“When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you.” Deuteronomy 8:10 NIV
This week I have been reading from Annette Reeder’s book, Satisfied. I have been on a quest for a long time to figure out what I believe about how to eat versus what the “world” tells us is right.
If you listen to all the different people on youtube, who seem to have it all figured out, you will find yourself so confused you will begin to feel you can only have water, maybe some organic grass-fed meat, and a few vegetables. The joy of food is taken away. You become fearful to put anything into your mouth.
That’s when we go back to the Bible. And, we stick with it. We have to decide… do we believe God or man? Do we believe 1 Timothy 4: 1-5? Do we believe Colossians 2:6-23? Have we been set free? I have decided that I will step out in faith and believe those scriptures with all of my heart… no matter what any “man” shall say. I choose the freedom that Jesus’ death on the cross provided for me since I have accepted Him as my Lord and Savior.
Now, that being said… what should I eat? Annette Reeder believes that God’s Word is the place to start to find the answers to that. I’m with her. In Deuteronomy 8:8, you will find a list of foods that God provided for the Israelites in the promised land. They include, wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. Sounds yummy to me!
Wheat? Barley? Oh wait! We’re not supposed to eat grains or bread… right?
Annette’s book explains why we shouldn’t eat store bought bread, but when we use organic wheat and barley and the few ingredients needed to make bread from scratch, the bread is so full of nutrients it can restore our health. Pages 14-15 of Annette’s book gives a list of the additives that are processed into store bought bread to keep it from spoiling on the shelves and to make it light and fluffy. The first additive she listed was “L. Cysteine (dough conditioner): Amino acid derived from human hair, hog hair, or duck feathers.” WHAT!!!????
I could hardly believe there may be human hair in store brought bread, used on purpose. After online researching, I found that it could possibly be true and that it doesn’t always have to be listed in the ingredient list. One source says dark hair is richer in L-cysteine than light hair and Europeans prefer hair for their L. Cysteine. https://www.vrg.org/blog/2013/04/22/information-about-l-cysteine/.
I’ll let you do more of your own research on that one.
Some of the other chemical additives she listed in bread have a range of being banned in other countries, are used in fertilizer and flame retardants, can cause digestive problems and lactose intolerance, allergic reactions, sleep problems and restlessness in children. (see pages 14-15)
It’s so important to know what we are feeding our children and for us to get them started on a path of eating healthy foods in the form God provided them.
Annette says, “the wheat kernel was created, as well as other grains, to be stored perfectly packed with abundant nutrients…. Once the kernel is broken by milling, the nutrients begin to oxidize. Within about 72 hours over 90 % of all nutrients are virtually gone” (p. 13).
If we could only take what God has provided, the way He provided it, and use it in the form He made it.
Can we?
I have found from research that you can make a wonderful bread with nothing more than fresh ground wheat, water, salt and yeast.
So, today, I start my quest to learn to bake bread. I purchased a Roots & Branches hand operated grain mill from Amazon.
AND… 25 pounds of Great River Organic Milling hard red spring wheat.
After I finish this blog post, I plan to begin the process of making healthy bread. I’m sure I will have a big learning curve, but you can never do anything unless you jump in and get started.
I’ve set up the mill and find it grinds perfectly while gently letting the flour fall into a bowl without “flour dust” going everywhere. That had been my main concern. You can order electric mills that are several hundred dollars, but I am happy with my $64.00 hand crank mill. Plus there is a bonus of exercise involved with cranking this one.
Annette’s book, Satisfied, is filled with valuable information about the history of grains, equipment to use, tips on bread making, and healthy recipes. It is also available on Amazon.
So… are you struggling with what to eat, how to restore your health, and how to understand what is pleasing to God in all of the onslaught of confusing information we receive. Let’s take it all back to the Bible. We can’t go wrong there. Step out in faith and believe God’s word over man’s word.
If you already make your own bread, please send any helpful comments that may help others get started. Let’s put joy back into making and eating wholesome food.