November 13, 2011
Of course they picked the thick lady to talk about nutrition! You know something that I have noticed the older I have gotten, is that it is tougher to lose weight, because by now my body and fat are just really good friends. It is true. It is hard to break up a good friendship. Okay, to begin I want to start by reading this funny article I found online. The author is unknown.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth. And the Earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Devil said, "It doesn't get any better than this."
And God said, "Let there be light" and there was light. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit," and God saw that it was good.
And the Devil said, "There goes the neighborhood."
And God said, "Let us make Man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth." And so God created Man in his own image; male and female did He create. And God looked upon Man and Woman and saw that they were lean and fit.
And the Devil said, "I know how I can get back in this game."
And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
And the Devil created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 79-cent double cheeseburger. And the Devil said to Man: "You want fries with that?" And Man said: "Supersize them." And Man gained 5 pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.
And the Devil brought forth chocolate. And Woman gained 5 pounds.
And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."
And the Devil brought forth Ben and Jerry's ice cream. And Woman gained 10 pounds.
And God said, "I have sent thee heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."
And the Devil brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained 10 pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.
And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.
And the Devil brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And Man gained another 20 pounds.
And God said, "You are running up the score, Devil."
And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.
And the Devil peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep- fried them. And the Devil created sour cream dip.
And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol. And the Devil saw and said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.
And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
And the Devil canceled Man's health insurance.
Then God showed Woman how to peel the skin off chicken and cook nourishing whole grain brown rice.
And the Devil created soda pops so Man could poison his body And Man gained another ten pounds.
And God created the life-giving tofu.
And the devil took the Woman through a venture into the land of cordial cherries and upon returning she asked the Man: "Do I look fat?"
And the Devil said, "Always tell the truth."
There is much truth in this and many of you can agree. As God desires us to care for ourselves the world gets busier and robs us of our proper nutrition. The devil has used various objects to hinder and attack us with. So I am hoping we can put the liar aside for a while so we can learn some pretty interesting things here. I am not going to bore you with all the scientific details of our genetic makeup and what our body needs because I truly believe we all know the do's and don'ts of a healthy diet but I will add that I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting my pantyhose on fire now the only exercise I get is jumping to conclusion.
Through being overweight and the struggle from day to day I have learned to eat more natural foods. The Bible gives examples of foods that are good for us in Deuteronomy 8:7-10, For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it....When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. This scripture speaks of water, wheat, barley, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, honey and bread. These are just a few foods from the Bible and I really love the last portion of this scripture; "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee." What greater nourishment can we bring to ourselves than when we praise God for the good he has given to us?
HONEY
God refers to honey and/or the honeycomb 60 times in the Bible and classifies it with the very best fruits of the land. It is noted in the Bible that the great minister, John the Baptist, who prepared the way before the Lord Jesus Christ, ate a diet of locusts and wild honey. So here is so great information on honey. The average American consumes 150 pounds of white sugar every year and when he tries to wean himself of it; instead of using honey he produces his own concoction such as saccharin or NutraSweet. The warning on the side of a “Sweet ‘N Low” package, which contains calcium saccharin reads, “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.” During his research into the centenarians of Russia’s Caucasus Mountains, Professor Nicolai Vasilievich Tsitsin, a biologist and experimental botanist associated with the Longevity Institute of the then U.S.S.R., found a common bond among these oldsters he thought very noteworthy. He discovered that they were mostly beekeepers and that their principle foods were products of the hive. Their habit was to keep the raw honey for their own consumption and to sell off the processed honey. These centenarians, of course, lived past 100 years and some lived to be as much as 150 years old. I thought it also noteworthy that beekeepers suffer less from cancer and arthritis than any other occupational group worldwide. Under the heading, “Honey: The Perfect Food,” the following excerpt was found in the booklet titled, Healing from the Hive, authored by R. Elkins: Dr. Paavo O. Airola, author of Health Secrets from Europe has written: “Honey is a perfect food. It contains large amounts of vitamins, minerals, being particularly rich in vitamins B and C. It contains almost all vitamins of the B-complex, which are needed in the system for the digestion and metabolism of sugar. Honey is also rich in minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, silicon, etc. This is specifically true of the darker varieties, such as buckwheat. The vitamin C content varies considerably, depending on the source of the nectar. Some kinds may contain as much as 300 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of honey.” Honey is a source of rapidly supplied energy. Due to its perfect sugar formula it requires no intermediate steps for proper digestion. It truly is a marvel of God’s supernatural design. Apart from also being a salve and antibiotic, honey cannot have bacteria living in it. Now we know why two-pound box of candy can make a woman gain five pounds. It was made with processed sugar instead of honey.
LOCUSTS
Concerning locusts, God said in Leviticus, chapter 11, verses 21-22:
Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. The idea of eating locusts or grasshoppers is repulsive to many, but keep in mind that most think nothing of eating a cow or a chicken’s flesh. It’s really a matter of mind-set. In ancient Greece and Rome, fried locusts, cicadas, and grasshoppers were considered a delicacy superior to the best meat or fish. These insects have enormous nutritional value. Grasshoppers, for example, are 60% protein versus chicken or beef with about 20%. According to author Christopher Nyerges, “When hordes of locusts destroy acres of crops, farmers should be counting their blessings and rapidly collecting locusts. After all, the locusts are a much higher protein source than the grains they’re devouring.” Locusts are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. On that note I think now is the time to let you know that dinner tonight roasted grasshoppers and locust smothered in a honey sauce...Just kidding.
So we take these things unto our flesh and that is good. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost and it is our duty and obligation to care for ourselves to keep healthy. What is on the inside comes forth on the outside. If your body is deficient in certain mineral and vitamins then your body will react in such a way to show it. What about our spiritual food? Do you ever hunger for it? Or are you lacking in it so much that your character has become deficient? We should more importantly feed the Spirit within us. It should not be tainted by unhealthy influences of this world nor should we ever feel the devil is running up the score! We are Gods people and we were given dominion over the things of this world, including our flesh. When we have a craving of the 'junk food" of our soul we should run to the Bread of life instead. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35
We should daily pray in the Holy Spirit, so that the river of living water can revive us and give us strength to awaken our being. David said in Psalms 63:1-2, O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Daily we should be feeding ourselves with Gods Word. In Proverbs 19:15 it says, Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Laziness has consumed many of us at times, but we don't have time to allow it to cause our soul to suffer hunger! The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Nutrition as the act or process of nourishing or being nourished; we need spiritual nutrition, know that when we are worn and ragged and have exited from the devils candy shop that we can find nourishment in the Bible. He restoreth my soul as it says in Psalms 23.
The benefit of seeking the Lord in prayer and feasting upon his word is not only for strength, but also for the regeneration of our minds.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: Isaiah 26:3-4
It is good for our understanding...
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:103-105 (
And His word if good for our bones and gives us life...
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones Prov. 16:24
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
The bread of life is waiting to make us the salt of the earth so that life doesn't have to be bitter for others. That once they taste the salt they become thirstier and thirstier for more and more of what we have! “But if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matthew 5:13. Ladies I am asking that we do not become lazy and allow our salt to lose its flavor. As the world is hungry and can only be satisfied on what we dine upon. You never know, you may be the only Jesus some will ever see.
