Choose Life!

Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live...

One of the greatest gifts we have been given is the ability to choose. It not only separates us from all other living creatures, but is one way in which we are created in the image of our Heavenly Father (Genesis 1:27).

We can choose to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord or live life on our own terms. We can choose to follow God's nutritional principles or we can eat whatever junk strikes our fancy. We can make rest and exercise part of our daily routine or we can burn the candle at both ends and be world class couch potatoes! Regardless of our choices one thing is certain and unchanging one hundred percent of the time - we will most definitely reap whatever we sow.

That being said, how can we make life enhancing choices? In the area of nutrition, the efficiency and health of our digestive system is critical. It's so true that we only benefit from the food we actually digest and assimilate. You can eat pounds of organic fruits and vegetables and take handfuls of supplements, but if your body cannot use the nutrients they contain, it does you no good. One easy way to choose life is to supplement with probiotics. The word "probiotic" actually means in favor of (pro) life (bio)! A healthy digestive system should contain several pounds of these friendly, life-giving organisms. The most common, well-known probiotic is acidophilus, the live bacteria culture usually found in yogurt. Probiotics are also readily found in other fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut and miso.

Choosing life doesn't have to be complicated. We can begin with our nutrition and digestion by doing the following:
Using a good probiotic supplement to replenish our reserves;
Avoiding unnecessary use of antibiotics (which actually means "against life"!) and
other over-the-counter and prescription drugs;
Using digestive enzymes to help our bodies more fully utilize the nutrients in
in our foods; and
Avoiding or severely limiting sugar and empty processed foods.

When we eat whole foods - nutrient dense, natural foods the way God created them, we are choosing life! And that choice doesn't only impact us and our health, the consequences extend to our children as well. They develop the eating habits that we teach them. They also tend to repeat what we do. It is our responsibility as parents to model the right habits. By choosing life for ourselves with these simple choices, it may just be the difference between life and death for our children as well.