Thoughts to Eat By

I think my gravestone may read: “That person needs B vitamins.” But seriously, given our over-processed, denatured, precooked, super-heated, super-cooled, transported, microwaved, chemically-laced American diet — just about everyone has to be deficient in one, if not all the B vitamins.

Here are a few things that I have witnessed when people started taking B vitamins: irrational behavior transformed to rational, women with severe, debilitating PMS become models of love and civility, memory improvement, ashtma improvement, geographic tongue disappears, chronic bad breath cured, people weaned off of anti-depressents (with doctors knowledge), insomnia improved, energy level raised, sensitivity to noise overcome, just to name a few things. These are all things realated to very real, physical things that are happening in the body, or not happening in the body, due to the role of B vitamins.

We cannot have a gnostic view of our bodies and our health. We are material beings, and our creator made us that way. He also made us with very real nutritional requirements in order for our bodies to be nourished and to function properly. To deny that, is to deny reality, the reality that God himself created. (Am I repeating myself?)

An article I read once claimed that because the author’s mother had made a peanut butter sandwich (Skippy, white bread and jelly made with sugar) with faith and love, and he received it in faith and love, it had everything in it that he needed for nourishment and health. Perhaps that peanut butter sandwich was miraculous. But, that would be the only explanation for what he claimed! Put to the test of what was actually contained in the sandwich, it would fall woefully short of nourishment for a living person.

I do not think God is responsible for miracles on the table three times a day. (Now, for some of us, it may seem a miracle to get any kind of food on the table three times a day!) But, I do think he gives us responsibilities that originated back in the garden that Adam and Eve were to faithfully tend. Our creator made it very clear that he had given us good things for our use and nourishment. Each different food, from meat to fruit, vegetables, dairy products, grains, etc. has a unique blend of elements that are designed to feed the cells that make up our bodies — about 73 trillion of them. If we limit our diet to processed, packaged foods, we can never get the amount of nutrients our cells require for health. In fact, even when we cook most things from scratch, it will still be a challenge due to farming methods that have lowered nutrient levels, transportation, storage, and the depressing fact that most of us do not have an active enough lifestyle to take in the amount of food that would be needed to provide the vital nutrients. The area of nutrition is full of wonderful lessons about our Creator, and also about the creature (us). We are ashes and water, amazingly arranged, and transformed dirt and water!

Nourishing our very organic bodies with good food, and good supplements is, I think, good stewardship. Why? Because, I am going to help myself and my family to be: more loving, more forgiving, more energetic, and more fruitful for the Lord. Especially, if I begin with B vitamins!

More on B’s soon!

Posted by Terri Fisher on September 26, 2005 at 9:53 p.m.
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Fat is so important in our diets! There are good fats, and bad fats. Generally speaking, if God made the fat, and we have kept it in its natural state, the fat is good. That includes saturated fats, such as butter. There are different fats that come and go in popularity. Wheat germ oil was very popular in the early health food world. That, and brewer’s yeast, were the two prominent aromas I would inhale upon entering a health food store back in the 1970’s! Today there is a huge choice of fats available for us to enjoy and benefit from.

Now, not all foods today have healthy fats — not even “natural” foods that we buy in their raw state. If the chicken has been cooped up in an artificial enviroment, the egg yolk will not be as healthy as the yolk of a free roaming fowl. The same is true of our meats, vegetables and grains. None of these reflect the healthier fat/nutrient profile that were present a half a century, or more, ago. When we are able, we need to buy organic, natural and unprocessed. And we need to add whole food supplements to our diets to insure we are taking in the nutrients our bodies need.

Fats keep our joints lubricated, our cell membranes healthy, our brains working, our skin smooth, and keep food in our stomachs longer, so we feel satisfied with what we’ve eaten. We need fats to absorb certain vitamins and minerals. (Can you explain the logic of drinking fat free milk to help prevent osteoporosis — since calcium is absorbed with fat?) And, there is even evidence of higher cancer rates among the low fat crowd. Some fats are antioxidants, some are antimicrobial and antiviral.

Children need fat for the healthy growth of body, a healthy immune system, and especially for healthy brain development! There are many articles published now about the hazards of vegetarian, and low fat diets for children.

Because fats are so important to the brain at all ages, this is an area scientists are looking at as a possible link in the cause of Alzheimer’s. Nearly all of the generation currently being affected by this disease were raised on food that had hydrogented fats in the ingredients. We all remember those margerine ads! You know, “Everything’s better with Blue Bonnet on it!” These hydrogenated, and partially hydrogenated, trans-fats are proven to cause damage at the cellular level! The increased consumption of hydrogenated fats correlates with the rise of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s!

Try adding some different fats to your diet such as wheat germ oil, walnut oil, coconut oil(great in cookies, cakes, and granola), safflower oil, and, don’t forget, plenty of olive oil. (Personally, I am such a fatoholic, I like to put some butter on my bread, and then dip it in the olive oil… mmmm.) Make sure these are cold pressed, or expeller pressed. Anything else will do more harm than good.

And for adding the most important essential fatty acids, talk to me about Tre-en-en Grain Concentrates, and our choice of three different omega III fatty acid products. They’re life-changing in terms of increased energy, and reduced inflammation!

Posted by Terri Fisher on September 4, 2005 at 2:45 p.m.
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