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!