In May, I happened to be walking through the bookstore at a Writer’s Conference for the 100th time, and my eyes fell on this book, by Susan U. Neal. This subject is near and dear to my heart, and I am constantly investigating ways to improve my health.

I love doing book reviews, but the copyright for this book is very adamant about not using any part of this book in any way, unless you have permission from the publisher. I haven’t had much luck in getting a publisher to respond in the past, so I will share just a few of the concepts over the next few weeks. You can google and find much of this information on YouTube channels, and other books, but having all the information in one book is great.

I don’t totally agree with everything in the book, but most of the time we won’t agree with everything. That is because the good Lord gave us a mind to process information and decide what is right for us.

But, I do highly recommend the book, because of the depth of research that went into it and because of the major takeaways Susan Neal shares. You can find it on Amazon in paperback form for $14.62.

The subject that I want to address today is the foods we eat. I’ve recently changed my diet once more. I feel like I’ve spent my life eating what everyone else around me wants to eat and not eating what I want. When others want meat, I cook meat. When others want desserts, I make desserts.

I’m trying to get back to eating real food that God made perfectly from the beginning. I recently watched a YouTuber (Eat Move Rest, YouTube channel) talk about the difference in living food versus, dead food. She held up a sweet potato that was still firm and ready to eat, but it was trying to grow another plant off the side of it. I happen to have two in that same condition, and plan to include them in a meal over the next few days. They are still firm and just need to be peeled for a healthy meal.

The Eat Move Rest channel is all about a plant based diet, and I listened one day as the creator of the channel talked about meat… how it is dead. It is not going to grow any more meat… it will just rot.

It’s important to eat a lot of living food as God made it, originally in the Garden of Eden, not processed into something you don’t recognize anymore. Permission to eat meat was granted to Noah after the flood in Genesis 9:3. So we do have God’s permission to eat meat. But… we also know the story of Daniel and his three friends and how they drank water, ate vegetables, and was healthier than the other captives. Also, Adam and Eve ate a vegan diet from plants and trees. There are lessons in looking at Biblical history.

Susan’s book is not about being plant based only but includes meat as a healthy resource. I think most people have to decide for themselves what makes them feel healthy and make wise choices. If you choose not to eat meat, you need to add B12 as a supplement.

Each of us are such individuals, we will have to investigate what makes us feel healthy, rather than rely on what others are eating around us. That is where biofeedback comes in. When we eat something that our body rejects, we know not to eat that again… even if everyone else can eat it. And if what we eat gives energy and life… we know those are the foods for us to choose.

When choosing food, another thing to look at would be the dirty dozen. These are foods with the highest levels of pesticide residue. You can google for a list, but I’m going to include the list here that I just looked up online:

1. Spinach
2. Strawberries
3. Kale/collard/mustard greens
4. Grapes
5. Peaches
6. Cherries
7. Nectarines
8. Pears
9. Apples
10. Blackberries
11. Blueberries
12. Potatoes

Susan’s list of the dirty dozen differs slightly from this online list, but it is recommended that you buy these from the organic sections of your grocery store. And wash them really well.

The next issue I will address is the biggest one…

SUGAR!!

According to an online search — sugar is a culprit for extra weight, type two diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, potential liver problems, cognitive decline, and can affect mood and energy levels. The natural sugars in fruits do not react on the body in the same way. I believe God wants us to enjoy sweets, but in the form of the amazing fruits that He created instead of the processed forms of sugar.

I’ve found that once I stopped eating so much sugar, any time I have a homemade dessert, I can only eat a few bites before I start to feel nauseous. There’s that biofeedback again.

And for the best health of all… stop eating when you are full. Barely full, not unbutton your pants full. It has taken me awhile to get this back under control, because I had overeaten for so long, my hunger/fullness biofeedback seemed to be broken. I have had to re-train myself to wait for true hunger and then eat a small amount. My body is working better to provide the hunger/fullness cues. And it gets better each day, as I make sure I’m very intentional about what I’m eating.

For everyone, garden produce is coming in. If you don’t have a garden, there are farmer’s markets, and even the grocery stores have fresher summer produce. So if you’re looking to make changes. Now is the perfect time to start.

Christians consider their bodies as temples of God because that is what the Bible says. I had to make up my mind that I didn’t want God to have to live in a run down temple.

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)

It is still a hard process for me, and I’m trying to continue to make good choices that will improve my health.

If you have any healthy tips that you are trying, please share them below. We may decide to follow an idea that you’ve found works for you. And… have a great week! ☺️