Everyone knows what to eat and what not to eat deep down.  They just don’t want to admit it, or think about it, right?  Wrong.

God said “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”

This tells me that one of the deceptive traps people fall into is not knowing how to take care of themselves properly so they can live a long, healthy life on this earth and bring as many people into the Kingdom as possible.  And of course by Kingdom, I mean the Kingdom of God.

So here I have listed a few of the basics that will help anyone to eat healthier, feel better, and prevent disease so that they can do just that:

1.       Drink at least 8 glasses (8 oz) of pure water daily.  Water keeps you hydrated which keeps all of your organs functioning like a well-oiled machine, ensures your joints are well lubricated, and flushes fat out of your body.  What’s not to like? 

2.       Eat at least 3 servings of fish with lots of Omega-3’s each week like salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, or sardines.  Wild Atlantic or Pacific salmon is the best, but if you don’t like fish or don’t know how to cook it properly (read the instructions on the back of the package), you can take Omega-3 supplements.  Make sure it is contaminate and mercury free or you negate all your efforts. 

3.       Eat lots of veggies, especially green leafy daily.  This just can’t be stressed enough.  There are a host of diseases that have been proven to be prevented if you eat the right kinds of foods and usually these are the whole, raw foods God gave us to eat.  Some examples of “Super Foods” are:  spinach, broccoli, cucumbers with no peel, and green salads (best with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, vinegar and some lemon juice since the good fat in olive oil helps you absorb all the antioxidants in the veggies better).

4.       Eat some fruit daily too.  This one is tricky because there are so many different kinds of fruit and some are very high in sugar and the bad carbs so you need to proceed with caution, but there are some all stars that really stand out as far as their antioxidant properties and high level of anti-aging and other abilities:  all the berries but especially blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates, clementines, and lemons (lemons have some 200 nutrients in them).

5.       Eat foods that alkalize the body.  If your body is acidic then it is perfect environment for cancers, diseases and bacteria to grow.  Your body is constantly trying to maintain its perfect pH balance to keep you alive and it will do this at the expense of leeching calcium and nutrients from your bones, teeth, muscles, skin, and hair.  In order to keep that pH balance in check you need to eat foods everyday that are more alkaline than acidic and that give your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs to be healthy.

6.       Eat more nuts and good fats.  Here’s more reason to eat them – they are one of the anti-aging foods that boost longevity because they contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and omega-3s. The best choice?  Walnuts. They also contain antioxidants. Have up to five 1-oz servings a week. (About 24 almonds or 14 walnut halves.) For the good fats use Extra Virgin Olive Oil when cooking or on a salad, and eat some avocado slices to absorb nutrients better.

7.       Eat lean protein at each meal.  Red meat should only be eaten occasionally because it has very little water, is hard for the body to digest, and is high in saturated fat.  But the occasional Top Sirloin once a month is fine.  The best protein choices are:  Skinless, boneless organic chicken breasts or tenderloins, fish (as previously discussed), sliced all natural turkey breast, shrimp cocktail, Eggland’s best eggs with omega’s or egg whites, almonds, whey protein, and nuts.  To avoid:  cheap packaged lunch meat that is high in preservatives, nitrates, nitrites and sodium with little to no nutritional value and whole milk – this should be obvious, but the sad truth is it’s not in some areas of the world so let me explain.  This Milk has had all of the fat already removed and then put back in it.  When dairy producers make milk they first take all the fat out of it and then for 2% put around 2% back in it, for 1%, you guessed it, and for whole, ALL OF IT.  There is also a reason that cows are over 300 lbs, the Milk!  The best mixture if you’re going to drink regular milk anyways is 2% IF you are working out several times a week or IF you only have a very small glass no more than once a day.  The safest bet for calcium needs is to:  eat Greek yogurt, drink almond milk (had double the amount in cow’s milk), and take a calcium and vitamin D3 supplement.  The latter is especially important for women because we need more than men and almost all multi-vitamins are lacking in the right amounts for women.

8.       Follow a diet that reduces inflammation.   Anything white, like sugar, white bread and baked potatoes tends to cause more inflammation in the body because it turns to sugar in the body.  This is especially true for sweets of all kinds like pastries, baked goods, and candy of all kinds.  It's best to avoid these foods most of the time, but allowing for 1 "cheat day" a week if you need it to curb cravings.

9.       Drink more green tea.  Matcha or organic green tea is the best, but any will do the trick.  This tea is part of the reason Asian’s live such long and healthy lives (the other part is that a lot of them drink Kangen water).  Add to that their active lifestyle of walking or bicycling everywhere and their diet of fish and you’ll see why some of my main points are similar.  There is a formula for being healthy and if you follow it you will succeed, period.  Green tea is very high in anti-oxidants, polyphenols, and boosts your metabolism and gives you natural energy.  Drinking 3 mugs a day has been proven to boost your metabolism and I’ve personally seen it work for me in conjunction with eating right and working out.  If you need to put something sweet in it DON’T add sugar.  I’ll get into sugar in the next point, but add one of these three for a natural sweetener that is actually good for you:  pure agave nectar, pure manuka or sadir honey (expensive but said to boost your immune system), regular honey if you don’t want to spend the extra for the first two.  Another natural alternative to sugar is Stevia.  This is actually from a plant and isn’t bleached like sugar and isn’t made using chlorine like some say artificial sweeteners are.

10.   Avoid Sugar.  Sugar is one of the two reasons you’re not losing weight and feel horrible.  When you eat sugar or drink soft drinks they are easily absorbed through the intestinal walls, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar levels.  This situation causes havoc in your body. High blood sugar is very dangerous for human beings and if it's allowed to continue, it can cause diabetic neuropathy, which means the nerves that feed various limbs in your body (feet, mostly) start to die. This is why Diabetics who maintain high blood sugar over a long period of time often have to have their feet amputated because the nerves in their feet are wasting away.

11.   Avoid Alcohol.  The other reason you feel lousy and can’t lose that belly fat.  The alcohol sugars you ingest when you drink beer or any kind of alcohol cannot be converted to anything in the body but fat because they are of no use to your body, hence, the beer gut.  It’s actually been proven that drinking beer prevents your body from burning fat as well as it normally does which means all your efforts working out are wasted if you drink more than two drinks a night.  Alcohol also dehydrates you and gives your body no other choice but to steal calcium and water from your cells and bones leaving you achy, and tired with dull dry skin and hair.  This is why so many celebrity trainers recommend not taking in any white carbs, sugar or alcohol because it undoes everything you’ve been working so hard for.

12.   QUIT SMOKING! Let’s face it, everyone know it’s bad for the body, we all know it causes cancer, and some of us even know it makes our body more acidic and inflamed, but what we might not want to admit is that it damages our witness for Christ.  We look like hypocrites when we say one thing and do another right?  Well, how can I successfully tell someone about the freedom Jesus Christ offers when I’m still living in bondage of the sin of contaminating his temple by smoking?!  This is why I quit.  Because “Those whom the Son has set free are free indeed!”  So I’ve already been set free from all forms of bondage and sin and the law of sin and death and that means that with God’s grace we can do anything we need to do! 

13.   I chose thirteen points because to me it’s the number of love in the Bible.  The last point and certainly not the least is to Trust God.  How is this a healthy living tip?  Well, if you try to do everything in your own strength you will fail.  I know, because I’ve been there many times.  We have to “cast the whole of our care on him, because he cares for you”.  God designed us to need a close relationship with him and to desire fellowship with him because that is the only way we can grow, if we are connected to the vine (God is the vine and we are the branches).  By praying with praise and thanksgiving and asking God for his grace to help us do with ease what we cannot do in our own striving we are honoring him and offering a type of spiritual worship to the one who created us and holds the owner’s manual to any questions we may have.  It’s important to know that we are no surprise to God, and he already knew what he was getting when he called us to be a part of his plan. 

And in conclusion here is one of my favorite scriptures that always gives me hope:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Disclaimer:

These statements have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice or appropriate medical care from your physician or other health care provider. You should not use the information on this Site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. Before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, or before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you have a health problem or medical condition, you should consult with a health care professional.

If you are currently taking medications, consult your health care provider before discontinuing any drug or altering any drug regimen. In addition, make your health care provider fully aware of all the nutritional supplements or herbal products you are currently taking or that you intend to take to avoid any negative interactions with any drugs you are taking.