Spiritual Spa #19 Tickle me Jesus! (The fight between Cookie Monster vs. Veggie Tales)

The Lord sustains the weak on their sickbed
    and restores them from their bed of illness.
Psalm 41, 3

Dear family in the Lord!

What a promise! Especially in these days were everybody seems to believe that "it's going around". 

In the spirit of "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good" let's think about how we can avoid catching "it". This season offers you all sorts of sweet treats and baked goodies, paired with the desire to huddle at home. As much as I love all of the above I want to share a new thought with you.

What happens when you eat a sweet treat? Your body reacts to the sugar! Usually you interpret that reaction as positive and stimulating. There you have your pattern. You're hooked. You want more. Society tells you it makes you human to tick this way. -For my salty tooth audience that was about to zone out reading this I want to point out that the simple carbs in chips and crackers have the same effect on your body, so keep those peepers engaged- Now what about if you were hooked to a food that did more than stimulate you- it would first of all sustain and saturate you? 

You are what you eat and you crave what you eat- hence: you crave what you are. Sobering, huh?

Reminds me of the story in the Gospel where Jesus asks his followers to eat his flesh and drink his blood. We talked about that in Spa #10 Offensive Cuisine. People were very entertained by Jesus. He fed them, he excited them by performing miracles of healing and other sorts. He stimulated them to stick around. Like putting marshmallows in a salad. But when he told them that they need to get also sustained and saturated by him, most of them took off. Sobering, huh? God wants to go deep with us. We decide if we let God tickle us, if we allow him to stimulate us or if we let him touch and mold us, if we allow him to sustain us. Sniffing Jesus means just sniffing. Eating Jesus means becoming Jesus. 

Can we come alongside God to sustain us on the sickbed? Maybe we can even do our part and avoid ending up on the sickbed altogether? The key is truly acknowledging and honoring your immune system as a force that can work for you or can be weakened by your choices.

Here some reminders on how to 

STAY STRONG or GET BETTER 

by merely natural means:

1) Sugar intake. You've heard this before. Limit/ avoid sugar intake to not add stress to your challenged immune system.

2) Eat saturating foods. Dark green leafy veggies such as kale, spinach, broccoli to boost Vitamin C intake.

3) Drink loads of water! Dehydration is a direct consequence from suffering from allergies and linked to sinus, ear and throat sickness.

4) Garlic, onions and Coconut oil. Add these good friends of mine to your dishes to boost your immune system.

5) Winter Power Fruit: Pomegranate! So worth to dig and chew through this sweat/sour treat!

6) Rest is a weapon. Get the amount of sleep you need. 

7) Praise God for his providence through the wisdom of nature!

8) Get out there! Go for a walk, take in that sun when it comes around. There's no age tag attached to snow- so play in it and absorb that Vitamin D childlike! 

I hope you were inspired to taking matters of health into your own hands, which includes, but is not limited to, lifting your health up to the Father above!

Be blessed abundantly! 

Spiritual Spa #18 A Union made in Heaven

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1, 1-5 + 14

Dear family in the Lord Jesus!

When we use the word "word" we think of it as a means to express a thought or a feeling. In the greek original for the quoted verses John used "logos" for what we translate with "word" which has an even deeper level of meaning . "Logos" according to webster-merriam.com means:

"Reason that in ancient Greek philosophy is the controlling principle in the universe"

Many Christians refer to the Bible as the "Word of God", when the Bible it self refers to a real, living Person as the Word of God: Jesus Christ. 

Why is this difference important? Jesus came to establish the possibility of relationship between people who's hearts had wandered far away from their creator, but they had a bunch of written words they some what lived by. In other words, he did not come to establish a relationship with people and a text, but with people and a real, living Person. God Himself.

Yes, we learn about God through the Bible and I don't want to miss reading the Bible. But without the Holy Spirit reading the Bible is like watching a football game for me. It is too complicated or too simple- I'm not sure, but anyway I'm not too interested to find out. 

I have studied theology and I have spent different seasons of my live amongst all sorts of christian people- I have seen and practiced first hand utilizing Bible verses to justify my unloving behavior, worse, having totally missed the heart of God, but finding a Bible story to back up my ignorance. But I cannot abuse God. What do I mean by that? I cannot, knowing that God is real and guides me and other people, do something opposite from what I feel Him do, and say into his face "You tell me to do this another way!" I cannot live in relationship with someone and tell them into their face that what they ask me to do I am going to ignore or twist or add on to- to please my own various motives. The other person won't let me, not if we are in a serious and loving relationship.  

Praise to God for that!

As always I ask you, what does this have to do with Nutrition? A LOT!

I want to compare the relationship of us and God to us and food. When we think of food we think "Yummy, comforting, meeting a bodily need". When food has a so much deeper level of meaning. To narrow it down: Food is energy and nourishment. And as that it is a controlling principle in the universe. Food can give you a stomach ache or it can leave you feel saturated. It can give you a quick and short lived rush or it can sustain and please you for hours. Just because food is in our reach doesn't mean we are to eat it. Just because some foods don't appeal to us doesn't mean we are not to eat them. Someone else might be eating a certain way and amount, that doesn't mean the way and amount you eat has to look the same way. 

With all this I am saying that we need to establish a serious and loving relationship with food.

I have clients that hate food or to eat. They think they have weight issues because of food. I look at it differently. Weight issues come from an unhealthy relationship with food. Food was not created to solve your problems, so it won't. With that attitude it will only add to your list of problems. Food is not your enemy, so that rather than analyzing what and how much you eat, you have to eat on the go and eat what is available. Food is like your spouse. It needs you to take time for it and love it the right way and for what it is. It can't be blamed for what it isn't. So just like when you get into a serious and committed relationship with a real and living person you must struggle through issues to grow and love stronger, in the same way it can work with food. Let's talk about how a healthy food relationship can look like!

5 Tips To A More Thriving Relationship With Food

1. Thankfulness! 

Be thankful to our creator every time you eat. A joyful heart is more protected from despair or over eating.

2. Listen carefully!

a) Listen to your stomach as to when to eat. Only eat when you are hungry. You might feel famished or sluggish, be prepared to have a snack (like a string cheese and an apple in your purse) to carry you over. The thumb rule is to eat every 2-4 hours, if needed. But again I say, listen carefully! If you eat out of your normal routine and come home, don't eat a second dinner just because it is tempting you.

b) Listen to your cravings. They can be very informative! What are they telling you? Do you crave something sweet or salty? Don't go for the cheap fix (like chips or cookies). Both cravings can be a sign of mineral deficiency, so make sure your salt is more than just sodium and your sugar more than just a visit at the dentist. Buy real salt, like Pink Himalayan Salt (Trader Joes e.g.), and SUCANAT (e.g. Coborns) and season and bake with that. Instead of ice cream make a home made fresh and frozen fruit smoothie with a little home made heavy whipping cream. No added sugar needed and worth the extra mile!

3. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

If you truly consume the food you buy and put into your fridge you get a lot for your money. How much food do you throw out because it got bad? Stay on top of your fridge's inner life, same with fresh fruits and veggies. Bananas can be frozen and veggies can end up in a hearty soup with those chicken left overs. When you start eating what you pay for you realize it is worth spending a little extra and going organic. Also, respect food enough to know that it has an effect on you. If you eat unbalanced and processed foods you put yourself at risk of getting sick. Eat, knowing that food can work for you or against you.

4. Don't seek your own

Food will be there for you when you need it. Don't stuff yourself or use it to comfort you beyond what it is created to do. If you want to learn to eat only what you need, you might benefit from filling your plate 1x and put 10% less on the plate. This will teach your stomach to be satisfied with one portion and not being stuffed. If you are sad, stressed out or lonely pay attention to these symptoms and find the root. Your father in heaven wants you to come to Him with everything on your heart.

5. Love and delight!

I love food! How about you start lighting a candle during ever meal? I love steamed broccoli with a home made sour cream and cheese sauce! I love my fruity whip cream smoothies! I celebrate steaks and garlic with home made sweet potato fries! I love avocado and salad! Think about the foods you really love and look for ways to prepare them in a healthy way. Get your produce in every day and find ways that get you excited! There is nothing wrong with a sliced up apple and a spoon of natural peanut butter! 

6. Make room for food

If you burn energy you need to eat energy. If you eat more energy than you burn, you will get overweight. That does not mean to go fat free or low fat. It means to always maintain an active lifestyle that includes some sort of daily exercise. Counting calories can be very misleading and a true joy kill. If you stay active with purposefully looking for ways to weekly burn extra stored energy (like exercise classes) you will stay on top of your intake matching your energy need.

These were a few ideas to get the fire burning between you and your food! If you need some more ideas on eating healthy, I have posted about a lot of topics, besides that the web is FULL of great ideas!

If you know that your relationship with food needs more than a push in the right direction, seek help! I know people that overcame food addictions with asking the Holy Spirit to tell them when to eat and what. Or people that received healing in the bottomless wounded parts of their hearts and because of that were able to sustain a happy and healthy relationship with  food, myself included.

I wish you all the best for your personal, serious and loving relationship with food and also with our Father in heaven!

Be blessed abundantly!

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Spiritual Spa #17 Getting back on track

The earth is filled with your love, Lord;

teach me your decrees. Do good to your servant according to your word, Lord. Teach me knowledge and good judgment for I trust your commands. Psalm 119, 64-66

Dear family in the Lord!

Coming home from being away for a while is both bitter and sweet. Saying goodbye to loved ones, participating in their lives from a distance and finding back into the swing of things can be challenging. What is sweet about coming home? Well... How about you can try to find out who "you" were before you left and if "you" then and now still match up? You get to think about which aspect of your life is worthy of picking up again and which is not.  


A downside to being away for an extended time is that you might realize that your ability to uphold a certain lifestyle is bound to a place, or maybe even the influence and inspiration of certain friends. In other words, I have to admit that I gave up quickly on my frequent and intense workout routine- even though I carried all the knowledge I needed to keep me exercising on my own. Being exposed to various different foods, or simply not being able to find the power health foods I am used to eat, I even adjusted more to the rather callous ways people ate around me.


Well, and now I am back home and I got to say that I want to find my way to get back on track. Not so easy! But since my clients often express such a desire I am certain it will be worth looking at "getting back on track" a little closer. 


You don't have to leave the country to lose a good habit- for many people any kind of change can bring about a loss of commitment to what they know to be good for them. Like a move. Or a pregnancy. A job change. A wedding. A death. A child taking of to college. A season change. An illness or injury. We are human and as that, as we say in german, animals of habit. If there is a change we might feel a need to go back to what we feel will make us happy or protect us- before we got the revelation that led to changing our destructive ways. In crisis many go back to eating junk food- even though they know better. They cease to exercise or even go for a walk, because they feel like "treating" themselves to being a coach potato. I like to call that "going back to Egypt" in reference to the people of Israel wanting to go back to slavery rather than obeying the Lord in the desert and making the tough way through the waste land with trust. 


SO! If you are convicted right now that you fell of the band wagon, stop and think! What happened? What distracted you from living the way you know is good? If we aren't following what we know to be true, who is to blame if we're ending up in an undesired place?


Do you want to get back on track? 


I do! 


So here is my plan to get back on track. I have got to start somewhere. The first Spin class I taught after a month, to be honest, threw me off a little. I guess I can't expect to pick up right where I left off.  So, if you are planning to become fit and you are new to Group Exercise I'd recommend you take it easy in your first classes. It isn't terrible if you experience nausea or become dizzy, but some people get quickly discouraged by those kinds of reactions. Taking time to let your heart rate recover and lots of water should get you through a class. There is no shame in stepping in out while others are following the program. Everyone starts at one point! If Group Exercise or joining a Gym is way too far in the future for you, start walking! Go out there, change your pace, take deep breaths, enjoy the weather. That is a healthy way of getting/ staying in motion. 


About getting back into healthy nutrition, again, you got to start somewhere! One thing I noticed being around my mom a lot- I never felt hungry. I rather felt full at most times, but that didn't stop her from making more food and, yes, me having some more. That is a very fruitful setting for gaining weight, consuming more energy than you use up. Besides that I wasn't performing much exercises like I usually do, so here goes some muscles also... (Do you wonder by now if my trip was even worth going :) Yes, it was!!)

A start to get back on track could be: 
- Limit treats during the day to just one 
- Have 5 planned meals/ snacks throughout the 
  day, no "opportunity crime"
- Make one meal a colorful salad with olive oil and  
  cheese as dressing
- Don't overeat! It is actually quite pleasant to not   
  feel stuffed. 
- go for a walk instead of dessert
- Drop Soda intake (to none)
- Limit alcohol intake
- Listen to your body as you plan a meal
- Eat what your body needs for nourishment!
- Be thankful for the wonderful times!


You can do it. Just start somewhere. If you don't start- no one will do that for you. 


Thinking about the quoted Psalm and our health I want to wrap this Post up with a prayer: There are general truths all around us and we would do good to learn those and live by those! Lord Jesus, teach us to be good and faithful stewards of our own body for your glory! Thank you that your creation is filled with your love! (But what were you thinking by creating wood ticks!? And spiders!? And mosquitos???) Amen.




Be blessed abundantly!  

Spiritual Spa #16 Does this FAT make me look FAT?

And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering. Genesis 4, 4

Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.  Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. Judges 3, 21-22

Dear family in the Lord!

There appears to be some sort of a scheme going on to make us think fat is bad. Even on my quality banana I encountered an attempt to persuade me some more with a sticker saying: "Eat me- I am fat free". Many clients tell me they find themselves confused by a contradicting flood of information, opinions and scientific studies, and I have to admit I was confused as well.

Well, as always, I have a little mustard I would like to add to this overflow of information, especially since I made it a priority to spread (like warm organic Butter) what I learned to be true about fat. If you don´t know the mustard saying let me give you some background info. I am currently enjoying life in Germany and here we like to use phrases that include foods and animals. Just like Americans enjoy their money talk ("to give your 2 cents").

Just like in the Bible fat can be good and it can be bad. Apparently God likes a "full figured offering", but the king with the same attribute is only used as a means of judgment over the Israelites, finding his shameful death as part of his personal doomsday. I bet the forensics team back then had to jump through some hoops to determine the cause of that king´s death!

A gram of fat has 9 calories. Compared to carbohydrates or protein (4 calories per gram) that seems a little higher. So simply from the point of view of counting calories you would naturally grab the "low fat", "diet" or "light" version of your product, as they tend to have less calories. But with less calories you get more artificial, chemical and fake ingredients. First note to self today: Don´t fear the calories that come from good fat.You need about 30-40% of your daily caloric intake coming from different sources of good fat. And that is easily said and done! Fat makes you feel full longer and with good fat that is a good thing! For the sake of my exercising clients I should mention that good fat (an apple and a string cheese) makes for an excellent pre-workout snack.

Let´s talk about good fat.What is good fat? Fat is good when it is not or only a little processed. That includes organic butter, cold pressed olive oil, coconut oil, organic flaxseed oil, raw unsalted nuts and seeds, avocado, animal fat, traditional lard, traditional shorting, cheese and the list goes on but I think you get the point.

You might have noticed that I am not discerning between saturated and unsaturated fat. Yes, I truly don´t! It turns out that your body, organs, hormones, glands, thoughts, teeth, everything about you needs good fat. Since I am no doctor I am not going to say a lot about cholesterol, but I am going to pass on what the Weston A. Price Foundation teaches: Blaming cholesterol for heart attacks is like blaming firemen for fire. To learn in depth what amazing, mind blowing and offensive stuff they discovered, I encourage you in my warmest manner to watch the teaching "The Oiling of America" http://www.veoh.com/watch/v20011499p7GjN6Mf. 2 hours extremly well invested! I dare you to listen to one of my greatest heros Sally Fallon for just 30min and then see if she was able to get you interested.

If you are reading my posts regularly you have already noticed that I mention fat and fruits + veggies usually in one sentence. Let me remind you that another reason to consume fat is to be able to absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in produce! Vitamin A, D, E and K need to be eaten along with a good source of fat. You might save some calories by adding fat free dressing to your salad, but you fall off the other side of the horse as to why you were eating a salad in the first place. 

Now, you might wonder, what is bad fat? You will not like what I have to say about this, especially not if you live under the whip of a calories counting pharaoh. Bad fat is processed fat. Vegetable oil (you bet, yes even Canola oil), Margarine, I can´t believe it´s not butter, (partially-) hydrogenated oil, trans fats, Crisco etc.

You find these bad fats in processed foods such as: chips, crackers, Cheetos, pie, cake, nachos, bread, cookies, doghnuts, dressing, pizza, chocolate, frozen dishes of all kind, canned dishes and soups of all kind, ice cream, yogurt, the foods you order in restaurants are prepared with it and so forth. You see that if you lead your life consuming a lot of processed foods and eat out regularly you will always be subject to bad fats; and guess just why that is? Because they are CHEAP!! The complex process of producing vegetable oils invloves a lot of heat and yet is cheap, aimed at quantity, forget quality! and in the end your oil is so rancid that they have to add deodarant so that you don´t pass out (or smell the red herring!). You can hear much more about this during the teaching mentioned above. Besides that, remember, fat slows down your digestion and with all those terrible ingredients in your system they have a whole lot more time to spread forever somewhere within you.

So, now that you know that pretty much all you love to eat includes bad fat, what makes it bad? Besides being rancid (as if that wasn´t bad enough)? 

It is mostly the fact that these fats are rancid. Your common sense tells you to stay away from rancid foods for they pose unknown threats to you and your family. We tend to throw food out way before it´s expiration date or before they truly go bad, why not do the same with an ingredient that we put in literally everything we eat? Rancid means that free radicals get spread all through your body, and those free radicals usually don´t have an admirable agenda. They come to steal, kill and destroy.

Two common side effects of living off of rancid commercial vegetable oils are: heart related issues (the #1 cause of death in America) and cancer. You go home and think about that one. I think I've made the point clear.

Another reason to stay away from vegtable oils and steer towards animal fats (as found in organic: beef, pork, chicken, fish, milk, butter, sour cream, heavy whipping cream,...) is mere nutrients:

There are many reasons to consume a lot of produce. The inherent fat is not one of them. 

I could dedicate a whole post to raw milk and it´s benefits. In America, under the current legal situation, you should look for a farmer who offers cold pasteurized milk and milk products to leave the nutrient carrier enzymes as intact as possible. If that sounds too complicated I always recommend whole organic milk and with that the little joys of the kitchen as mentioned above. You should find all of these in the Coborn´s Natural section.

Let me paraphrase. Good fat doesn´t make you fat. You need it for a happy and healthy life. And that shows in a healthly hormone household starting with cholesterol. Cholesterol is called "the mother of all hormones" and since your body needs LDL and HDL neither of these are "bad". Bad fat makes you fat, sick and unhappy. Low cholesterol levels are related to depression, violent behavior, suicide and homocide. Since bad fat foods tend to have a lot of fat and sugar in them, besides being highly addictive, you get why they make you fat. When do you ever just have one cookie... or one piece of pie...

If you are currently on statin drugs I encourage you to find a Chiropractor who offers nutrition based therapy, make an appointment and seek a second opinion. Especially after getting a glimpse of who mostly benefits from you being on statin drugs (and who doesn't: you) should make you wonder. You are "at risk" for heart disease when you are: Over 65, overweight, have hairy ear lobes, don´t exercise, smoke, get stressed easily.... I mentioned before that to focus on lowering cholesterol doesn´t cut it to get you healthy or to take you off the "at risk" list, but sets you up for other problems.

We would like to think that our medical and pharmaceutical industry is truly driven by divine motives and the desire to heal human kind. But let´s not idolize people. Let´s not tap into fear because doctors can only see what they are taught (and paid?) to see. And let´s seek to be sheep that know their good sheperd´s voice and follow that one.

I dare you to start at least with ONE THING that can help you slide into a fat lifestyle! I hear that Pampered Chef offers a fat free chips maker and you can make chips out of everything, without the use of bad fat! An air popper for your corn is another way to avoid bad fat. Switch from margerine to organic butter. Have a smoothy from frozen fruit and a shot of heavy whipping cream and some buttermilk instead of ice cream. Make sauces from scratch (sour cream, cheese, etc.). Find a farmer in your region that offers cold pasteurized milk. Have some organic bacon. Use cold pressed olive oil or organic flaxseed oil with a shot of buttermilk (plus salt and pepper) instead of processed dressings. For medium heat use cold pressed olive oil, for higher levels of heat butter or coconut oil. Or steam with water and drizzle yummy olive oil when you plate your dish.

With all that said let me release you back into your day with the nudge that FAT IS YOUR FRIEND AND THIS FRIEND IS FOOD. So enjoy the freedom and the friends that you have!

Be blessed abundantly!  (This was my birthday wisdom gift for you :)

Spiritual Spa #15: The Ten Condiments

“He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
   to a spacious place free from restriction,
   to the comfort of your table laden with choice food."
                                                               Job 36, 16
Dear family in the Lord!

What a beautiful verse! Guess who is talking here? It is Job's friend Elihu, missing the point, but still stating a truth about God. Your health got you in distress? Well, come to the table of the Lord laden with choice food!

Let's be inspired today to learn more about a spacious place free from restriction...... your fridge!
Thinking about someones fridge, who is near and very dear to me, I had a revelation. In an attempt to translate the peace and order I feel in my heart and mind into reality I cleaned out my mother-in-law's refrigerator. And, oh what I found! I came across bagged and thoroughly molded limes, a whole bunch of sauces and dressing way past their best days (the award went to Steak Sauce dated 04/2001), besides that most of these were made from terrible ingredients, boxed up left overs of once fancied meals,..... let me wrap it up by pointing out; There were thoughts about getting a second fridge, "because we could not fit everything inside." 

When I was done with my spring cleaning we could fit a whole ham and a whole turkey into the same fridge.

Now, it's not my job to guilt anyone into conviction. But you can put one and one together and realize effortlessly that you are wasting money, space and health by this kind of a lifestyle. That is what leads me to share The Ten Condiments with you. The "Thou shalt not" is not really my place- let me share with you what thou shalt!

THE TEN CONDIMENTS

1. Only buy what you are going to eat. Yes, this involves a little planning ahead.

2. Only prepare what you are going to eat. 

3. Use the convenience of a fridge as a tool of for the cool by preparing healthy foods over the weekend to serve you as a quicker meal during the week. Like grilled chicken breast, steak or a stir fry. No need for harsh preservatives out of Frankenstein's chem lab if you make it yourself and eat it in time!

4. If you like dressing for your salad or sauces for your meat always go for quality. Buy and use one condiment at a time, with the least ingredients that exclude High Fructose Corn Syrup, Mono Sodium Glutamate, Artificial Colors or Artificial Flavors. Be aware that "Fat free" option defy the purpose of adding fat to your consumption of Vitamins. Did you ever try Organic Flax Seed/ Cold Pressed Olive Oil as dressing?

5. Buy one or two jams you really like. Or not. Jams or jelly usually drop a sugar bomb into your system, setting you up for a growth of more sweet teeth in your mouth. Ever considered making your own jam and adding only hints of Sucanat instead of cups of refined sugar?

6. Buy only organic and unsalted butter. You eat it daily, it is worth the extra $2.

7. Cheese should have 5 ingredients or less. Same with String Cheese or Shredded Cheese. Swiss Cheese or Mozzarella tend to be a better choice than Cheddar or mixes that are made with artificial colors.

8.  Always have Kale, Carrots, Onions, Peppers and Pre-shred Cole Slaw (without sauce!) in your veggie drawer. They make for a super quick super nutritious supper. That is- if you are going to eat these power foods!

9. A condiment you might find on top of your fridge: Salt. Throw out all table salt, especially the iodine fortified ones. They come with synthetic minerals that pose a real thread to thyroids and with that hormone household Exchange those with Salt that comes with real Minerals like Pink Himalayan Salt or Celtic Sea Salt. Found at Trader Joe's or Wayzata.

10. Always have 100% lemon juice in your fridge. It works as a quick sauce for grilling chicken with or you can add it to water or salads. 

With all that said, dear family in the Lord, I release you back into your day and hope you were inspired today to honor and value food as we know it comes from the Lord. Keeping a clean house in your fridge will help you experience the spacious places without restrictions, helping you with not forgetting about left overs, veggies or sauces, enabling you to purchase the quality food your body deserves.


Be blessed abundantly!

Spiritual Spa #14: A fair ground called blood sugar

And Jesus said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:51


Dear family in the Lord Jesus!

How is everybody doing? I mean you, and you and you! And how are the people near and dear to you?
I hope you are in a season of life right now that will lead to greater growth in every aspect.

After my very first own designed five week class on Nutritional Education (held at inFIT) I have seen fruits and changes in my clients like I could not have imagined. Some really caught "the spirit!" I am talking about the spirit of catching a glimpse of your own value. You will look at life differently when you realize that you have value.

Some of my clients started to speak out of this new conviction. They would mention that they went shopping and did not stop to look at the soda/pop aisle. They realized their bodies deserved better. They would share how they have gone past soda to, excitedly, drink half their body weight in ounces of water ever day and they shared that new knowledge with others. It started to dawn on them that they don't have to get french fries while on the run and that there are great salads out there, hidden in those fast food restaurants. 

What does that have to do with today's Bible verse? Well I dare say that, just like Jesus' disciples caught the spirit of who Jesus is and the authority He carries, my clients have started to get an idea of the quality of life that can come with well chosen nutrition. I want to go even a step further and say that this is similar to Jesus declaring an open heaven and angels ascending and descending, which I believe speaks about God's presence, plans and purposes being done on earth as it is in heaven. Now, I am not saying that what we eat will open the heavens like Jesus' authority can, but I do want to say that when we treat our bodies as good stewards, nourished for a day of serving Him in what ever shape or form, we are obedient to treating our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit and that comes with great blessing.

Guess what you don't want to see ascending and descending in your life though - your blood sugar.

I came to the conviction that cravings for junk food or sweets, fatigue, depression, you name it, can be the result of a blood sugar index that looks more like a heart beat chart after a spin class. In case you didn't know- we are truly made of sugar! My Dad would tell me that I am NOT made of sugar when I would not want to ride my bike to school on a rainy day but he was wrong - I guess I should call him up one of these days and rub this in his hairy face! The fact is that we are so greatly made of sugar that our bodies react to too much sugar or too little sugar in an instant.

Elevated high blood sugar levels (I like to call them "spikes") are called hyperglycemia and can lead to diabetes. Depressed blood sugar levels ("dips") go by the name hypoglycemia. Spikes in the blood sugar are to be taken very seriously. Since the blood sugar is regulated (I am talking as a personal trainer here, so don't base your doctoral theses on what I say!) by a hormone called insulin you can grow resistant to it. That leads to the dire need to get insulin from other sources; like what the diabetes doctor would have to offer. Blood sugar "dips" should not be treated with little concern either- you are basically running on an empty fuel pump when your blood sugar is low. Talk to my father-in-law if you want to learn how bad that is!

Now, you might object by saying that your days of drowning bags of M&Ms and Twizzlers down your throat are over and you barely eat sugar now. But the truth is that there is sugar, or a form of sugar, in pretty much everything we consume. Even if it comes right from nature. The food group is called "carbohydrates" and refers to all forms of sugar, syrup, grains, veggies and fruits. The popular "low carb diet" usually involves the instruction to just lessen your intake of grains, when you should be told to drastically bump up our fruit/veggie intake as a replacement for most other carbohydrates (like Pasta, Bread, Crackers etc.) in your diet.

Are you prepared to hear about the biggest shocker of the day? You have probably seen those TV adds made by the makers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) telling you that HFCS acts just like other sugar in your body and your body cannot tell the difference - sugar is sugar, right? Well.
I used to think they were lying bluntly into my face, but now I know that they were actually speaking the truth - a partial truth, that is. It is sugar, that's the truth, but what they don't say is that HFCS affects hormones (and, with that, blood sugar or vice versa) more than regular refined sugar. It spikes your blood sugar more; it affects your metabolism more. This is information you almost never hear from an official site though. Why? Guess what? It all comes back to government subsidies of corn production. HFCS is subsidized and, therefore, cheap to produce.

But with all that said, if you know me you know I like to stay away from any kind of refined sugar all together. When I made up my mind to do this, life became so much easier, I became so much lighter, my sleep got so much deeper, and my health got so much better.
 
So how should your blood sugar level look? Ideally you want to be able to sustain a moderate level all through the day. How is that possible? Well, let me start out by stating, "It is not impossible!" My clients have started to implement something that has brought them great success in this area and that little something is called PLANNING AHEAD!

You need to go grocery shopping with the attitude of being a valuable human being. It is usually rich people that say things like "If only I could buy health," but, at the same time, we regular people are so busy running the rat race that we don't realize we are putting our health at greater risk every day by trying to save money by buying cheaper processed foods and drinks. In other words, buy food that is good for you. The only food you eat should have a mother or come from the ground or trees and have under gone as little processing as possible. Like Ezekiel Bread.


You need to start your day with water and have breakfast within the first 30 minutes of waking.


You should eat every two to four hours throughout the day; breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid- day snack, and dinner.


If you really want to see changes to the better in how you feel, avoid refined sugar. Obvious sugars like in desert and hidden sugars, added to your processed meals. Don't set yourself up for the roller coaster ride! There is nothing fun about being addicted to sugar.


Avoid dips in your blood sugar by carrying an apple and string cheese in your purse to tied you over until the next meal. People suffering from hypoglycemia can do and say horrible things. My husband has episodes of this every once in a while (we are working on his nutrition) and I know now to forgive him for he doesn't know what he is doing.


You need to be aware that processed grains act in your body just like sugar. They give you the spikes that will cause you to reach for those cookies. So NO MORE EXCUSES for buying white flour or enriched flour. If you are eating grains, which doesn't have to be a whole lot, go 100% whole wheat and, even better, organic 100% whole wheat.

With all that said, I will release you back into your day with the hope that you caught the spirit and the truth that you are valuable and worth the effort it takes to become a good steward of your body! I hope that all that you see ascending and descending in your life would be those angels of God :)

Be blessed abundantly

Spiritual Spa #13: Foods and moods in the eye of the beholder

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 
Psalm 121, 1-2

Dear family in the Lord!

Let's start today with some food for thought; chewing on this amazing psalm!

We all have been in need of help. Getting older, and with that hopefully more mature, may have helped us overcome our desire for dependence or independence and opened our sight up for interdependence. There is no shame in asking for help. It takes a wise person to realize that one's wisdom has come to an end. Sometimes all we need is a little push in the right direction. There is great power in a social network that displays common interests on the one hand and varieties of talents, experiences or backgrounds and, with that, resources on the other. What you know or can do may be of dire need to a friend of yours! Are you aware that life can be called fruitful when you make yourself approachable? 

Well, part of the Good News, the Gospel, is that God is approachable! And He is very fruitful. That is what the quoted verses talk about. Man realizing that he is totally dependent on God, who created the majestic mountains, the humbling heaven and the enormous earth. Man realizing, as well, that God made him an interdependent being. Body, soul and spirit- Jesus is the foundational fulfillment of all our needs. (I of course say that from a New Testament point of view) As a former theology student I had to add this notation!!

The psalmist talks about lifting his eyes to the mountains. Maybe you can compare that to your soul trying to see the world from a "higher perspective," a different point of view,  the famous "meta-level." As much as this might help us see things clearer or feel superior for a while, the soul is limited just as a mountain is incapable of actually touching heaven. I believe this is essentially why people share a feeling of deep emptiness inside; they haven't connected with God in their whole life or that day.  

God is also the creator of heaven and with that we are eternal beings that can have the Holy Spirit if we believe in Jesus Christ and asked our Father in heaven to seal and baptize us with His Spirit. With the Spirit we can see the world truly from "God's perspective" which will always be higher than any high place man can climb on. That is part of being a son or daughter of God, we have a Father who empowers us to face the world and with that glorify His name! 

Then we are also fleshly beings. And the flesh (the body) connects the most with the visible earth. There is wisdom and healing in the creation of God - the earth. By realizing that God will answer the call for help, I believe He steers our attention, wholesome as always He approaches us, through Jesus to the earth as well. And when I say earth I mean of course environmental influences, lifestyle and nutrition.
You might wonder by now how I come up with these clever ways of connecting various Bible verses with nutrition :) Believe me, it is the Holy Spirit weaving it into my thoughts. This one literally came while taking a shower. All I can do is sit down with preferably a laptop and follow the thread - that is usually after the shower and much better for our domestic laptops. Praise to the Lord!

Now let us see in what way God could meet you and your needs through nutrition! 

If you need help right now because you feel the winter blues, I would, first of all, ask you if you and your creator are on the same page. Is God feeling blue? Does he want you to feel blue? Is the ball in your court to clean up a situation by making a tough but healthy choice? Or are you eating like your are eating out of a garbage can? Do you eat mostly without fruits and veggies and skip breakfast all together? 

Here are some tips that will help you deal with winter blues if you feel like God wants you to start "beholding" your earthly being more:

- Vitamin D is important! Go outside and take 20-30 minute walks in the sun. Fifteen minutes of that should be without sunglasses so your body can absorb the positive effects of the sun.

- Food sources of Vitamin D include organic eggs, fatty fish like salmon or tuna, liver and milk.

- Vitamin B. There are five important B's to keep in mind: B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12. 

 Food sources include fish, meats, dark green leafy veggies like spinach, carrots, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, black beans, pinto beans, organic corn, mushrooms, nuts, flaxseeds, yogurt, whole grains, bananas, strawberries, oranges or kiwi. 

Aim daily for various rainbow colors and emphasize the veggies! A minimum of 5-7 servings should become a lifestyle!

- Here is a list of true good mood food. Always try eating it in it's least processed form (I only mention foods that I haven't listed before but you can also include the foods mentioned above!):

~ Asparagus

~ Swiss Cheese

~ Chicken

~1-3 pieces of Dark Chocolate

~ Chickpeas

~ Lemons

~ Oats

~ Protein

~ Saffron

~ Sardines

~ Seafood

Adding to this list, you want to mostly stay away from simple carbs that will give you the emotional roller coaster (found in [refined] sugar, honey, agave nectar, artrocious artificial sweeterners like aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, white flours, white rice, enriched grains, alcohol).

You want to grab the whole grain foods (found in Ezekiel Bread or whole wheat pasta) or other sources of complex carbs (such as sweet potatoes or spaghetti squash), the good fats (as found in butter from grass-fed cows, swiss cheese, cold pressed olive oil, coconut oil, avocados or raw and unsalted nuts). Remember to have a serving of that kind of fat with your 5-7 servings of fruit and veggies! Eating meats along with these proteins will make you feel full longer and help your body replenish itself.

Hey, and by the way, frequent vigorous exercise is a great idea for most people!

With that I release you, dearest reader, into the winter that hopefully soon appears to you in it's unique and potentially divine beauty!

Be blessed abundantly!

Spiritual Spa #12 Hearts on fire!

 ³⁰ When he (Jesus) was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24, 30-32

Dear family in the Lord!


Welcome to 2012! The year is as new as the list of things to talk about is long. So let's begin by talking about biblical heartburn.

If you thought the Bible doesn't address heartburn, be hereby proven otherwise!

What is the biblical definition of heartburn (in my own words)?
A strong conviction of the Holy Spirit within a follower of Jesus Christ, leading to a deeper relationship with Jesus, more love, more founded and personal understanding, God-glorifying spiritual fruit and advancing of the Kingdom of God.

Causes: The Holy Spirit.


What is society's definition of heartburn (inspired by the Mayo Clinic)? 
Heartburn is a burning sensation in your chest, just behind your breastbone. Heartburn pain is often worse when lying down or bending over, advancing the Kingdom of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). 

Causes (thanks, Mayo Clinic):  Heartburn occurs when stomach acid backs up into your esophagus.
Normally when you swallow, your lower esophageal sphincter — a circular band of muscle around the bottom part of your esophagus — relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow down into your stomach. Then it closes again.
However, if the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes abnormally or weakens, stomach acid can flow back up into your esophagus causing heartburn. The acid backup may be worse when you're bent over or lying down.

Now that is what you can call a discrepancy between the Kingdom of God and the world!


Selah (chew on this one).

Writing about Stomach issues is near and dear to me for a few reasons that I will focus on today;

1. As a child I suffered from frequent stomach ache.
2. We are still paying off a big bill from an endoscopy for my husband's stomach ache, executed by zealous doctors and nurses, with ZERO results. Ouch!
3. I really get angry when TV tells me to "fight back" by popping pills when bad food choices reveal their painful consequences.

All three points have one common solution: Lifestyle changes. 

Point 1; My parents could have figured out sooner to not feed me multivitamins on an empty stomach. It probably would have helped also to hug me more and tell me that school doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of life.
Point 2; We could have figured out sooner (and saved a lot of ka-ching!) that sleeping on the stomach can be a reason for (to doctors) mysterious stomach pain.
Point 3; According to cnn.com sources 60-70% of antacid consumers should not take them, but "fight back" with smarter food choices. I am tired of using the words "quick-fix culture," but they again apply.

Let me dwell on that point. Americans spend over $10 billion every year to deal with their tummies running over with acid. Do you have antacids in your house? Imagine what a country can do with $10 billion spare, left over, donated for charity...

Let me give you analogies about the lifestyle of nutrition induced heartburn treated with antacids: 
It is like sleeping around and then taking the "pill after" to not have to deal with consequences. Or, if this was too drastic, it is like having your car sit outside through the seasons and then just paint over the rust instead of cleaning it first. You know the rust will cause you problems in the long run.

And that is exactly the case with taking antacids. You need acids to digest food. That's why the side effects of taking antacids are, amongst others, diarrhea or constipation. Both not pretty. Besides bones become more porous. Not helpful either. Those are just a few thoughts about antacids, not treating heartburn though is just as dangerous, it can develop into serious reflux issues, asthma, ulcers or, even worse, stomach cancer.

So what to do?

As always, let's seek out where culture has helped us become complacent and allow the Holy Spirit to bring us back on track. As always I am not giving medical advice, see your doctor, or better in my experience, chiropractor and learn why you have the condition and what could be a solution rather than a symptom quencher.

-If you deal with heartburn start paying attention to WHEN it happens. If you know that eating spicy foods will hurt you, stay away from them. Television will tell you different. Choose to be "above the influence."

-If you know coffee or alcoholic beverages cause you pain; make the hard but smart choice because you love yourself.

-If your cloths are too tight, especially the belt, loosen up but on that note lose excess weight. That is always a good idea and will help your health in every way.

-Stay away from eating or drinking sour or acidic foods, like fruits or juices, on an empty stomach. Listen to your body! When you consume fruits and vegetables have a little processed form of fat with it (an organic apple with a cheese string, banana with a handful of raw and unsalted almonds, frozen berries with plain unsweetened greek yogurt and so forth!)

-Fatty foods, which I call processed "Franken food," are a common cause for heartburn. Consuming these (many of which you have been warned about) actually slows down you digestion and with that your metabolism. The food stays longer in the stomach, meaning more acid has to come around, leading likely to heartburn. Does it makes sense or not? How many more reasons do you need to stay away from deep fried, greasy, no nutritional value empty calories?!

-When you eat, take your time! Abundant chewing is always a good idea as well, especially when dealing with digestive issues.

-According to my research fruit juices, tomatoes, garlic and onions can lead to heartburn as well, so pay attention to what you eat and how your body responds. I for one, at this point, cannot handle raw spinach, even if is organic. That makes me very sad but for now I have to live with it and respect my body.

-As a personal trainer I should mention that there is such a thing as exercise induced heartburn. If you deal with too much acidity avoid jumping, running and especially crunches. But if I met you in the club, believe me we would find a way to work your abs!

Let me wrap up today's post with one more important and very common cause of heartburn: Stress.

Stress can lead to bad food choices, leading to heartburn. Simple changes like preparing your food at home, bringing along a healthy snack (as described above) can prevent a last resort stop at you-know-where-you-shouldn't-be.

Distress can actually slow down your digestion, causing a whole bunch of varied problems within your intestines. So, remember when we talked about what Jesus said about food going through the body and then leaving it (Post #7)? Stress in your life should do the same. Don't hang on to your responsibilities as if you didn't have a Father in Heaven who knows what you need before you can think it.

Tell your Father that you long for the heartburn as described in Luke; that kind of sensation that has you caring about all the pieces of Jesus and not all the pizzas with cheeses.  And then walk 14 miles in one day just to share him with others.

Be blessed abundantly!