27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. "
Dear family in the Lord!
As I am writing this I am watching the snow fall outside, leaving the cars, the parking lot and the street of our gym covered with a white blanket. The white surface makes everything look clean and shiny. How romantic! I want to sit in front of a cozy fire, hold a hot beverage in my hands and pretend to be a tamed version of the cookie monster (that is if people are around). Yes, I say "pretend", because when I start with one cookie I am undergoing the shocking transformation from a civilized upright walking adult to a blue furry garbage can. What has happened to me and why am I suspicious of a "white surface"?
Well, for one I am from Germany. Our chocolate, ice cream or cookies aren't only sweet treats. They evolved into their own form of art. Coming to America has meant getting used to a different kind of sweetness, a constant plasticy by-taste, a bold sweetness that caused me various migraine attacks, gaining 10 pounds in two months, suddenly facing health issue... When I returned to Germany from 2 months in Canada a few years ago my Doctor about fell over because of the drastic changes I went through.
When I moved to the US I was on guard for all that FDA approved junk! I told my self to work on discipline and work out. Well, I needed my Chiropractor to tell me that I will not see breakthrough in my pursuit to health or losing those "last 5 lbs" if I keep up my sugar intake. Did you know that sugar (and soy) isn't only in sweet treats, but even in canned soup, prepared meals, deli, salad dressing, dairy products, grain products, fruits or vegetable drinks, and the list goes on. By the way, high fructose corn syrup counts as one of the worst representatives of refined sugar. No matter what TV says.
Let me give you on a site note another idea of my so frequently mentioned father: When my parents came to visit for the first time my father treated me as someone to worry about, because I moved to the US only to become someone worried about what I'm eating. He was worried about me. After three weeks on their own little camper trip through the US he was flabbergasted when he told me that he now understands my concerns and he can't believe how hard it is to find a prepared product without "enriched" or "sugar" as an ingredient.
Why am I suspicious of a "white surface"?
- Did you know that not processed sugar is brown? I don't mean brown sugar, I am talking about sugar directly pressed and dried from sugar cane (Sucanat!).
- Did you know that whole grain bread is brown? I don't mean added food coloring, I am talking about the unbleached, little processed version of whole grains (best: Ezekiel Bread).
- Did you know that salt in it's natural form isn't white? The best salts you can find come from mountains or volcanoes and can be pink or dark. Sea Salt is not considered a great choice (remember all the gunk we have pumped into the seas? That's why we have to keep (originally great and healthy) sea food intake down to about once a week :(
Just like Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law and the pharisees (a group of "holier than thou") as white washed but deadly inside, in the same way I want you to wake up and realise that we are being tricked in the same way. Surely there is a literal meaning to what Jesus mentions here, but let's look at the metaphor he uses and how it translate 100% into our reality.
In a nutshell, food, as it is presented to us in masses is washed white. It appears to be a good thing, it is convenient, cheap and somewhat tasty. But inside on the molecule level it is dead. And not only is it dead-empty, it causes diseases and bad situations in regular people.
1. Because it functions as a poison within the body, opening the door to uncountable/ and somewhat unforeseeable problems.
2. Consumption of "white washed" food leaves the body malnourished, deficient of nutrients. Just like eating cardboard. One has to deal with not receiving what one physically needs. Long and short term that leads to serious sicknesses.
Check out this link to read 146 reasons to stay away from refined sugar (the regular sugar we consume daily): http://rheumatic.org/sugar.htm. Let me point out that sugar consumption is related to alcoholism, premature aging, diabetes, immune system weakness, asthma, MS, allergies, obesity, tooth decay and so forth. Does that remind you of what Jesus said about white washed graves?
Here my advice to you:
Stay away from anything you know has been enriched/ bleached/ modified/ altered/ processed to look the way it does now. Will that make life harder? Yes, for a little while, especially if you like to eat out. It takes getting used to to consume 100% whole wheat pasta or bread. But the consequences for not making those changes are way worse. Buy the pink Himalayan Salt from Trader Joes. Eat Ezekiel bread. Buy organic, cage free eggs. Buy unsweetend (and not artificially sweetened) products and get used to the natural taste and flavors of different foods.
The hardest part for many people though is to look into the face of their addiction: Sugar.
You are addicted to sugar:
- if you crave it
- if you can't live without it
- if you are not willing to give it up when you know it harms you
I faced the blue furry garbage can monster inside of me, fought it and tamed it. I have to admit though that my motivation was purely my health. My Chiropractor tought me, besides what I mentioned above, that people with a thyroid situation should totally stay away from soy products. (Un)fortunately all chocolate has soy-lecithin as an ingredient (including german chocolate), so that was it with me and my addiction! I went cold turkey and have ever since then never felt better in my whole life.
Not only have I lost those "last 5 lbs.", I have noticed positive changes in my energy level, immune defense, and over all well feeling.
It is worth going for the real thing. Especially considering that to not do it means to choose "white washed" dead food.
Is there a real alternative to refined sugar? Yes, there is! Coborns carries in their organic section Sucanat (sugar cane natural) which you can use to sweeten oatmeal or whatever, bake with (yay, christmas cookies!!), sweeten popcorn and what not. I like to buy unsweetened Almomd milk and stir a teaspoon of Sucanat into it.
There is actual nutritional value to Sucanat! And it is not related to dental cavities, ADD or diabetes. You might have to get used to the molasses taste, but the benefits outwheigh the changes by far. And you will notice that you stop craving sweets like you used to. Two thumbs up for Sucanat!! (I in no way benefit from anyone going to Coborns and buying Sucanat by the way...)
(I am even now working on making my own chocolate! With coconut oil, unsweetened cocoa-powder and Sucanat, yum!)
Dear family in the Lord Jesus, make your own mature choices if you want to be one of the ones that fall into those white washed tombs and suffer or if you want to be aware of those lies and choose life!
Happy Advent to everybody,
be blessed abundantly!
