The Broken Commandment

“You shall not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4).

Many of us think of idols as those bronze statues that we bow down to, but if only that were the only kinds of idols we make.  A definition for idolatry from my Webster’s Dictionary says it is “excessive admiration or devotion” and calls an idol “a person or thing devotedly or excessively admired; a false notion.”  The way that I understand it, this includes the material (money, gold, people) and the non-material (fame, love, comfort) idols that we can create; the people, things or ideals that we place in direct competition to God for our focus and attention.

For myself, I have made an idol–a false god–out of my health. . .and my god will fail me.

It began innocently enough.  I developed an interest in health in my early 20’s and decided that before starting a family, I would become as knowledgeable as possible on how to take care of myself and my family from a nutritional standpoint.  I went back to school and ate up those textbooks on enzymatic therapy and power food antioxidants!  I finished a master’s program in holistic nutrition and began implementing many of the principles that I read about and studied into my family’s diet and routine.  Sometime after this, good health changed from a passion to something I felt that I needed in order to feel in control.  Health became my god.

And then I started to feel tired all the time and I developed food sensitivities that left me often guessing what was wrong.  That’s the thing about being overly focused on your health–you then start to notice each and every sign of your body being out of balance, and if that is your measure of security, your mind and body can be your worst enemy.  Yes, I have a gluten-free and dairy-free diet that I am supposed to follow in order to feel at my best.  And yes, I can get incredibly cranky with too much sugar.  But the more my need for perfect health took over (and who has perfect health?!), the more I began to obsess about it.  And the more that I began to need my health more than I needed my God, the more God lovingly showed me that any god we put in place of Him will fail us.  My health can never comfort me and love me and protect me like my Savior can.  All gods will fail except the One True God that has proven Himself over and over again to be trustworthy, capable, and personally interested in each one of us.

So I gave up my idol–with my words of surrender which I often have to repeat daily and in the way I try to live “by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7); living by what I know to be true about God and His love and protection over me rather than what signs of health or lack thereof I see in my body.  Health is a great blessing from God.  It is something for which I continue to strive and always will as my body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  But my motivation is different, my intensity is different, and my need to have control over it is different–because any control I try to obtain is just an illusion anyway.

I remember well what Pastor Jack Graham said one time as he battled prostate cancer, and this may be a paraphrase of what he said, “My power in this life is not in my strong constitution–it’s by God’s Spirit.”  It is this truth from Zechariah 4:6 that I remind myself of often.

Health Spotlight: Garlic

What smells wonderful when you cook it, stinky on your breath, and has almost too many health benefits to even count?

Garlic

According to NaturalHealthRemedies.org, garlic can improve your health in the areas of: 

Acne

Cholesterol

Cardiovascular health

Slows aging of liver

Combats damage from nicotine use

Increases antioxidant enzymes

Blood pressure and blood clots

Is anti-bacterial

 

This chart from The World’s Healthiest Foods shows the nutrient make-up of garlic:

So, adopt the philosophy of the Italians and the Texans:

Eat garlic.  And more is better!

Health Spotlight: Brown Rice

If you are gluten-sensitive like me, you may have found that many of the products you are substituting gluten with contain a base of this food.  Cookies, snack bars, crackers, bread, pasta. . .so what am I speaking of?

Brown Rice

First, an interesting note, from “The World’s Healthiest Foods” website:  “Our food ranking system qualified brown rice as an excellent source of manganese, and a good source of the minerals selenium and magnesium. The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. By law in the United States, fully milled and polished white rice must be “enriched” with vitamins B1, B3, and iron. But the form of these nutrients when added back into the processed rice is not the same as in the original unprocessed version, and at least 11 lost nutrients are not replaced in any form even with rice ‘enrichment.’”

They go on to say that brown rice (in part due to its high fiber content) can help to lower cholesterol, maintain a health body weight, reduce the risk of colon cancer (due to being a source of selenium), and possibly protect against “hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease.”  That’s pretty good for a simple bowl of rice!

And if you get really ambitious and want to do a whole body cleanse (and to see the health benefits of cleansing, click here), a doctor I take a lot of nutritional advice from has outlined a Brown Rice Cleanse that I am getting ready to try in a couple of weeks.  Here is what Dr. Linda Page has to say about her cleanse:  “A brown rice cleanse is based on macrobiotic principles for body balance. It’s cleansing, yet filling. You don’t feel like you’re on a cleanse at all, yet it does the trick. It’s a diet that uses rice as a nutrient building food, and vegetables and vegetable juices as concentrated cleansing supplements. A brown rice cleanse is high in potassium, natural iodine, and other minerals, so most people notice improvement in their hair, skin texture and nail growth.”

A meal that is a staple in our home is teriyaki chicken with stir fry onions and bell peppers on a bed of brown rice.  My mouth is watering already!  So with many different uses and many valuable benefits, have fun experimenting with brown rice!

Health Spotlight: Berries

Today we are going to spotlight one of our family’s favorite foods.

Berries

I confess that, even though I have a master’s degree in nutrition and should know better, I don’t always make the best of choices in what I eat or what I feed my family, but one thing we do is have berries every single day without fail.  If my son had to pick one food to subsist on for the rest of his life, I have no doubt that he would pick blueberries.

Here are some of the benefits of berries:  They are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants.  According to OrganicFacts.com, blueberries can help with aging, urinary tract infection, eye care & macular degeneration (can prevent or delay all age related ocular problems), brain function, memory & Alzheimer’s disease, constipation & digestion, cancer, and heart disease.  “They keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp, close to nature and in a good mood, as they are very good anti-depressants. The deeper the color of the blueberries, the more they are rich in antioxidants and other medicinal values.”

So what about raspberries?  With their good sources of potassium and calcium, they “are good for those suffering from inflammation and pain. It helps prevent cancer, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, prevents damage to cell membranes and the formation of tumor in various parts of body including the colon. It reduces the risk of heart diseases and delays the effect of aging. Raspberries protect the body tissue from oxygen related damage” (source).

Berries make Dr. Oz’s “Anti-Cancer Shopping List” and are among Dr. Mercola’s “Best Overall Fruits for Your Health“.  They are great on your breakfast cereal, mixed in your yogurt, thrown into a smoothie, or plain.  What a beautiful thing God has given us in berries!

Health Spotlight: Almonds and Walnuts

Today’s Health Spotlight feature is all about a couple of small foods packed with big nutrients. 

Almonds and walnuts

Almonds have been said to “lower the risk of gallstones, weight gain (instead makes you lose weight), high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It reduces blood sugar level, weight and LDL (bad) cholestrol, including almonds in your diet keeps heart and blood healthy.”

You can find them raw, roasted, salted, sliced, or even flavored with tamari. 

Walnuts are rich in Omega-3, an unsaturated fatty acid with many health benefits in and of itself.  According to OrganicFats.net, “regular consumption of walnuts helps in lowering cholesterol levels, controlling high blood sugars, and improving cardiovascular functions. It is good for various hearth problems. The reason for these benefits of walnuts is that they contain unsaturated fats and little cholesterol, significant amount of omega-3 and antioxidant properties. Walnuts can help prevent gallstones.”

And do not be scared off by the word “fat.”  These are good fats and will do far more good for you than you can measure.  Don’t believe me?  Read “Fats 101.”

 My new favorite snack is called Mrs. Mays Naturals Almond Crunch.  I have to cut myself off after a few because I would keep eating them, they are that good!  They have many different flavors, including options with walnuts and cashews.  So for your snack today, pick up a bag of almonds or walnuts, and get a fair share of fat today!  And try your best to resist the ones covered in sugar or chocolate. . .tasty, yes, but good for you?  Not as much.

Health Spotlight: Green Tea

Today I’m going to spotlight something that has been getting a lot of attention the past few years for its health benefits.   

Green Tea 

This warm, relaxing treat has powerful antioxidants that have been shown to fight those dreaded (and deadly) free radicals in our body.  For a refresher on what free radicals are, click here.  Dr. Mercola has article after article about how green tea is good at protecting against heart disease, skin cancer, oral cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.  Ok, so now you are intrigued.

University of Purdue researchers have found “there is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.”

Look here at how green tea surpasses the antioxidant levels of some of the most nutritious vegetables.  This is not to say abandon these vegetables, but is more of a testimony as to the antioxidant rich nature of green tea.

So, today as you wind down from a hard day of work, grab a cup of green tea and know that you are doing your body a favor.  But please, choose organic.  No sense in wiping out many of those great green tea benefits with all the chemicals used in growing and processing it.

And wouldn’t you know. . .I’m drinking some right now.

Come back for the next 5 days as I feature a new food in the Health Spotlight.

The Sniffling Season

Here we are again, in the middle of what I’m calling The Sniffling Season. . .everyone coughing, sniffling, and sneezing all around us. . .as we pray for immunity from it all.  What can we do to protect our bodies and our family from it all?

This product has remained in our home for about 5 years now and it has helped us avoid many sniffles along the way.  As I’ve been researching lately for some of the best supplements and herbs to build the immune system and fight off viruses, I realized that this product has them all.  Ingredients such as Vitamin D-3, Olive Leaf Extract, Echinacea, Garlic, Vitamin C, Goldenseal Root Extract, and Zinc.  They are horse pills, I will admit, but the testimonies from my family about how this supplement has lessened the severity of our colds or helped us avoid them altogether are numerous.

It is called Wellness Formula and I highly recommend it as an all-in-one herbal defense formula.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you like to “double up” on those immune-boosting supplements as we do, you can supplement your supplements by adding extra garlic (there are odorless capsules available), Vitamin C, Vitamin D-3 (I add the liquid and tasteless drops to my tea or water), and liquid Echinacea for kids.  As a family, we are on the kids formulas and adult formulas of all of these.  Just follow the suggested use on the bottles, but understand that many times those are even under what you can take in a day, but do your research.

And here’s to good health this Sniffling Season!

Be Healthy: An Easy Reference Guide

I feel a bit like I’ve stumbled upon a treasure chest full of gold!  I stumbled upon it by way of www.NaturalNews.com, an excellent health website I’ve been visiting lately.  It is called the Honest Food Guide, created by a holistic nutritionist named Mike Adams, a.k.a. “The Health Ranger.”  This is an excellent resource to study, keep in your kitchen, or take to the grocery store with you.  It is a handy reference guide as to what food choices can lead to disease and which ones lead to better health, and why.  The only thing I would add to this chart (and this is my personal opinion and choice) is organic, free-range poultry, which I don’t see on here now, but maybe I missed it. 

I’ve included the thumbnail here, but click to visit the full-sized version. 

Valuable Information from Health Blogs and Websites

I am a research junkie.  I love learning new things and researching information that makes a positive impact on my life.  Today I took some time and found some health information that I found quite informative.  Here is that information, taken in snippets from various blogs, with sources shown.

The Natural Keys To Controlling PMS (Dr. Linda Page)

PMS is by far the most common woman’s health complaint. For some women, PMS is a minor inconvenience that lasts a few days. For others, it disrupts the whole month! A woman’s body is delicately tuned, and can become unbalanced easily, causing pain, poor function, and a disconcerting feeling of not being “together,” especially during the menstrual cycle.

Fortunately, women can take relieve PMS effectively with a simple 4 point program.

1. Use essential fatty acids to balance prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are vital hormone-type compounds that regulate body functions almost like an electrical current. Evening Primrose oil 500-1000 mg. daily shows excellent results for many women.

2. Love your liver. The liver is in charge of hormone metabolism, and helps to rebalance estrogen and progesterone levels. Try a cup of Liver Cleanse Flushing tea or dandelion tea each morning to relieve balance hormones, relieve organ congestion and detoxify the liver.

Read the rest at Dr. Linda Page’s Blog:  http://drlindapage.typepad.com/healthyhealing/2009/08/the-natural-keys-to-controlling-pms.html

 

The Ten Commandments of Preventive Medicine (Dr. Walt)

Set a Wise Balance in Your Life – The Essential of Balance

Practice Acceptance and Letting Go – The Essential of Forgiveness

Lighten Your Load – The Essential of Reducing SADness (Stress, Anxiety, and Depression)

Avoid Loneliness Like the Plague – The Essential of Healthy Relationships

Cultivate a True Spirituality – The Essential of Spiritual Well-Being

See Yourself as Your Creator Sees You – The Essential of a Positive Self-Image

Nurture Your Hopes and Dreams – The Essential of Discovering Your Destiny

Read the rest at Dr. Walt’s Blog:  http://www.drwalt.com/blog/?p=759

 

9 Hidden Toxins Lurking in Your Food (Dr. Mercola)

Your grocery store is plentifully stocked with wolves in sheep’s clothing. Here are some tips to help you steer clear of hidden toxins that masquerade as safe products.

Stay away from processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, and sausage. Sodium nitrate can also cause the formation of nitrosamines in your system, which can lead to cancer.

Going Gluten Free

Yes, wheat allergies and gluten intolerances are real. . .for anyone struggling with the physical symptoms of such sensitivities, it can be discouraging to feel less than 100% and yet not know why or how to fix it. Some are even struggling with Celiac Disease. 

Dr. Mercola has this about the prevalence of Celiac Disease and gluten intolerances:

“Because celiac disease has been considered rare in this country, it often goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance.  My experience is that the true incidence is probably much higher still, perhaps on the order of 1 in 10 people.  The bulk of us however do NOT benefit from having wheat.

It is one of the primary reasons why people get sick in this country.  It is amazing how many people’s chronic health complaints clear up once they stop the wheat.  Some clinicians believe that no one can digest a protein in wheat called gliaden.”

I have been experimenting with a gluten-free diet recently and am eager to learn all I can in order to have a more healthy, productive life.  I have a long way to go in what I need to research as well as converting my diet wholly gluten-free (I am about 70/30 now as I am also going dairy and sugar free at the same time).  But for this blog, since I am learning right along with you, I will provide resources that I’ve uncovered and then the few suggestions I have and have been following, I will share as well.

First of all, how do you know you have a gluten intolerance, beyond just the fact that you are experiencing some of the symptoms in the link above?  The most reliable way I know of (and have come across) is to go gluten-free for a period of time (I’ve seen anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months) and compare your symptoms before and after.  This article here is excellent at giving you a step-by-step on how to do that and the supermarkets today are really expanding their gluten-free product options, and even putting them on sale frequently.  It is unfortunate that eating healthy also costs more financially, but having better health is priceless.  As my mother says, would you rather pay for your health now (proactive) or later (reactive)?

So as I’ve been going gluten free, I have found some good products out there that are worth trying and even keeping as a staple in your gluten free home.  You will find that a common replacement for wheat and gluten in products is brown rice, which has the added benefit of being a good source of fiber.

Rice Works–Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps

Whole Foods brand Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix–my son has never even noticed the difference between these and “restaurant” pancakes.

Barbara’s Organic Brown Rice Crisps (cereal)–I have this nearly every morning with fresh blueberries in it (and a side of protein in the form of turkey bacon or chicken sausage).

Larabar–bars that are gluten free and dairy free and made with minimal, natural ingredients.  My favorites are Cocoa Mole, Cinnamon Roll, and Coconut Cream Pie

EnviroKidz Crispy Rice Bars–my son loves the berry flavor

These are just a few products that I have in my pantry as I write this. . .I know there are many more (including some delicious chocolate chip cookies that I get from Whole Foods that are gluten and dairy free, but I cannot remember the brand name to include it here).  If you have any contributions to this list, please feel free to send them to me, and meanwhile, I’ll be on the lookout for more. 

Wild by Nature Market has an excellent page listing gluten free products by their brand and separated out by category.  Check it out here.

And if you shop at a Whole Foods in your area, here is their list for the gluten free products they carry.

The bottom line?  Do not get discouraged if you are experiencing symptoms of intolerance to gluten.  Have hope because there ARE good tasting products out there, and more every day as awareness of this health challenge grows.  There are numerous testimonies of people who have gone gluten free and experienced wonderful results and freedom from the pain, discomfort and limitations (I am one of them).

As always, be informed and stand strong!

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