"Let food be your medicine, and medicine your food." Hippocrates
With Thanksgiving only 3 days away the holidays are officially upon us! Although
Thursday is a day for feasting and giving thanks it's important to remember that flu season and
New Year's resolutions are right around the corner too. In order to keep your immune system
in tip-top shape, go ahead and indulge in a bit of pumpkin pie but remember to eat some real
food too. Not only will you feel better and strengthen your body against the flu you won't
outgrow your clothes in the next six weeks either.
With a food system and dietary guidelines that promote obesity and actively prevents optimal health by restricting critical nutrients, is it any wonder Americans are struggling? If you're at all concerned about your health, nutrition is paramount, and you’re simply not going to get what you need from a boxed concoction of processed ingredients.
So, first and foremost, you have to realize that a healthy diet equates to fresh whole, preferably organic foods, and foods that have been minimally processed. I advise spending 90 percent of your food budget on whole foods, and only 10 percent (or less) on processed foods. If the food meets the following criteria, it would fall under the designation of "real food," which is the very foundation of good health:
- It's grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers (organic foods fit this description, but so do some non-organic foods)
- It's not genetically engineered
- It contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs
- It does not contain any artificial ingredients, including chemical preservatives
- It is fresh. I prefer lettuce, kale, and other produce not in plastic bags. Although they take a bit more prep time, they are cheaper and usually fresher.
- It did not come from a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)
- It is grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors)
- It is grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants)
If you want to stay fit and keep healthy in body, mind and soul you must respect and honor your body by feeding it real food. Real food is food that is closest to the way that God made it. It is nutrient dense and thus more satiating than "fake" fast, processed food. Once you start eating real food you will stop craving so much junk food and your waistline will show it too! Remember...
"Your body is the temple of the holy spirit" 1 Corinthians 6:19
Have some fun on Thanksgiving. Eat "stuff" that's not on your normal daily menu. Get back into good habits by Monday by resisting all that junk that comes to your office or is delivered to your house over the next several weeks. Use discipline and restraint. Your body, your mind, and your soul will be healthier for it and you'll be happier too.
Join me and my husband, Dr. Robert A. Schuller on the 15th of each and every month at 6pm Pacific time for "The Call". During our hour together we explore different topics from a Christian perspective and help pass along great information about body, mind, and soul health. To access the call just dial 530-881-1300 The access code is 642848# * Make sure you call at 6pm Pacific time and only on the 15th of each month.
Yes Donna REAL food and I think we begin the transition from Boxed prepared heat and serve to healthy by making meal plans and making time to cook! We are so caught up in overbooking ourselves, we have lost the pleasure of preparing the ingreediants, perhaps having the children shell the peas, make a salad, adults start the slow cooker, whatever. The Grandchildren can set the table with condiments salad bowls and water glasses, perhaps. I think too, a weekly family homemade soup or casseroles ready to use through the week will be a good plan. With leftovers from Thanksgiving, it is a great time to have a fridge with bowls of real food, carrots, peas, cranberry sauce ready!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving Anerican cousins....J-M in Canada