Spiritual Spa # 21 The Lie with the "I"

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1. Corinthians 12, 26

Dear family in the Lord!

I have had a hard time finding the words to this post. Since the beginning of February to be quite honest. I am now applying an expert's advice: If you have a writer's block- write about writer's block. So, what I basically want to tell you since over a month is "I hurt because people I care about hurt." It's not only sickness related, but that is definitely a good chunk of it. I am also grieving over choices people close to me make to isolate themselves or choose deception over going on a journey to seek truth. I am saddened by stories of families, including my own, being affected by sin of others. There. I find it quite a stumbling block being affected by the problems brought onto you through other people.  

One of the saddest attitudes I have run into, whether it be training or counseling related, goes like this: at the end of the day my actions only hurt myself. Like the gambler that thinks his addiction doesn't affect his family. Or the alcoholic that is convinced he has it all under control. Or the person that can't close the fridge when the tummy is filled. Or the feud started by one convincing but bitter person. Nobody lives in a vacuum. We all affect one another. Your choices affect more than just you. 

Items we pay for in the store are overpriced because people steal. Food quality is a thing from the past because people are greedy. Poor kids in poor countries make our clothes for little wage because we want to be fashionable.    

Paul describes the followers of Jesus Christ in his letter to the Corinthians as ONE person. One body. One head. One heart. We get the picture. Just like when you get a compliment for your hair your toes aren't like: "Would someone notice my purple shine- I keep this boat floating?!" 

To be one means to stick together through good and bad and care about one another gently. So hands down, can we say if we see another part of the body at fault "Well, that is their own problem! Too bad they don't come to our church building!"? 

Your choices affect every body including your own. That's incredible power. And here starts my problem with this peppy piece. What if you are sick and hurt? Am I blaming you? Are we to judge you, the ones that suffer because you do? No, no, and no. In the book of Job we learn that Job's friends got into a lot of trouble for thinking Job did something to deserve any of his misery. But he didn't- that wasn't the point and they missed it. 

We can get callous though and omit to do our part, I'm referring to our own lives now. Especially amongst Christians I have come across the 'tude that "the kingdom is not eating and drinking" and we therefore need not worry about what we eat- but the negative effects of this ignorance are still showing and growing. We think it important to share the Gospel with a bumper sticker on our cars, but fail to realize that the only community to which our terrible eating habits are Good News is: the pharmaceutical industry.

Yes, there is grace. But there is also responsibility. 

Since I believe that the physical and the spiritual world are not separate, I am convinced that our invisible actions matter just as much as our visible. We reap what we sow, in the seen as in the unseen. That includes keeping our hearts transparent to our Father in heaven and having him clean up, letting him into every room of our "house" and fill it with his furniture, pictures and lamps. Do you need to forgive someone? Do you need to ask for forgiveness? Do you need to break unhealthy soul ties? Are you refusing to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in an aspect? And it includes treating this physical temple we have been given with similar dedication. 

Do you want to hear how I was freed of this heavy heart I carried around for a while? Jesus. I found myself worn down over weeks of waiting for some kind of relief, realizing that in this time of distress more than anything I need a savior. Jesus is enough. He is the King of kings. I can leave looking at the mere situations behind and put all my hope and trust in Him. Man, it is so simple to get distracted from this core of our faith. 

From here I want to offer you a slight switch in your lifestyle that you could consider as "doing your part", as far as you can control it in the natural. (By the way, I am NOT sponsored by La Croix)

Switch from Pop, Diet Pop or sweetened drinks to "La Croix" water. You find it in the same isle as those catastrophic cans. Maybe you have been looking for a truly guilt free alternative. I believe "La Croix" water does the magic. It's bubbly and comes in fabulous flavors such as Coconut or Peach-Pear. They are completely sugar/sweetener and sodium free, flavored with natural flavors only and have 0 calories. It's not sweet, but in my humble opinion a refreshing treat. 

With that said I release you back into march, hoping that you are inspired to look for these little (or maybe big) things that are up to you, but then again - not just you. There, it is said. Thanks to the expert!

Be blessed abundantly! 

Spiritual Spa Video #1 "Chicken Spa"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoJVvFDVnHk

Let me show you how simple it is to make your own baked chicken at home!

Spiritual Spa #20 WHAT PERSONAL TRAINERS THINK ABOUT NOT-FIT PEOPLE

“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” Titus 2 11+12 

Dear family in the Lord!

Welcome in 2013! Let's get right into the good stuff!

Excuses, excuses. We all have them. We all fall short. Today I'm going to shock you with how the stereotypical Personal Trainer thinks. Don't worry- I'm here to encourage and not to tear down.

First of all, someone who becomes a Personal Trainer has a passion for physical fitness. Many have their own history of overcoming reasons to not be in good physical shape. They have a desire to see others getting "bit by the health bug", because they know you will also start to feel GREAT. To start looking at one health aspect of your life after the other and bringing chaos and omission to order and discipline. So when we hear excuses we like to challenge: Do they really pose impossible hindrances or are they just a shortcut to not feeling guilty for omitting? A Personal Trainer understands that something is holding you back. We have been there. But to listen to people lie to you, and more important to themselves, is probably the most frustrating part of being a Personal Trainer.

There are likely Personal Trainers out there who would use the insight they have and look down on people still in need of a lasting lifestyle change. That is how the world (not the kingdom of God) works. The dentist might look down on the cavity patient. The Postman might judge your front yard. The judge might judge and think to himself "what a bunch of lunatics out there".

Let's note that this is part of the fallen world we live in. To think that you would be judged when you enter a gym or join some kind of a workout setting is futile. You are always being judged. Face it and ask our Father in heaven to implant HIS judgement in your heart.

Next I'd like to address another severe issue. When I went through a continuos Ed class about Injury prevention I was shocked to find the room filled with 40 mid aged Personal Trainers, Gym owners or Group Exercise Instructors who were for the most part injured for a lifetime. The Instructor of the class had us introduce ourselves and speak about our injury history. Many of the impaired Fitness Professionals mentioned to have been "young and stupid"- they had worked their body beyond what it could take. Back, shoulder, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, neck, jaw, no part of the skeleton was left out. To be honest: That class made a lasting impact on me. It taught me to stay in tune with what my body wants, can handle and needs. I love my body. I don't think I need to beat it up or force it to look (or fall short) of what I think I'm expected to look like. I also like to encourage my clients that it is more important to consider what is realistic to achieve and maintain in YOUR life, rather than comparing your choices to others.

Let's note that to fall into the trap of trying to compete with everybody out there and be the fittest, best looking person ever is part of a fallen world we live in. Face it and ask our Father in heaven for forgiveness.

Lastly let's look at the M word. Motivation. Coming to the conviction that you need to work out doesn't mean the work is done. I love how I feel after working out. I love getting stronger or challenging my strength. Trainers, Gym owners or Instructors realize though that the hardest part about working out is to actually show up. Getting up an hour earlier, not directly heading home after work, leaving the comfort of your house after dinner... It is absolutely understandable that all the above pose potential stumbling blocks to your success. Let me fill you in on a secret: That can be the reason for choosing a fitness related career! Did you ever notice that hair stylists have great hair, chefs might be chubby, or law enforcement officers have a hard time being "off duty"? It's because they love what they do and become what they do. Does this mean that every Fitness Professional must look ripped and super fit? No, it does not. But does it mean we think twice about eating dessert, having a pizza or skipping a planned work out? Probably yes.

Let's note that we all are subject to lacking motivation to do what we know we are called to do because it is part of the fallen world we live in. Face it and ask for the diligence to do every good work.

You might have noticed that neither the Personal Trainer nor everybody else is perfect or has it all figured out. We all are in need of first salvation and then redemption. I hope the post today reminded you that we are surrounded by darkness but can't use this an excuse to not take care of our bodies and seek health. Into the darkness shines a LIGHT and the darkness was not able to defeat this LIGHT. This light that wants to penetrate every aspect of our lives is called Jesus Christ. To live like Paul writes to Titus in the quoted verses, a wholesome lifestyle of godliness, we need his spirit- the Holy Spirit. Ask and you shall receive! 

Be blessed abundantly! 

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 :)