A Simple Healthy Diet!
There are a lot of theories out there on healthy eating and, over the years, I have come across pretty well every single one! I think it is a highly subjective area, and we need to, in the end, decide which one is for us.
After many years of searching for a healthy diet I have come to the following conclusions:
There are no magic foods! E.g. the so-called 'super foods'. I have tried some of these and have had no real benefits from them. So, I am skeptical. They also typically cost a lot and that just doesn't impress me!
All REAL foods are good to eat. These are all foods as they were originally created by God. E.g. vegetables, fruit, dairy products, meats, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains. (Unless of course, you have problems with consuming any of these.) Eat organic, if you can afford it.
Most processed factory produced foods are not healthy as they are loaded with artificial flavors, stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives. Ingredients such as these are man made and only added so that they will have a much longer shelf life than would be normal. Why not simply use the real foods God has created and make simple dishes out of them? My opinion anyway.
Juice isn't really the best drink to have on a regular basis as it contains too much natural sugar. The actual fruit has less sugar in that you could only eat one or two apples. Whereas if you drink a glass of apple juice you would be drinking the juice only of more apples and without the rest of the fruit as it is created to be enjoyed . Economically, too, it is better to eat the straight fruit and therefore consume less.
Some great beverages: water, herbal teas, coffee alternatives (e.g. Caro Coffee or Inka Coffee). You can drink black tea and coffee, but I wouldn't recommend it after I studied up on the bad effects of caffeine on the body, and how it is commonly known to be a drug. All drugs, socially acceptable or not, have side effects and they are addictive and become a snare.
I have really come to learn how important water and a little healthy salt are. I have a long history of sinusitis and allergic rhinitis and have tried many natural remedies to try and get some help, but had not found anything really helpful. So for years and years I have been on daily doses of nasal sprays and allergy tablets. However when I seriously used the water and salt as is laid out on the watercure.org site (1/8 tsp unrefined salt for every 16oz of water you drink), I have found I can get off those medicines and maintain my relief by just making sure I drink 1-2 litres of water a day, with the proper proportion of salt here and there also. So I have great respect for our body's need for water and a little salt. Did you know that we are 85% water and that this is saline water (that is, salty water)?!
There is no need to eat lots of meat, or tons of fruit and vegetables for health. A starch based diet is very healthy and satisfying. By starch based diet I mean brown rice, wholemeal pasta, wholegrain bread, potatoes. These are very filling and nutritious whereas white rice, white bread (which is very processed by the way) and white pasta or not so filling or nutritious. Consider the Japanese and Asians with their mainly rice diet, and the Irish (of the past) with their mainly potato diet! With plenty of healthy starch you only need a small amount of meat and some fruit and vegetables. Check out this link: John McDougall's Color Picture Book Mr John McDougall doesn't believe we should eat meat or dairy. He is a vegan through and through. But I share this booklet so that you can see how you don't really need meat at all. You can live fine without it. (Many people have had marvelous effects on their health by totally eating Mr McDougall's way.) So, a little meat is fine, and healthier. (This is also an economical way to eat.)
Now, I consider these conclusions to be common sense and a good way to eat. However, there is no need to be very legalistic about it. For example, if you're out for dinner, you may very likely be served some processed food (or you may be eating at a fast food restaurant where it is ALL processed food!) Plus, you may now and then want to eat a little processed food. I think that this is okay and that you should most of the time eat healthy but now and then (especially if you're out eating with others), just don't worry about it. God is bigger and, after all, it does say in the Bile:
7 And stay on in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.
8 Whenever you go into a town and they receive and accept and welcome you, eat what is set before you;
(Luke 10:7-8)
I know that this was told to the disciples as they went out to serve God. However, I think this principle does apply to daily life. I don't believe we're to make life difficult for the other people in our life. They do not have to live the same way as us. It is their choice how they live and eat. God is able to bless that food to our body. (Doesn't mean, however, that we can't enthusiastically share the healthy things we've learned with them , though! xx)
