MAKE YOUR HEALTH A GOAL

 It may take a turn around, but health is beauty. Make your health a goal.

The most powerful king in the world, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded a diet for four captured Jewish boys. "And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank..." Daniel 1:5. But Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat…” It took ten days of healthy food, and Daniel and his three friends were outstanding in their appearance.

Daniel and his friends were trained in all matters of wisdom and understanding that Babylon had to offer, but the food was an issue. Daniel requested of the Prince, "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, (something sown, a vegetable) and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer (beautiful, best) and fatter (plump, firm) in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse." (Daniel 1:12-16).

Just do it. (The Bible does include beef, lamb and other “clean” food as in the sacrifices in the Law), Daniel here seems to have limited his food to vegetables and water. You have one life and getting from Scripture the wisdom to live it well is more than worth the effort. Settling into a warm and active relationship with Jesus through Scripture will change everything, beginning now. Your future will be changed.

MAKE YOUR OWN BREAD

 

MAKING YOUR OWN BREAD

It can be any combination of whole grain, but here is a bread recipe with whole wheat flour. Keep it simple and as you grow in experience, you will be amazed at its satisfying aroma, texture and taste. Bread can be powerfully good for your health. Fine whole grain flour, olive oil, honey, salt, yeast, and water.

 

Good health is beautiful.

 

"...thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful..." Ezekiel 16:13.

 

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

 

6 Cups whole wheat flour (room temperature)

3 Cups warm water

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup pure Honey

1 Tablespoon active dry Yeast (check date)

1 level Tablespoon Salt

DIRECTIONS:

MIX WELL IN LARGE BOWL

3 Cups warm water

1/3 Cup honey

1/3 Cup oil

1 level Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

5 Cups whole wheat flour (first)

Let mixed dough rest 15 minutes … it will rise slightly.

On kneading surface or countertop put remaining 1 Cup flour KNEAD 100 X as you work 1 cup flour into dough.

1.   In a large bowl, mix the warm water, oil, honey, yeast and salt.

2.   Add 6 Cups whole wheat flour to liquid mixture. Mix well. (add one cup for kneading). Let dough rest 15 minutes in bowl.

3.   Add dough to flour on counter and knead 100X (working in cup of flour on counter). It will become a ball and easy to handle.

4.   Prepare a cookie sheet, spread liberally with butter, flour.

5.   Cut dough into two rounds. Place on cooking sheet.

6.   Beat one egg. Add 3 Tablespoons of Old Fashioned Oats to egg.

7.   Spread oat and egg mixture on round loaves with fingers. Let shaped dough rise in a warm place about 1 hour.

8.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 35 minutes.

Bake until top of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool an additional hour before slicing.

THE BIBLE ... IT'S A FOOD GUIDE, TOO

 It is coming clearer after years studying this. When you understand the Bible as a Guide, it covers every area of your life. It reveals how our “spiritual” and “physical” lives help to explain each other. "And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst." John 6:35 Jesus Himself is the symbol of health, both physical and spiritual. Why did The Holy Spirit choose bread as the essence of nourishment? Bread, the staff of life is indeed health benefiting if the ingredients are from the whole grain and the other ingredients are good. It is health building for your whole being. Like Jesus, the Bread of Life, whole grain bread is a mainstay.

"And wine that makes glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengthens man's heart." Psalm 104:15

Whole grain bread, complete with the bran (the fiber rich outer layer has B Vitamins and trace minerals), the endosperm (with carbohydrates and protein) and germ (the nutrient rich core, Vitamin E, B Vitamins, healthy fats, and antioxidants) is known to be good for your heart. Jesus is the Way to a spiritually healthy heart. Whole grain bread holds the elements created within them for our health: it is profoundly, uniquely a picture of Jesus, The Bread of Life.

Jesus said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51 

An understanding of the health benefits of whole grain bread (bread created from the natural form of the whole grain) comes from the illustration of Jesus Himself.

Considering the importance of the whole grain for our health, as I have grown up, it is a connection to God’s blessing. His creation of the whole grain and our need for it is in Scripture.

“He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied you.” Psalm 81:16 

“He makes peace in your borders and fills you with the finest of the wheat.” Psalm 147:14 

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51 

Good bread is a contributor to your good health.

The “LIVING Bread which came down from heaven” is the Way to live forever with our God and Creator in Heaven. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John 10:28. It is for you and me. This is, as Jesus said, “My flesh, which I will give for the life of world.” John 6:51. He is the “Bread of Life.”

Gluten is a protein found in many different grains as a way for the plant to store protein. https://www.livestrong.com/

BREAD IS BASIC…IF MADE AS IT SHOULD BE

Next time: A SIMPLE RECIPE FOR WHOLE GRAIN BREAD

FOOD IN THE BIBLE...

 

WHAT TO EAT...WISDOM COMES FROM SCRIPTURE!

Dad was a Christian Evangelist. His mission was to encourage others to love and read the Bible. He and my mother traveled the forty-eight lower United States, Canada, and Mexico with us, their eight children. His quest was to put into practice the Bible he proclaimed as the truth; it included the food so often mentioned in the Bible. He had been an athlete in Wheaton College and trained there in nutrition and exercise. Every sport the college offered he took part in until he graduated. He married my mother in Boston, where she was a Wheelock College graduate. When eight children were born, he encouraged us as we grew up to eat carefully and exercise.

As we traveled the Country singing and quoting Bible stories, a family of ten, there were brave families who took us into their homes and fed us. Their gracious meals included one of Dad’s excluded foods: dessert. It would be a beautiful white flour, white sugar, tempting dessert, which I, of course accepted. But my father would quietly wrap his dessert in a napkin and put it in his back pocket. I knew, and to this day smile.

Through these growing years, I believed that God, through Holy men wrote the Bible. Genesis, chapters one to eleven recount how God created the world and everything in it including the food He provided. Therefore, the Bible is an exact book, the final Word of Truth. Written for the enlightenment of every person. It is the “beginning of wisdom.”

Within the Bible is a surprising emphasis on food, both figurative and literal. This food I was increasingly interested in as I became a wife at twenty-nine and a mother at thirty.

Whole Grains for your health

 Whole wheat bread and cakes are from the entire wheat kernel: bran, endosperm, and germ. Breads, pastas, bagels, crackers, muffins, and foods listed as whole wheat are solely the whole wheat grain. Unrefined wheat features a host of important nutrients.

However, the standard for most wheat products available in the United States are processed into 60 percent extraction – meaning that 40 percent of the original wheat grain was removed. The 40 percent that is removed during this process is typically the most nutrient-rich part of wheat, the bran and germ of the whole grain kernel according to Snap Fitness USA. The Difference Between Whole Wheat and Whole Grain – Snap Fitness USA

Whole Grain Vs Refined Grain - Itsxtraliving

KEEP IT SIMPLE

In the morning, often we eat the same thing. Eric eats whole grain cereal with “Grassfed milk,” and honey. I eat two pieces of Ezekiel Bread with butter and honey and a glass of milk, or cooked oatmeal. Sometimes, I bake granola: Old fashioned oats, nuts, honey, maple syrup, butter and olive oil, baked at a low temperature for an hour.

On Sunday It is hot oatmeal with salt and butter and turkey or beef sausage. On weekdays, mid-day food is fresh fruit and a slice of cheddar cheese. Weekday dinner is a salad, vegetables and beef, chicken, or fish. Whole grain pasta, with tomato sauce, or Taco Salad with Beef Sauce and whole grain chips. Keeping it simple also keeps it healthy. I like sauces made with meat flavor from the pan, mixed with whole wheat flour, butter and chicken stock…it goes well over everything. Cheddar cheese grated often goes on top.

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him." (Psalm 34:8).

“And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away (decline, pluck away, take away) from the midst of thee.” Exodus 23:25.

 

Taking care for yourself and those you love and are responsible for, is in the tradition of historical truth. I check with the Bible first, then branch out from there. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases; Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103 2-5.

 

"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing Psalms." James 5:13. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." James 5:14.

"CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FOOD" THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS

The Old Testament is clear about “clean and unclean” food: animals that we should and should not eat. Do the forbidden animals mean that God is harsh: do not eat this and only eat that! Having pondered it, my deduction is that it was the Creator telling us what He created and why and what animals his creation should eat for their good. Think about it: many of the animals God designated “unclean” in the Old Testament are scavengers, predators, bottom feeders.

There is, in the New Testament, freedom to decide what you will eat. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31. Take it seriously, think twice about habitual food, then someday when you grow old, just hopefully, you will have invested in yourself wisely. Of course, God has the final word on the number of our days, the health of our bodies.

As our three sons, Joshua, Josiah, and Zachariah were growing up, we visited the State of Maine one Summer. Eric traveled to many Naval Bases in the United States as a Logistics Manager for the Naval Air Warfare Center. A few times during the summer months our three sons and I traveled with him on his official trips. My husband would nudge me in a restaurant, “Go ahead, get lobster.” Fried clams and lobster were part of happy memories. I ate lobster.  

Eating lobster and clams in Maine brought back memories of my childhood: my father, mother, and grandparents, ran a Bible Conference on the ocean front in the summer. They owned several acres across the street from the Atlantic Ocean with a big, three hundred seat tabernacle and thirty summer cottages. Years later, when our little family drove over the border into Maine again, I cried.

The New Testament gives each person freedom to decide about food, the Sabbath of total rest, and other practices forbidden under the Law, in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Today much of the fast-food industry with its accompanying harmful processes, added chemicals, devitalized flour, processed oils, sugar, and corn syrup look like a modern-day rendition of “unclean food.” Reading labels is an effective way to stay away from ingredients that do not nourish you. Also, I prefer to stay away from the “Biblically unclean” food most of the time.

"All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eats with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby your brother stumbles, or is offended or is made weak... Happy is he that condemns not himself in that thing which he allows." Romans 14:20-22.

THE BREAD QUESTION

IT IS SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL

FOR HEART AND HEALTH

Growing up, my father (who did not eat white flour, white sugar, or margarine) knew there was something wrong with the food culture in America. To prove his view to his children, he would sit on a loaf of white bread; it went “flat as a pancake.” My mother stopped buying white bread when we were young.

The naturally harvested wheat includes the bran, endosperm and germ. The unwitting consumer is denied the benefit of whole grain when it is taken apart and sold separately.

If the endosperm is processed (bleached white), then made into bread, it is minus the powerful nutrition found in the whole grain. The bread made from it becomes the airy white loaf most often sold in grocery stores at home and the world over. The white flour is eye appealing and has a much longer shelf life. The bran and germ are gone and sold separately.

This “allenpuff” which my father called it, could be one major reason for health problems. When a lifetime of devitalized bread with no heart strengthening power from protein, and minerals is our regular diet we suffer. Often the food industry separates the most nutritious parts and sells them separately.

Bread bleached and degermed are not health building. Like fast food available everywhere, it is a trap. Easy, quick, cheap, habit forming, addictive. Fad diets confuse and frustrate us and work against hope for good health. When a better Way is right in front of you, take it! “Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.” Psalm 103:5

“FOOD AND FAITH GO TOGETHER” WHY?

A News Story November 2022 ... Medical News Today

It's a warning... 

You can have a noticeable change in your health in ten days. It took Daniel, and his three friends that long to prove that “things grown” are effective quickly (in Daniel 1:12).

If food by faith is a new thought for you, think of this: the journey of your life is a one-time opportunity to do the best you can, to search for the most wisdom you can find. You can become physically, spiritually, mentally all God created you to be!

The variety provided by our Creator is vast, from cows and sheep to grains and watermelon, nuts, broccoli, and squash…how about a focus on our health!

If we believe in an all-wise Creator, eating the right food makes sense. He made everything to be for the wellbeing of all humanity: our welfare, health, and our eternal salvation. He poured love into our world through the life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, “The Way, the Truth and the Life….”

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thessalonians 5:23). Sanctified means set apart. Let faith be an adventure.

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY

Monday, November 7, 2022 this was published

Ultra-processed food consumption linked to premature, preventable death

Written by Jessica Norris

 

·  Dietary patterns can have an immense impact on health outcomes. 

·  Ultra-processed foods that go through large amounts of processing can lose nutritional value and contain unhealthy elements.

·  A​ new study adds to a growing body of research showing that ultra-processed food consumption may cause premature, preventable death. 

 

 

START SOMEWHERE

For the first years of our marriage, and before I could afford to buy what I pleased in the grocery store, our three sons, Joshua, Josiah, and Zachariah were one to five. Eric was earning minimum wage as an Electrician’s Helper. My budget for food was $18.00 a week. The cost of food was often beyond my ability to pay for it. I remember praying as I shopped and looked at the fruit and vegetable departments, “Lord, I cannot buy those big red apples. They are there and out of reach. Help me to be able to buy them.” It was up to God to provide, I knew. We were eating healthy low-cost food. The grapes and pears were expensive, too so I looked for fresh fruit on sale. Vegetables, cut and bagged were beautiful just to look at. But I got good at chopping and cutting, and often still do. Buying whole wheat flour from a friend who ground it fresh, and baking our bread was natural because my mother had baked whole wheat bread often for our family of ten. Also, I could afford to bake granola with whole oats, raisins, honey, butter, and olive oil. I bought whole grains and made bread. Meat was for flavor, beef, and chicken. I made whole wheat chocolate cake, oatmeal, and carrot cakes. The frosting, cooked on a double broiler with raw sugar and egg whites, then cream cheese added.

A TOMMY WASH...WATER FOR HEALTH

 

WATER, JESUS, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" John 7:37-39.

“I will give him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” Revelation 21:6.

"And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17

JESUS, A PICTURE OF PURE WATER

"Jesus answered and said to her, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that said to you, give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water." John 4:10. This meeting with the woman at the well, who was an outcast, goes down in history as a story of lifegiving water offered by Jesus to every person on earth.

The principles are consistent. Study food highlighted in Scripture that gives health, experience the spiritual health when you believe and apply it to your life.

PURE WATER

The first thing my father told his eight children every morning was, “Don’t forget your tummy wash!” As a child, I grabbed the first cup in sight, filled it with water and guzzled down. Now, in the morning, first thing, I drink one or two fourteen-ounce glasses of water.

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:22.

A TOMMY WASH? My Experience

·       Two fourteen-ounce glasses of water in the morning helps activate internal organs.

·       1 Glass of water thirty minutes before a meal, helps digestion.

·       A glass of water before bed might prevent brain stroke or heart attack.

·       Leg cramps are looking for hydration.

·       See Capitol Cardiology Associates Recommendations below.

HYDRATION AND HEALTH

FROM https://www.clearlyfiltered.com/ “From head to toe, fluids support the function of every (yes, every) system in your body. That means your heart, your brain, and your muscles all depend on fluids. As do other organs like your bladder, stomach, and kidneys. Fluids regulate body temperature, lubricate joints, flush waste, and transport nutrients to cells. Which are all essential processes in everyday life that we often take for granted. Let us take a deeper look at some of the physical benefits of hydration:  Prevent (And Alleviate) Sickness. Avoid Disease. Age Gracefully. Sleep Peacefully. Mood Booster. Dodge Stress, Depression, and Anxiety. Cognitive Function.”

Dehydration is Your Enemy

“Dehydration is your enemy, and it is time to give it the blame that it deserves. The human brain is 85% water, and the blood is 90% water. When your body lacks adequate water, the consequences go well beyond what most people understand. We have replaced the body’s NEED for water with a beverage-of-choice and we no longer recognize the signs of dehydration.” 

March 11, 2021, Lisa Alligood

https://livingwaterlivinglife.wordpress.com/

 

Capital Cardiology Associates

From Dr. Benton. He points out that water is the best thing to drink, not only on hot days but throughout the day. Drinking water has plenty of health benefits, and fluids contribute to every single metabolic process in our body, including absorbing nutrients and removing toxic waste. Our body is about 60% water. Our body fluids bodily are active in digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Drinking water throughout the day also replenishes our muscles, helps our skin and kidneys, and keeps our bowels functioning properly. For years there have been studies highlighting the importance of drinking at least one hundred ounces of water a day. Drink up, that is about thirteen cups!” https://capitalcardiology.com/ Dr. Robert Benton, Director of Clinical Research at Capital Cardiology Associates

SPEAKING THE TRUTH TO YOURSELF

Is what I eat important? Does it matter?

Early in our marriage Eric impressed on me a vital character strength. The importance of “speaking the truth” to yourself. A lie to yourself is deceiving yourself, moving mentally away from reality, from what is.

What every individual eats and how much, makes a major difference in their health, strength, mental capability, length of life and usefulness. Those who, sadly, have not cared for themselves are often sickly and die before their time. Of course, only God knows how long every person will live, but Scripture points to healthy food as part of His blessing on us.

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 

Who forgives all thine iniquities, who heals all thy diseases. 

Who redeems thy life from destruction, who crowns thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies. 

Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5

The frequency of food highlighted in Scripture is surprising. Why the food so often? Which food? Is it just mentioned as a side-light or could it be more? The food God chose to use is worth living with.

And Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4) This Word is telling you something to live by.

Happiness does not arrive by satisfying our food cravings. But it can come from a confident plan for your life; like food that is the right nutrition for your body. Whether we think of comfort as a fast-food burger and fries, satisfying a sugar addiction, alcohol abuse or a drug habit it does not last. Consider that knowing the right way to live is first knowing Jesus, peace in your heart, then living well, eating what is good and caring for your spirit, soul, and body, this is a hope filled adventure. And “every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” is our hope.

Why is faith important when you think of the food you eat? There is a curious constancy in the way God uses important food in the Bible as a powerful blessing for his people. But only rarely does the Holy Spirit tell us why “I have brought you to a land flowing with milk and honey” is important. But you will see this phrase repeated throughout Scripture. What is there about milk? Or honey? Study these two foods and you might be surprised at their benefits. 

DO IT FOR YOU

 Now that I think about it, the seriousness of developing good health came early. My father was health-oriented way back. He was born in 1902. An athlete in Wheaton College, he told us he ate at “the training table.” Later he was the initiator for health as our family travelled the Country in Evangelistic work, singing and quoting Scripture. Our mother cooperated, though the Biblical recommendations for food (like real butter) cost more. The years since have powerfully strengthened my faith in this bottom line: the Bible is the ultimate authority for a healthy diet. Go to Scripture first when you have a question about a health regimen.

In the Old Testament God listed “clean” and “unclean” food in His Law given to Moses, (though in the New Testament food allowances changed). Early in the history of the world, Dietary Laws in the Bible were written  for whoever would listen. Later, God instructed Noah to take into the ark seven of every “kind” of clean animal and two of unclean: the “do not eat” animals.

As a teenager, I wondered about the “unclean animals” that were not good, or healthy to eat. Of course, the wild, vicious predators and bottom feeders were on the "unclean" list. We all know now that pigs eat anything and have one digestive system. Shellfish are bottom feeders. Lions and tigers are not on your common dinner table.

We have only one life. Your own spirit, soul and body are a worthy subject to experiment on as you learn how to live successfully. It can be your personal science study! But originated from the Holy Spirit; "...holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:21) 

FOOD IS NOT A GOD

Let not food be a god.

If it is a powerful comfort? You have a Comforter, The Holy Spirit. Jesus said to you and me, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever..." John 14:16.

Is food an escape from stress? Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29.

Is addiction to sugar, or fast food more important than learning how to care for your spirit, soul, and body. The Apostle Paul, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" I Corinthians 6:19.

It is exciting and motivating to obey and see! Understand by experience what Scripture means.

My challenge is coffee. Do I love it too much? I have prayed about it. When I awake in the night with a headache, after fasting coffee for a day, what is the reason? Sure, in this modern day, coffee has had positive press. If I fast it to pray and then I get a headache, am I addicted?

These challenges go to the core of who we are. My love for coffee with “Grass-fed” half and half added is an important part of my day. My husband and I have coffee together on the front porch every morning. Now that he is retired, so am I. Though I did not have a career that I retired from, my work was caring for our home, our children, my volunteer work at their school, my love for instructing aerobics at a gym, and more recently part time work in a women’s clothing establishment. Of course, writing. So, when Eric retired from thirty-five years as a Logistics Manager for the Government, I “retired” too. I enjoy the freedom his freedom brings to both of us.

Coffee time in our marriage brings us together: to connect, talk over, remember, plan, discuss Theology. So, when I realize that I feel better after having coffee, is coffee too important to me?

YOUR STORY

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 

Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” (Psalm 103:2-5).

This renewing physically comes from vitamins, minerals, proteins; the food created to renew us.

It makes sense that God would plan for the intricacies in our lives, including health. “So, God created mankind in His own image…” (Genesis 1:27). You will never find a mistake in the plan of the Bible. As you do your own research, by trial and error you will be on an adventure worth taking. Just as in nature intricate math in the heavens and the earth, the number of petals on flowers, herbs, trees, and leaves, all “declare the glory of God.” Likewise, the process of learning about the food your body thrives upon will be a science. The variety is astounding, nourishment is in all of it.

YOUR INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS

Your body is amazing. You are the only one like you: facial features, body structure, inherited strengths, and struggles, as you know. This is only referring to your body. Beyond this, your gifts, and abilities.

Scientists today understand the human body more than in the past. For instance, bloodletting is no longer a practice to “save lives.” Because of the complexity of our bodies, Physicians often become specialists of only one part of the body.

The body’s DNA is a map of sorts of your personhood.

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and all other organisms. Every cell in a person's body has the same DNA. Most DNA is in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA ormtDNA).

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/dna - Genetics

Faith and discernment apply here. You are different from every person who ever lived, so what you eat and drink either agrees with you or you might develop a reaction.

Eric, my husband of forty-nine years, and I sit on our front porch and have coffee every morning. With Eric’s retirement from the US NAVY, for the first time in our marriage we are free to spot birds, squirrels climbing the shade trees, flying things and our “pet” black stray cat. This morning Sand Cranes stopped by again, (so we named them Jachin and Boaz, pillars in the porch of the temple). They ate the Ezekiel Bread we tossed to them. Coffee time gives us connection as we begin our day. It is interesting that our neighbors who stop and chat sometimes talk about suffering from food related problems. We have had our own challenges.

When Eric had colon cancer in 2007 and I had breast cancer in 2013 we had an unexpected journey. We had done our best until then, eating as carefully as we knew how. Both of us exercised jogging and strength training. Before Eric traveled across town to work, for years we were going to a gym three times a week. Why did both of us have cancer? Intensity in me to become stronger only grew as I helped Eric, then he helped me through surgeries and chemotherapy. After this we continued with more focus and diligence than before; continuing to learn.

CHAPTER 1.FOOD BY FAITH

 

FOOD COMMENTS ARE THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE

 

“If You Don’t buy it, You Won’t Eat It”

 

“FOOD AND FAITH GO TOGETHER”

 

You can have a noticeable change in your health in ten days. It took Daniel, and his three friends that long to prove that “things grown” are effective quickly (in Daniel 1:12).

If food by faith is a new thought for you, think of this: the journey of your life is a one-time opportunity to do the best you can, to search for the most wisdom you can find. You can become physically, spiritually, mentally all God created you to be!

The variety provided by our Creator is vast, from cows and sheep to grains and watermelon, nuts, broccoli, and squash…how about a focus on our health!

If we believe in an all-wise Creator, eating the right food makes sense. He made everything to be for the wellbeing of all humanity: our welfare, health, and our eternal salvation. He poured love into our world through the life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, “The Way, the Truth and the Life….”

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Thessalonians 5:23). Sanctified means set apart. Let faith be an adventure.

START SOMEWHERE

For the first years of our marriage, and before I could afford to buy what I pleased in the grocery store, our three sons, Joshua, Josiah, and Zachariah were one to five. Eric was earning minimum wage as an Electrician’s Helper. My budget for food was $18.00 a week. I remember praying as I shopped and looked at the fruit and vegetable departments, “Lord, I cannot buy those big red apples. They are there and out of reach. Help me to be able to buy them.” It was up to God to provide, I knew. We were eating healthy low-cost food. The grapes and pears were expensive, too so I looked for fresh fruit on sale. Vegetables, cut and bagged were beautiful just to look at. But I got good at chopping and cutting, and often still do. Buying whole wheat flour from a friend who ground it fresh, and baking our bread was natural because my mother had baked whole wheat bread often for our family of ten. Also, I could afford to bake granola with whole oats, raisins, honey, butter, and olive oil. I bought whole grains and made bread. Meat was for flavor, beef, and chicken. I made whole wheat chocolate cake, oatmeal, and carrot cakes. The frosting, cooked on a double broiler with raw sugar and egg whites, then cream cheese added.

When the three boys went to school with their homemade bread sandwiches, it brought attention to their lunches. I did not slice the bread carefully. Their sandwiches were all huge, each one was unique; They ate mounds of natural peanut butter. I packed cut vegetables and fruit and bought granola bars for them.

One mistake was to make beef bologna sandwiches with mayonnaise. It was cheap. On a field trip our middle son, Josiah, had to put his head out the bus window and vomit. I stopped buying bologna. The chemicals in cold-cut meats had warned me through our son suffering with a sick stomach.

If you take notice, the Bible is a Guide to food. Look closely and you will discover it. Beginning with Adam and Eve God told them, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat..." Genesis 2:16. God later instructed Noah about food in Genesis 9. Later there were guidelines and provision for His people when they escaped slavery in Egypt, their food was specific. Forty years it was manna every morning from heaven in the wilderness. Now we know that the food for the Passover Feast was a figurative “picture” into the future: a lamb slain pictured of Jesus the Lamb of God. His blood shed for us, the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

“Hearken diligently…eat that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” (Isaiah 55:2). “Thy words were found, and I did eat them…” (Jeremiah 15:16).

Food is traditionally part of connection to God, whether it is the Passover in the Old Testament or Communion with bread and wine in the New Testament. As a Christian our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit: this food is part of our worship of God.

WHEN FOOD IS PART OF THE STORY

In Exodus Twelve it is lamb or goat eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs just before the Israelites were “led by Moses” out of bondage in Egypt. (It sounds good to me!) In the New Testament bread and wine (described in I Corinthians Eleven) is part of our personal worship of God. Jesus began this worship when he took bread,"...and gave thanks, and break it, and gave to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.’" Luke 22:19

How you have decided to live every day is how your life and health will develop and progress. It is from these endless decisions.

If you begin with faith in God and the Bible then you believe that the God Who created the world and everything in it, the One who formed your personhood and very breath of life, has a Plan for you. (From the beginning of Creation God shows Himself to be the Great Planner). He cares about what you eat. Your health matters. The food that is good matters to God.

You have freewill and decision-making power. This makes all the difference in life and health and your future. Look to Scripture for wisdom to integrate into every area of your life. “You will show me the path of life…” Psalm 16:11. It is a promise.

The Creator of the heavens and the earth gives this admonition. Jesus, “It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke 4:4.

FOOD BY FAITH PREFACE

 

Instruction for Health and Nutrition is all through the Bible.

There is good news. Are you ready? All our food can be good, healthful, nourishing, energizing. It is there, coming from the earth, the trees, the vine, coming from rain from heaven. But of late, if we have been hurting ourselves because we are taking the “wide road” with devitalized food.  Why just quick and easy? Why processed food, chemical additives, and addictions? It is making us unhealthy, sick; making us less than we want to be and can be. There is another way.

This “other way” has been a profound subject for me, almost too high, too broad, and too deep. At the same time, the worthiness and fascination of it calls me. It has been a lifelong interest. I believe this “Way” because the Bible is correct in every respect about spiritual food and physical food. What has been inspiring as I study the subject is that one type of food (spiritual) teaches about the other type (physical).

The Bible has profoundly influenced my life. From the first day I was born, and every day thereafter, my father and mother and their family of eight children read the Bible aloud together. Seven siblings and I learned to read this way. It influenced me, even before I realized, it directed my life. By my twenties, my health pursuits became an adventure primarily because of Scripture.

At one point I traveled to Texas. I could type well and got a job at Link-Temco-Vought (LTV) in Dallas. There all the ways of the culture came up, including food and alcohol. Instead of going rogue, I decided to follow the Bible already planted in my head and heart. My spirit, soul and body needed to be fed. I saw good food described in Scripture.  For example, Ezekiel’s bread. God told Ezekiel, "Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof..." (Ezekiel 4:9). Food is also figurative, "And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35).

The Bible has vital information about food and health sprinkled all the way through. We can go to it with certainty that here is dependable wisdom and knowledge because our Creator designed it all. It is the “bottom line” in nutritional wisdom. Believe this with me.

The more you learn about real and nutritious food, and the value to your health, the more you will enjoy it. Get it into your head and heart. Once convinced, eating knowledgably, eating wisely becomes a habit. Habitually eat what is good, you will soon look forward to it, even crave it. Grab salted almonds or a crisp apple and cheddar cheese or grapes. Two pieces of Ezekiel Bread, available in grocery stores (freezer section), with butter heated in the microwave for 30 seconds, then honey added, with it a half cup of grass-fed milk is one effective way to begin the day. You and your body are happy.

"And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the land." (Isaiah 7:22).

Put together an aromatic loaf of whole wheat bread for yourself in little more than an hour (see Chapter two). Make beef meatloaf with old fashioned oats, onion, and salt. Healthy things become desirable. Our daughter in law, Roxy wanted her birthday cake to be Oatmeal Cake. Whole wheat blonde brownies with whip cream are good. All the desserts have whole wheat flour, butter or olive oil, maple syrup or raw sugar.

All of us desire good health, satisfying food for our spirit, soul, and body. Is this physical or figurative? The Holy Spirit calls to us in Isaiah 55:1: "Ho, every one that thirsts, come to the waters, and he that has no money; come, buy, and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfies not? hearken diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." (Isaiah 55:1,2).

Finding what is healthy and good and pleasing to God, and you, are what this book is about. Feeling better. Looking better. Being wise. By achieving goals of weight, physical endurance and knowledge, this pursuit has been an adventure.

FEEDING YOUR SPIRIT:  THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BIBLE. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” (Jeremiah 15:16).

There are times that I have gone to the Bible late at night, hungering for encouragement and comfort. "For the word of God is quick, (alive) and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12). “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4).

FEEDING YOUR SOUL: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7) “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Love. The powerful pursuit so intricately connected with relationship to God and healthy relationships with our neighbor.

FEEDING YOUR BODY: The person you are deserves your best effort to nurture, to strengthen and feed in this one life you are living this side of heaven.

There are “voices” claiming to have the best, most authoritative health regimen. My recommendation is as you study any of them hold Scripture up as the first consideration. It is the final authority.

“What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6:19,20).