Eat to LIVE!
by Mary Louise;Town Jaqua, Health MinisterEveryone loves to eat, but how many eat for life?
When all is said and the meal is done, how many
are aware that what they put into their mouths each
day determines the quality of their health? For better
or for worse, we are what we eat. Therefore, if we
want to enjoy a healthy, prosperous life, we must
learn how to eat to LIVE!Eating is more than satisfying one's tastebuds and
exercising one's jaw. The purpose for eating is to
nourish the body, yet this fact is little understood
much less practiced. Suffice to say, eating is not
entertainment or an excuse to have a social event.
It is the life-giving means by which we sustain our
bodies. Allowing for the importance of the body in
relation to our quality of life, it is in our best interest
to learn how to properly care for our bodies so that
they can be vibrantly healthy!The body: a wonderful creation
The human body is a finely designed machine that
functions best according to its intended engineering.
It is a living organism that is daily building and replacing
cells. Three to eight billion cells are replaced daily with
new ones. Old cells are toxic (poisonous) and must be
eliminated from the body as soon as possible. There
are four channels of elimination: bowels, bladder, lungs,
and skin. Toxins are acid in nature and, if not eliminated
from the body, will begin breaking down the body and
instigating the process of disease. Excess toxins in the
system will cause the body to retain water. The body
builds toxemia daily through the normal process of
metabolism and residue left from foods not efficiently
utilized. By keeping the body toxin-free, the body will
develop a strong immune system, have proper energy,
and a balanced weight. Toxins are precursors of
disease and obesity.The living body was designed to be nourished with
living food, food that is filled with live vitamins, minerals,
enzymes, naturally distilled water, and oxygen. Living
food is the original menu plan given to man by YHVH
Almighty Himself. His ultimate eating plan is recorded
in Genesis 1:29-And YHVH said, Behold, I have given
you every herb bearing seed, which is
upon the face of all the earth, and every
ree, in the which is the fruit of a tree
yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.One of YHVH's first gifts to man was living foods:
fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. He
custom made these foods for man's wellbeing, wherein
is contained the key to a long, prosperous life without
the curse of sickness, pain, disease, excess weight,
fatigue, and even death. Given this plant-based, living
food diet, the body enjoys a strong immune system,
superior strength of body, clarity of mind, and
emotional stability.
What to eat
Raw, fresh fruits and vegetables are living foods that
build body cells. They are considered living foods
because they contain live nutrients: organic minerals,
vitamins, enzymes, oxygen, naturally-distilled water,
and other necessary building blocks to maintain a
living organism. All plants, vegetables, fruits, nuts,
and raw seeds are composed of atoms and molecules.
Within these atoms and molecules are enzymes which
are the life-principle of every living cell. The enzymes
found in vegetation are exactly like those that nourish
the cells of the human body. The body is thus naturally
(magnetically) attracted to fruits and vegetables. The
molecular structure of the plant cell is almost identical
to that of the human cell, the difference being a
molecule of magnesium as opposed to iron respectively.
Fruit is one the most important foods one can eat. It
most perfectly supplies the body with what it needs to
experience the highest level of health possible. It is high
in water content for cleansing the body and leaves no
toxic residue in the system. Fruits are predigested.
They are not digested in the stomach and remain in
the stomach for twenty to thirty minutes before passing
into the intestines for breakdown and absorption.
Important in one's diet, also, is the consumption of dark,
leafy greens. Greens supply body cells with life-giving
chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is to the plant as blood is to the
human body. Eating chlorophyll-rich foods aids in
1. healing body cells
2. building a strong immune system,
3. oxygenating body cells
4. rebuilding the blood stream,
5. arresting growth and development of unfriendly
bacteria,
6. neutralizing toxins in the body
7. purifying the liver,
8. improving blood sugar problemsChlorophyll works all these wonders and many more
in the human body. This being true, it is no surprise
that health experts agree that eating chlorophyll-rich
foods is one of the major keys to achieving optimum
health!In light of the life-giving nature inherent in fruits and
vegetables, it is imperative to eat them every day!
Incorporate them into smoothies, salads, raw soups,
snack, desserts, drinks, and more. It is equally important
to eliminate all other foods from one's diet that harm the
body: meats, seafood, dairy products, cooked and
processed foods. These 'foods' cannot nourish the body.
The body does not recognize them as food and treats
them as foreign invaders that are a threat to its wellbeing.
Food that has been heated in excess of 107 degrees
has little to no nutrition. It stands to reason that dead
food cannot nourish a living body.Good maintenance of the body also includes the addition
of Omega 3, 6, and 9 oils. These oils, known as essential
fatty acids, are imperative for overall health because they
regulate every function of the body, keep cell membranes
flexible, joints lubricated, and more. EFA's cannot be
manufactured by the body, but must be appropriated
through consumption of omega-rich foods. Good sources
of essential fatty acids are hemp seed oil, safflower oil,
sunflower oil, and flax oil.Be in tune with your body
Since the body was designed to be nourished with
living foods, it is important to adopt eating habits that
are in harmony with YHVH's plan for the body. Good
eating habits are based upon working with the body
in respect to its needs as well as its mechanics.The human body functions on three daily cycles:
1. Appropriation (noon to 8PM)- the process of taking
in food (eating) and digesting.
2. Assimilation(8PM-4AM)- the absorption and use
of the food.
3. Elimination (4AM to noon)- the throwing off of body
water and food debris, i.e. detoxification.Eating should be a natural occurrence and confined
to the period of appropriation- Noon to 8PM. Morning
intake should be limited to fruit, freshly extracted
vegetable juices or in some cases whole grains.Tips for health eating
1. Eat lighter, water-based foods first, then denser
foods. Eat cooked food last.
2. Chew your food thoroughly. Digestion (of carbohydrates)
starts in the mouth, proteins in the stomach.
3.Once you have finished eating, do not keep eating.
Allow the food, now known as ‘chyme,” to pass through
the pyloric sphincter valve into the intestines. This valve
closes ten minutes after eating and the chyme is then
processed for absorption.
4. Do not eat late at night. Late night eating adds stress
to the digestive system and inhibits the assimilation and
elimination process.
5. Eat only when you’re hungry. Eating all day long is not
a healthy practice, since it violates the body's natural
cycles and therefore adds stress to the body.
6. Do not eat beyond your needs.
7. Do not eat if you don’t feel well physically or emotionally.
8. If your last meal did not set comfortably with you, skip
your next meal.
9. Eating patterns vary, according to individual needs and
are not necessarily confined to three meals a day.Combine food properly
Proper food combining aids in digestion and allows for
proper assimilation. This being true, the body's energy level
dramatically increases when proper food combining is
practiced. Combining foods properly is important for good
digestion.
The digestive process requires the most energy of all
body activity, including strenuous exercise such as running
and swimming. For ease of digestion and later assimilation,
therefore, it is important to understand the overall digestive
process. The human body is not designed to digest more
than one concentrated (a non-fruit or vegetable) food in the
stomach at the same time. The body secretes certain
digestive juices for certain foods, but when foods are
improperly combined, the stomach must work overtime
to breakdown the food. Improper combination of food,
causes the stomach to neutralize the food into an undigested
mass. This mass travels into the intestines where it putrefies.
Carbohydrates ferment. The body cannot utilize putrid,
fermented food. Rotten food in the intestines causes toxic
acids, gas, heartburn, and indigestion, all of which can be
precursors of sickness and disease.Basic food combining
1. Eat fruit on an empty stomach (at least 3hrs. after
other foods).
2. Eat melons alone
3. Do not eat sweet fruits (bananas, dried fruits) with
acid fruits (berries, pineapple, citrus)
4. Do not eat fruits and vegetables together.
5. Do not combine proteins (nuts, legumes) and
starches (potatoes, winter squash, breads, grains)It is interesting to note that animals in nature don’t
combine their food improperly. Furthermore, animals
in the wild do not development man-made diseases
such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, etc.Watering our earth (body)
Water is an important part of a healthy diet. The inside
of our bodies must be washed as well as the outside.
The only way to give our cells a drink and flush toxic
waste out of the body is to eat foods that have a high
water content. Since our bodies are 70 percent water,
the food we eat must contain a high water content in
order to maintain this ratio. The only known foods with
a high water content are raw, fresh fruits and vegetables.
The water in these foods is naturally distilled and provides
live enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that nourish the cells.
This distilled water also aids in cleansing the body. The
water transports nutrients in the food to the cells and
removes toxic wastes manufactured by the cells. A diet
lacking high water content foods can cause serious
health problems such as dehydration, edema, and
autointoxification.Our body cycles function with the greatest ease and
efficiency when supplied with this naturally-occurring
distilled water on a regular basis. Drinking water cannot
do this job, because it does not carry the enzymes and
other life-preserving elements into the body. Drinking
water irrigates and helps flush toxins out of the body
but does not feed the cells.Tips for drinking water:
1. Drink purified water, preferrably distilled, especially
for cleansing purposes.
2. Do not drink with meals. Water dilutes the digestive
juices all ready working to break down the food in the
stomach preventing food from being properly digested.
Undigested food greatly hinders both the appropriation
and assimilation process cycles, which in turn negatively
affect the all-important elimination cycle while wasting a
great deal of energy.
3. Omit iced beverages. The body must heat them
before they can be processed, and this takes energy
away from digestion. For optimum health, beverages
should be consumed at room temperature.
4. Some health experts recommend drinking a
minimum of eight glasses of water a day.Eating out
Everyone loves to eat out, but not all restaurants or
social events offer healthy fare. Therefore, when
planning to eat away from home, consider the
following:1. Plan ahead. If you know your destination, research
healthy restaurant options ahead of time. Search the
internet or call local Chambers of Commerce to locate
restaurants or other eating establishments that support
a live food diet.
2. Make your meal(s) ahead of time and take them
with you. Taking the extra time and effort to insure
healthy eating on the road is better than compromising
one's meal choices for the sake of convenience.
3. If social events include eating opportunities,
investigate the menu ahead of time. If the menu is
not healthy, ask if the chef can prepare you a salad
or if you can bring your own food.
4. If family and friends who do not eat healthy want
to share a meal with you at a restaurant or in their
home, tell them in advance of your dietary preferences.In conclusion: the last bite
When the meal is done and we push away from the
table, may we say with honesty that what we ate
has bettered our lives. Above all, may we use our
time, energy, money, and mouths to invest in our
mutual wellbeing. Food is increasingly expensive,
time is valuable, and if we err in sinning against our
mouths and bodies by engaging in poor eating habits,
the consequences could be fatal. Conventional medical
care to reverse ill-begotten health conditions may not
work. Furthermore, YHVH may not always overlook
our indulgences and vain appetites for worldly foods.What we place into our mouths each day should
matter to us. Do we want to be healthy or not?
Do we want to eat to LIVE or do we want to slowly
kill ourselves by eating poorly? Death by diet is a
sad way to exit this world. Nevertheless, it does
happen. The choice is up to us.We only have one body, and it's welfare is dependent
upon our own personal effort. Others cannot make
better dietary choices for us nor can we make them
for others. Likewise, we cannot eat for one another
nor can we police everyone's kitchen, dining table,
pantry, or shopping cart for the sake of enforcing good
health. However, we can and should encourage one
another to eat to LIVE by example. We only have
one life to live. Decide to make it a healthy one._________________________________________
References and/or suggested readings:
Recipes for Life, by Rhonda Malkmus, Hallelujah Acres
God’s Way to Ultimate Health, by George Malkmus, Hallelujah Acres
Fit for Life, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, Warner Books, Inc.
The Roots and Fruits of Fasting, by Dr. Mary Ruth Swope, Swope Enterprises
The Hallelujah Diet
