be lucky?  Years ago, before I became a nutritionist, I had friends who developed health complications from fad diets. Please don’t play Russian roulette with your body!

• Consume a sensible diet – such as the Mediterranean, DASH or Vegetairan plans with their balanced variety of complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and healthy fats. And enjoy a small dessert once in a while! Life’s too short not to enjoy God’s healthy bounty!