We all lead generally very busy lives. Time is a precious commodity and not an inexhaustible resource. Demands on time can include and are not limited to; church, work, school, family and the list goes on. Most of these demands however represent a choice based on wants and needs.The choices we make on what to spend our time on also represent what we value. Values can become a part of our lives by instruction we receive and accept, or experientially by circumstances that we encounter throughout our lives. Decisions we make that result in some type of action on our part are the summation of how we spend our waking hours. To summarize, in short, we act on what we value the most.
Our health is no different in that when we prioritize in our daily lives, it can receive the attention in requires. Due to our busy lives we tend to disconnect from the realities of our body’s needs until we get sick or injured. This type of thinking and approach to health is dangerous. Accepting certain facts about the boundaries and possibilities of our existence can become the basis by which we determine what we would allow or disallow into the scope of our lives. For example, because we realize that there is a cause and effect relationship with what we eat and how it affects our body, we choose healthy foods instead of unhealthy ones, because we realize unhealthy food choices can compromise our health and lead to disease and death. Whatever your religious persuasion or beliefs, there are some immutable laws that we are all governed by, one of which is our physicality. We are living beings, which require nutritional sustenance, water and periods of rest to maintain physical viability. The quantity and nutritional quality of the food we ingest directly and proportionately affect all of the body’s major systems of which we are comprised.
Our bodies systems are interconnected and affect one another for good or bad based on how we maintain/sustain ourselves. This basic understanding of human physiology can be helpful when determining our preferred choices of food for consumption.
Our body’s require macro and micronutrients. Water, protein, carbohydrates and fats are considered macro nutrients, so termed “macro” because a large amount of these nutrients are required by the body. Vitamins and minerals, while important, are termed “micro” nutrients because comparatively they are required by the body in smaller amounts. Making food choices based on the body’s daily requirements versus solely on the basis of taste can be challenging at best. In today’s society food choices are generally made by influence of commercials, catchy slogans and colorful food packaging.
Often times ingredients are rarely thought about or referenced. We are generally governed by taste and emotional pleasure with little or no reference to nutritional quality or the daily needs of our body. This is one major reason why we get sick. Food production (specifically processed food) is a business and should be seen as such. Profit is paramount for businesses to grow and thrive. Taste and promises of emotional pleasure from eating a business’s food are the means by which a business will advertise to a consumer. Processed food is exactly that, processed.Natural food has been altered to prevent spoiling and increase shelf life. Preservatives by definition is a substance used to preserve foodstuffs, wood, or other materials against decay. Certain preservatives however are chemical based and not safe for consumption over time, and can lead to serious health problems. Additives also by definition, is a substance added to something in small quantities, typically to improve or preserve it, “many foods contain chemical additives”.
Whole natural foods that supply the body’s macro nutrient and micro nutrient needs are best. Food in its raw natural state contain the greatest amount of nutrients i.e. salad, vegetables, and fruits. Nuts and grains provide needed minerals, while beans and legumes provide protein. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables also address carbohydrate needs. Your body is like an engine, when you give it what it needs it runs smoothly and functions as desired and expected. Good health alone while beneficial is insufficient as a witness if it does not represent a choice connected to our Savior. God provided us with direction on what we should eat to sustain us because He loves us. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Genesis 1:29. Adherence to God’s instructions as it relates to our food can be a powerful witnessing tool and lessen the risk of injurious health conditions.
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore, he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel 1:8
“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.” Daniel 1:12
“So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.” Daniel 1:14-15
Let’s all take God’s guidance and Daniel’s example as our instruction set in health counsel, obedience and witness. Let us all make a conscious step in the right direction to improve our health and our witness for God.
“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? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20