Genesis 1:29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed: to you it shall be for food.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things; hold fast to what is good.
I did an email to subscribers of my website last week about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, specifically aspartame and sucralose (Nutrasweet and Splenda). One reader raised a question. I mentioned that aspartame breaks down in the body into methanol (wood alcohol), formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and Phenylalanine. This reader noticed that this same substance (phenylalanine) is also listed as an ingredient in his whey protein and was concerned that this could create problems. I appreciate questions like this!
Phenylalanine is an amino acid - a building block of protein. That is why it is an ingredient in whey protein, as well as chicken, eggs or other sources of protein. However, in these real foods it is found in combination and proper ratio with the other amino acids. In diet soda, this synthetic chemical breaks down and there is a large amount of just this amino acid. The warning on the label is for people who lack the necessary enzyme to process and digest it. Since people drink large amounts of diet soda, this can pose a health risk (aside from just consuming diet soda itself!) Most people do not consume liters of whey protein daily. And if you lack this enzyme, you would have to monitor all your protein consumption as well - not just what is found in diet soda.
This illustrates the principle I advocate - eat your food in a form as close to how God created it as possible and you can't go wrong! There have been other, similar instances where people are misled. For example, years ago a study, commissioned by the cereal industry, said eggs raise cholesterol and should be limited. Those results have been disproved. That study used powdered (synthetic, artificial) eggs, not real, fresh, whole eggs which are a nearly perfect food! More recent studies have refuted those findings and show real eggs do not raise cholesterol.
Let's look at synthetic vitamin C as opposed to natural sources of vitamin c - the synthetic form has been shown to suppress immune function whereas natural sources do just the opposite.
Studies using synthetic vitamin E were shown to be harmful to heart health whereas natural sources of vitamin E are extremely heart protective and should not be avoided.
So, whenever you question some nutritional information you read - be sure to dig a bit deeper - and find the real truth. You can't go wrong when you keep it real - the Father says so!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Let There Be Light!
Genesis 1:3, 4 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good...
That phrase really jumped out at me and I realized that we can so easily skim over it as we've heard it so many times. We can miss how really profound it is. God did not create anything simply for the sake of doing "something." Everything He does has a purpose and function and light is no exception.
Light is critical to every aspect of a truly vibrant, healthy life of wholeness. Light as it relates to your soul (your mind, will and emotions) can mean revealing, bringing to light thoughts, attitudes, beliefs or feelings we may need to change. When people are deprived of light, depression sets in. So many people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the darker winter months.
Spiritually, light means revelation, an opening of the understanding or "spiritual eyes" to truth. To be able to see things with more than simply your physical eyes since this material, physical life is but a very small part of our total life as God created it.
Without light physically we cannot live. God chose this planet earth because it is exactly the right distance from the sun. Without sunlight we simply could not exist. Sunlight produces chlorophyll in plant life, which absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen into the atmosphere - without which we die!
Sunlight produces Vitamin D in our skin, which is being furiously researched right now. All these years of sunscreen use has caused severe Vitamin D deficiencies in most of us which is believed to be a link to the increased incidence of major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Light is energy. We know some homes are actually heated and run on solar power. We can also experience physical healing when exposed to different types of light - for instance infrared, UV and red light. Different colors in the light spectrum have healing effects. You usually only get to see the full color spectrum in light when you experience a rainbow - another of God's amazing gifts to us.
For now, take time to really appreciate this gift of light and consider all its benefits. You can't help but praise God. A simple thing like having light each day is so easy to take for granted. But let's not.
That phrase really jumped out at me and I realized that we can so easily skim over it as we've heard it so many times. We can miss how really profound it is. God did not create anything simply for the sake of doing "something." Everything He does has a purpose and function and light is no exception.
Light is critical to every aspect of a truly vibrant, healthy life of wholeness. Light as it relates to your soul (your mind, will and emotions) can mean revealing, bringing to light thoughts, attitudes, beliefs or feelings we may need to change. When people are deprived of light, depression sets in. So many people struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the darker winter months.
Spiritually, light means revelation, an opening of the understanding or "spiritual eyes" to truth. To be able to see things with more than simply your physical eyes since this material, physical life is but a very small part of our total life as God created it.
Without light physically we cannot live. God chose this planet earth because it is exactly the right distance from the sun. Without sunlight we simply could not exist. Sunlight produces chlorophyll in plant life, which absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen into the atmosphere - without which we die!
Sunlight produces Vitamin D in our skin, which is being furiously researched right now. All these years of sunscreen use has caused severe Vitamin D deficiencies in most of us which is believed to be a link to the increased incidence of major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Light is energy. We know some homes are actually heated and run on solar power. We can also experience physical healing when exposed to different types of light - for instance infrared, UV and red light. Different colors in the light spectrum have healing effects. You usually only get to see the full color spectrum in light when you experience a rainbow - another of God's amazing gifts to us.
For now, take time to really appreciate this gift of light and consider all its benefits. You can't help but praise God. A simple thing like having light each day is so easy to take for granted. But let's not.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
What Are You Growing?
John 12:24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
While this scripture is referring to the spiritual aspect of sowing seed, I find it relates very clearly to our physical health as well. Seeds are dormant until they are planted and given the proper environment in which to grow and flourish. You can keep an envelope of seeds for years and they'll never change into anything else.
Once you take those seeds and plant them into nutrient rich soil, water them regularly and let them get daily sunlight, the potential that was always resident within that seed is released and enabled to grow and flourish.
It works in much the same way in our bodies. Everyone has cancer cells in their bodies. They are dormant. As long as you provide a health-producing environment by feeding your body with nutrient-dense, whole foods, drinking clean water, getting fresh air, sleep and exercise, then those cells remain dormant.
However, the potential for disease exists within you. You are exposed to germs and viruses on a constant, daily basis. If your inner ecology is weakened - from lack of sleep, or synthetic, toxic food additives and environmental chemicals, or malnourished with fake, packaged junk "food" that doesn't provide any nutritional value - then any number of these rogue cells has found the environment it needs to take hold and grow.
Every day you have the opportunity to create an environment of health within yourself. When you do, the seeds you consciously sow - sleep, real food, water - are enabled to grow and you become strong and healthy. However, if you neglect your inner ecology and let it get overrun with garbage in the form of junk food, sodas and drugs, then those dormant disease seeds are sparked into life. It won't take much for them to take hold. Now, it may not happen quickly. In fact, it almost never does. Researchers tell us it takes many, many years for a cancer to grow to the point when it is diagnosed.
The diagnosis may come about quickly - but the disease was in the making for years. Don't think just because you look good and feel pretty well, that you can just continue smoking or eating fast food every day or never exercising and you will stay healthy. Just as a dormant volcano can erupt at any time, those dormant disease seeds can be activated if you provide the proper environment.
Begin today to clean up your inner environment and prevent those bad seeds from taking root!
It is so much easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it.
While this scripture is referring to the spiritual aspect of sowing seed, I find it relates very clearly to our physical health as well. Seeds are dormant until they are planted and given the proper environment in which to grow and flourish. You can keep an envelope of seeds for years and they'll never change into anything else.
Once you take those seeds and plant them into nutrient rich soil, water them regularly and let them get daily sunlight, the potential that was always resident within that seed is released and enabled to grow and flourish.
It works in much the same way in our bodies. Everyone has cancer cells in their bodies. They are dormant. As long as you provide a health-producing environment by feeding your body with nutrient-dense, whole foods, drinking clean water, getting fresh air, sleep and exercise, then those cells remain dormant.
However, the potential for disease exists within you. You are exposed to germs and viruses on a constant, daily basis. If your inner ecology is weakened - from lack of sleep, or synthetic, toxic food additives and environmental chemicals, or malnourished with fake, packaged junk "food" that doesn't provide any nutritional value - then any number of these rogue cells has found the environment it needs to take hold and grow.
Every day you have the opportunity to create an environment of health within yourself. When you do, the seeds you consciously sow - sleep, real food, water - are enabled to grow and you become strong and healthy. However, if you neglect your inner ecology and let it get overrun with garbage in the form of junk food, sodas and drugs, then those dormant disease seeds are sparked into life. It won't take much for them to take hold. Now, it may not happen quickly. In fact, it almost never does. Researchers tell us it takes many, many years for a cancer to grow to the point when it is diagnosed.
The diagnosis may come about quickly - but the disease was in the making for years. Don't think just because you look good and feel pretty well, that you can just continue smoking or eating fast food every day or never exercising and you will stay healthy. Just as a dormant volcano can erupt at any time, those dormant disease seeds can be activated if you provide the proper environment.
Begin today to clean up your inner environment and prevent those bad seeds from taking root!
It is so much easier to prevent disease than it is to cure it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
