In American culture, food plays a prominent role.  Unfortunately, so do obesity and poor nutrition.  So is food a blessing or a curse?  It can be both……………but it doesn’t need to be!

Many years ago, Benjamin Franklin said “To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.”  We are finally coming around to this truth again with the concept of intermittent fasting.  The internet is full of different applications of this concept, but basically it involves condensing your eating hours into a finite portion of your day.  Very simple!  It eliminates the 24/7 grazing!  You schedule your meals so that there is enough time between dinner one night and breakfast the next morning for your body to attend to needed functions besides digestion.

It takes about 4-6 hours for your stomach to empty (or clean up) after a meal.  Every bite you eat affects your body, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill.  However, when you are constantly processing and storing food, there is no chance for organizing and repair work.  Think about your kitchen… if groceries were constantly being dropped off with no time to put them where they go,  your shelves would soon be in disarray.  It is like that with your body.  There needs to be time when your body is able to focus on other needed functions – muscle building, cell surveillance, autophagy (more on this later), etc.

So if you are a nibbler or a grazer, try to leave AT LEAST 12 hours between the last time you take a bite today and the next time you take a bite tomorrow!  This can help if you  are struggling with obesity, fatigue, or poor health of some variety.   Consider letting your food be part of your health or medical regimen.  Supply healthy nutrients, but ALSO supply rest periods for your stomach and digestive track.

A HEALTHY DIET STARTS WITH SETTING LIMITS –   GOOD NUTRITION INVOLVES TIMES WHEN YOU EAT HEALTHY AND TIMES WHEN YOU DON’T EAT AT ALL!

This world is not my home.  That is a line from an old hymn, but it is hitting home now, because the world feels a lot less like home.  Yesterday, I ventured to a nearby town, which is something I used to really enjoy.  But the covid pandemic has changed our environment and  the world seems a lot less friendly.  People’s faces are covered.  The Xs on floors remind you not to get to close.  So I ran my one errand and hurried back home, wondering at myself and feeling out of sorts.  Why do I feel like I do?

It helps to take long walks  it helps to hear the birds in the morning.  It helps to realize that God is still sovereign and the things that turn my attention to him have not changed.  A beautiful sunrise or sunset is still His handiwork, and is still just as enjoyable, or more so because of less air pollution.

I guess it is a good thing, in a backward way, that the world seems less like home.  I guess I was too comfortable at it being my home in the first place.  We are not going to live here forever anyway.  We all go to an eternal home eventually.  All of this talk about percentages of deaths from Covid misses one huge point.  The real death rate has always been 100%, and none of us ever know when our time on earth is up, and none of us is really in control.  Good to know.  Good to remember.

So, I will try to focus on permanent things that do not change in this fickle world.  God is real.   God is love.  God made me and He made everyone else.  All of his creation needs Him.  Everyone of us is a needy and dependent mess away from our creator, no matter how we posture.  And He created us to have relationships with each other.  That will never change.  We are not meant to be alone, risk of virus and death or not.

This world doesn’t feel like home.  But then it is only my temporary dwelling place. I will try to fix my thoughts on what is lasting… a short list.

1 – My Savior and my relationship with Him.  He has promised never to leave me.

2 – Friends and family and anyone who crosses my path, even 6 feet away.  I cannot help the physical distance but they all need, like I do, a human touch and love.  Each of us is created for eternity.

3 – and….guess that’s it.  That is what I need to focus on.  Everything else is not permanent anyway.

There is a saying given to us in God’s word that is worth deeply thinking about in our current world crisis.

It goes like this………. the “fear of death” makes us “subject to lifelong slavery”.   That is is Hebrews 2:15.  Our current situation shows how easily a “fear of death” can be used to change decades of entrenched behavior.  Perhaps the recent changes will be for good.  I do not know.  But it is obvious that it is relatively easy to influence and change the behavior of masses of people through fear, whether for good or ill.

The current world has always been full of frustration and futility.  As old King Solomon said, it is “an unhappy business” and “vanity of vanities”.  A “striving after the wind”.  “What is crooked cannot be made straight and what is lacking cannot be counted.”  Weariness.  But there is a remedy.  Only one remedy, but a glorious one.  There is more to this life than this life!

 It is Easter weekend…. a time to celebrate the remedy!  Christ Jesus has destroyed death, and has brought life and immortality to light.  He died.  He rose again.  He gives a new and different life.  An eternal life that we get to start living here on this temporary earth.

This Easter weekend, we do not need to cower in fear.  We need to live each day “under the sun” in this frustrating, futile world remembering that this world will end.  Whether it is through climate change, or nuclear holocaust, or some other means, again, I do not know.  But God’s word makes it clear that at some time He will end the current world.  A new era will begin.

 The absolute futility of our current world will be a thing of the past.  As Christians, we are instructed not to live for this world anyway.  We have an eternal and glorious future on a new earth with God as the rightful ruler.  So let’s remember this.  He is also our rightful ruler here and now.  He is still in charge and has told us that things like our current situation will happen…and worse…before He sets things right.  Our priority should be to be used by God to rescue others we love so they will enjoy a glorious future in eternity also.

In the book of Exodus (15:6), God says to the Israelites  “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”  For those who believe that God is sovereign, this affirms that God is in charge of where viruses go.   BUT, we also know that God does not operate out of evil motives, like we sometimes do.  He is not vindictive.  Even God’s punishments are meant to be corrective.  So what lessons should His people be learning from the covid-19 pandemic?

We need to start with what we know to be true.  God’s word clearly teaches that He cares for us.  That would include our physical needs, as Jesus made evident by healing many of the sick while He was on earth.  But God also makes it clear that our spiritual condition and our relationship to Him is of far more importance.  Our soul is of far more importance to Him than our body, as one is temporary and one is eternal.  We are to value our own soul more, also.  Hence He tells us “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”  If an enemy of the body, like Covid 19, caused people to turn to God, there would be net profit in that.

We who know the Lord are to be His hands and feet while we abide on this earth.  Since Jesus went about doing good for others and healing, then so should we.  We are to consider our neighbors out of love and use our resources to help.  No Christian should hoard needed items.  No Christian should protect only themself, but should work for the good of their entire community.  What can we do to help?  Covid 19 is causing many kinds of hurt, not just physical illness.  Can we call someone lonely?  Can we support a struggling business in some way?  There are opportunities to do good.

Finally, perhaps, this pandemic will remind us that created human beings are not really in control.  There is a Sovereign and infinite creator who loves us enough to remind us of our need for Him.  As bad as Covid 19 is, there could be far less gentle reminders of this truth.  We would be wise to humbly reevaluate our lives.

I liked this quote from the WallStreet Journal’s editorial page on March 24.  Lance Morrow, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, wrote “Have faith.  Prayer is a strong fortification.  Prayer expresses purity of heart-vulnerability, fear, hope, longing.  At a time like this, it arises from a platform of humility, a virtue almost extinct in the West.  The coronavirus may bring it back.”

You have heard it said, “we are what we eat.”  To a certain extent, that is true.  And if there is a substance that EVERY single cell in your body is dependent on, then that substance is of extreme importance. Well,  PROTEIN is that substance. It is like oxygen that way.  We can’t live without it.  None of our cells can live without it.  Because of this, however, many people have come to believe they need a lot of protein in their diet.  In fact, we only need for 10-12% of our caloric intake to be protein.  We often actually get too much, putting extra strain on our liver and kidneys, as they must work harder to clear unused protein molecules.

Why is it that we don’t need more protein if it is so important? Every protein molecule is made up of amino acids, the BUILDING BLOCKS of our human abodes.  One of the reasons we don’t need as much protein as you would think, however, is that we are excellent recyclers.  As we grow and maintain tissues, we are constantly breaking down protein molecules and then reusing parts to rebuild.   A man who weighs 150 pounds will break down and synthesize 400 grams of protein every day.  Our body just reuses parts from it’s demolition projects.  Very cool!

Protein is made up of amino acids.  There are 20 amino acids we have to have.  Nine of these we have to get from food, because we cannot manufacture them.  The other 11 amino acids we can produce if we come up short.

Listed below are the 9 essential and 11 nonessential amino acids:

      ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS                      Continue reading→

There is a world of controversy regarding dietary fats.  For years we were told to eat a low fat diet, but numerous studies have shown that was faulty advice.  The consensus now is that you do NOT need to limit your intake of fat but you DO need to be careful about the quality of the fat you eat.

Fat is necessary for cooking, for making spreads, sauces, and dressings, and it definitely can make food taste better.  There is a lot of difference, however, between types of fats.  Some keep you healthy and some make it more likely you will end up in a doctor’s office.

The biggest type of fat to avoid is TRANS FAT.  This is a fat that has been altered by partial hydrogenation in order to produce a fat that is malleable and is a solid at room temperature, but will also melt easily.  It will raise your bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower your good cholesterol (HDL) and is not considered to be safe. In 2018 the World Health Organization took steps to begin to eliminate it from the global food supply.   However, it is still found in a lot of commercial baked goods, in stick margarine, in many fast foods that are deep fried, and in some street vendor foods.  If you are in a grocery store, look at the ingredient list and if you see the words “partially hydrogenated” put it back on the shelf.

So what fats SHOULD you keep in your kitchen?  For starters, you want a supply of  minimally processed plant oils.   These can include extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin avocado oil.  Avocado oil, especially, has a high smoke point and therefore is great for pan frying.  Other examples of healthy oils include soybean oil and canola oil, helpful in baking.

Though they are harder to find and may be more expensive, it is better to  purchase oils extracted by “cold pressing” rather than those extracted using solvents.  Though the solvents are removed, traces may remain and the health effects of the solvents are unknown.

So….research continues……….and more information will become known over time, but for now it is felt that minimally processed plant oils will tend to help DECREASE your risk of heart disease.  They will help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise HDL (good cholesterol) …… good to keep in mind when planning menus for next week!

Remember these few TAKE HOME POINTS.

1.  don’t limit fats – it does not prevent disease or make you thin
2.  avoid trans fats (avoid “partially hydrogenated” in the list of ingredients)
3. aim for fats high in monounsaturated or polyunstaturated fatty acids
4. The jury is still out on dairy fats
5.  GOOD oils include extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin avocado oil, soybean oil, and canola oil
6. Good “fatty” foods include tree nuts and fatty fish

My last blog stressed the importance of eating unprocessed food as much as possible.  One of the reasons for this is that when a food is processed, much of the fiber is removed.  It is interesting that most dietary fiber is neither digested nor absorbed!  So why is it so important? It remains in the digestive tract and modulates the digestion of the rest of the food that you eat.

Fiber can be soluble (will dissolve in water) or insoluble.   It affects the consistency of stool, bulking it and making it softer so that it will move more easily through the digestive tract.  It is recommended to get 20-35 grams of fiber daily, but most Americans get nowhere near that amount.  That is a shame since it has been shown to be protective against heart disease, stroke, diabetes and colon cancer.  It helps to prevent constipation and hemorrhoids.  And if you already have diabetes, fiber will help control your blood sugar.

One cup of brown rice (a whole grain) has 3.5 grams of fiber.

One cup of white rice (bran and germ removed) has only 0.6 grams.                      

One slice of whole wheat bread has 1.9 grams of fiber.   

One slice of white bread only has 0.6 grams. 

One medium apple has 4.4 grams of fiber

One cup of apple juice only has 0.5 grams 

So load your plate with lots of beans, fruit, vegetables and grains!  Do a fiber count on what you typically eat in a day and try to get in that 20 to 35 gram range.  Just be careful to increase the fiber in your diet slowly.  If you are not used to eating a lot of fiber your body will need to adjust!

And finally, if you use fiber supplements, be aware that they may contain wood products (“tree fiber”, saw dust).

As always, it is best to get what you need from REAL FOOD!

THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR………INCLUDING……..

1. THE MAJESTY OF A THOUSAND TWINKLING STARS……AND THE COMFORT OF ELECTRIC LIGHT THAT HIDES THEM
2. THE WARMTH OF THE SUN’S RAYS…….AND THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE THAT PROTECTS
3. MOUNTAINTOPS…………………TO VIEW THE VALLEY
4. THE INTRICACY AND IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY OF A SINGLE BACTERIUM………AND THE UNFATHOMABLE VASTNESS OF THE UNIVERSE
5. THE DEARNESS OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS……………….EACH UNIQUE AND SO WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE
6. THE ABILITY TO PONDER AND CREATE AND DISCOVER…………………BECAUSE I’M MADE IN THE IMAGE OF MY CREATOR (Proverbs 25:2)
7. AWARENESS OF MY SINFULNESS AND INDEBTEDNESS……………..AND FOR “PAID IN FULL” FORGIVENESS
8. FREEDOM AND THE HOPE OF PEACE, HARMONY, COMPLETENESS AND TRANQUILITY………SHALOM
9. THE TENT I’M IN………………AND THE HOUSE THAT AWAITS ME (2Corinthians 5:1)
10. AND ETERNAL LIFE ……John 17:3 says ” THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE, THAT THEY KNOW YOU, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND JESUS CHRIST, WHOM YOU HAVE SENT”

It seems Americans are losing two precious traits as a people.  We are losing the ability to LISTEN to one another…and we are losing the ability to ENDURE.  Most of us, no matter where we are from, have in our lineage ancestors of whom we are proud because of what they endured and overcame.  A man or woman who persevered through a tough time and not only survived, but came out better for it.  We admire them.  It is an honor to have them on our family tree!  We learn by listening to their stories and are inspired to do hard things ourselves.

So where is that toughness today?   There are a lot of voices promising us easy roads ahead.  Only a few are warning of clouds and rain.  We are a country divided, and yet it doesn’t seem to bother us.   We aren’t interested in hearing why someone who disagrees with us believes the way they do.  We won’t endure hearing them out.  We would rather have our ears scratched by listening to those who see things from our point of view.  I believe in truth, and am not saying that there aren’t some ways that are right and others that are wrong.  I am just saying, that as a people, I don’t think we are seeking truth anymore.  We refuse to endure sound teaching.  We accumulate for ourselves teachers who suit our own passions.  We would rather believe a myth that suits us than endure learning a truth that doesn’t.  We want the easy way.