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Good Health Is A Choice

Do you believe your current state of health is within your control?

 

There are those who would say no. Diabetes runs in my family. High blood pressure runs in my family. Cancer runs in my family.

 

There are those who straddle the fence and think well….hereditary and genetic factor do contribute to my health but maybe I can do a little something.

 

And finally there are those who know that their health is in their hands.

 

Possessing good health is a choice. It is God’s desire that you be in good health and prosper even as your soul prospers. And while we pray many prayers for healing, it is His desire to keep us from sickness and disease.

 

He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

Exodus 15:26

 

But it is up to us to choose. We cannot serve two masters.

 

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15

 

And this includes choosing Him with our food choices. [bctt tweet=”When it comes to food, will we serve the God of the Universe or the god of our taste buds?”]

 

[bctt tweet=”Every food choice we make either adds to or detracts from our health”]; a deposit or withdrawal, an investment or a loss, an advancement of health or a reversal. There is no food neutral.

Honoring the temple is a choice. And when faced with options, we constantly have to weigh and choose.

 

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live Deuteronomy 30:19

 

Because my body is the temple where the Holy Spirit resides, I try to make choices that will honor my temple. But choosing well is not always easy. But the Lord is faithful. He’s given me a system that I can commit to and seems to work well for me. I have a smoothie for breakfast (sometimes I have oatmeal if I’m going to have an intense workout); I have salad for lunch and a well-balanced, nutrient dense dinner. But there are times when I don’t choose well. I’ve given myself a little wiggle room purely for indulgence. I follow the 85/15 rule. 85% of the time I attempt to eat clean, nourishing whole food and the other 15% well….And even in granting myself that grace, I try not to overdo it. I’ve also come to know the importance of identifying and heading off triggers for eating poorly. If I’m stressed, overwhelmed or haven’t eaten and go to a place where unhealthy food is being served I’m apt to slip. That’s why we have to be proactive in warding off the slips by knowing our triggers.

 

And guess what? Last night I slipped. I ate 3 chocolate chip cookies. That was a huge indulgence for me. And I know why I ate them. It was totally a case of emotional eating. I was tired, not feeling well and just wanted comfort. Oh friends, that I would turn to CHRIST not cookies for comfort the next time. We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength if we just look to Him.

 

Having the right information is just one step in helping you make better choices. Check out these posts for tips on choosing the right foods:

 

Healthy Eating On The Go

Get Them To Eat Right

10 Keys Eating Right

 

Coupled with the right information is then exercising our will and making the right choice.

 

“Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.”

~Alfred A. Montapert

 

I stand here in your RaRa section, cheering you on as you choose well. Good health is a choice.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

 

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Eat Right All Summer Long

The cloying smell of burning coals finds its way to your nose. The intoxicating aroma draws you in. You begin to salivate as you can practically taste the offerings that will soon be delivered from the grill.

 

Even though I don’t eat most of the food generally served at cookouts, the smell of those coals still does something to me. So I’m here to share with you the tips I employ to choose well when attending summer gatherings.. The season is upon us. You are soon to be bombarded with cookout invitations, birthday parties, backyard get togethers and the like.

 

Charred meat. Saturated fat. Sugar. Alcohol.

 

Barbecue Ribs. Potato Salad. Macaroni Salad. Baked Beans. Punch. Cake. Soda.

 

This is just some of what you can expect to find at the next BBQ. Nonetheless, you will be duly equipped to choose well. I can still enjoy the food, fellowship and fun while making an active decision to choose well.

 

Tyra’s Tips for Choosing Well At Summer Gatherings

 

Be Sensitive To The Hostess

Who really wants to deal with an obnoxious, self-righteous food nazi? Nobody. So no need to make big public declaration about not eating those charred rib because of the carcinogens (just keep that info to yourself). As others enjoy their BBQ, don’t highlight the fat and sugar grams in each item they’ve consumed. I offer information if I’m specifically asked about my food choices.

 

Avoid Mayonnaise Laden Dishes

Aside from the fact that dairy based dishes don’t really hold well in the heat given it’s been sitting outside for a while, you may want to minimize the added saturated fat and calories of mayo based dishes, esp. if you are working on your beach body. Bathing suits and sundresses here I come.

 

 Watch The Sugar

With the soda and sweet treats that usually make an appearance at summer gathering, you may have to exercise some restraint. When chatting and socializing in hot weather, it’s easy to drink several sodas. Then top that off with some cake and popsicles and you’ve probably exceeded your recommended daily allowance of added sugar. Need a sweet treat? Reach for a slice of watermelon. Watermelon is highly alkaline and super hydrating.

 

Travel With Food

I’m infamous for traveling with my own food. Today, it’s pretty common to have a vegetarian, vegan or whole food eater in a group. But years ago it wasn’t so popular. And quite often people simply did not know how to accommodate my dietary choices and frankly I didn’t want to place that burden on them so I just travelled with my own food. Often, I’ll make sure I’ve eaten well before arriving at the event so that I will not be tempted by the cakes and chips. I also like to bring the hostess a dish. This always ensures that at a minimum I can eat the item I’ve brought. Below is one of my favorite summer items to bring. It is very adaptable and can easily be doubled or quadrupled to feed the masses.

 

Black Bean and Corn Salad

 

2 cups cooked black beans * (rinsed)

1 cup corn kernels

2 stalks scallions diced

½ sweet pepper diced

1 avocado cubed

1 tbsp olive oil

juice and zest of ½ lime

2 tbsp cilantro chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

 

Toss all ingredients together. Chill for a few hours for flavors to combine.

Black Bean Salad

 

As stated, this recipe is very adaptable. Sometimes I make a sweet version by adding diced mango and 1 tbsp honey. I vary the color of the sweet pepper based on what I have in the fridge. I’ve added jalapeno if I want to little kick. I like to use raw corn shucked right off the cob but Trader Joe’s also has a good frozen roasted corn that would work well in this dish. Have fun with it.

 

For more on cooking beans and having them fresh and always readily available so you don’t have to use canned, click here.

 

You are now armed and ready to choose well when attend your next summer gathering. In fact, these tips can be used to eat right all summer long.

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

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Choose Well

They were calling out to me. In all their hot, oily, salty splendor, those spuds hollered my name. Such was the case when I walked past that Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint. Yield not to temptation. Score one for team healthy!

 

I was chatting with some ladies in my Women’s Group and one asked how I stay so disciplined when it comes to my eating. As I described to her what I do when faced with a food choice, she summed it up quite well. She said, “So you do a lot of self-talk”. And that’s correct.

 

Honoring your temple is a choice. And when faced with options, I constantly have to weigh and choose.

 

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

 

Because my body is the temple where the Holy Spirit resides, I have to choose to honor my temple. And choosing well is not always easy. I’ve shared previously how I’ve devised a system that supports honoring my temple through proper nourishment. You can read more about how I choose well with:

Eating Right on the go

Getting Kids to Eat Right

 

I like to keep it interesting in the kitchen so I’m always concocting something that tantalizes the taste buds. But on the real, truth be told I love a few foods that do the opposite of honoring the temple. I LOVE coffee, pizza, macaroni and cheese and two of my absolute favorites are tiramisu and The Cheesecake Factory’s Banana Cream Cheesecake. One slice of that cheesecake has a whopping 930 calories, 36 grams of fat and 60 grams of sugar.

 

Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, on away from that cheesecake!

 

When I walk into my local Wegman’s grocery store to pick up a few items and haven’t eaten lunch yet, my eyes spot the mac and cheese. One whole hot bar station is full with different types of mac and cheese: traditional, blue cheese, chicken mac and cheese and more. Can I also mention here that the bakery is right near the hot food bar replete with pastries, cakes and cookies? The struggle is real folks! Nonetheless, I begin a dialogue with myself. It sounds a little something like this:

 

~Mmm that mac and cheese smells so good

 

~Don’t even look in that direction

 

~Hot cheesy melty goodness

 

~Seek out the vegetables

 

~A little won’t hurt

 

~Honor your temple and choose well

 

~Ch-a (that’s me sucking my teeth)

 

~Brown Rice veggie sushi roll w/ small side of Sichuan green beans

 

~You’ve chosen well daughter.

 

I’m sure you are confronted with similar choices every day all day. From the moment you wake up you have to decide, will you have:

 

~McDonald’s Medium McCafe Carmel Mocha 390 calories 14 grams of fat and 50 grams of sugar. That one drink has your recommended sugar intake for 2 days!

 

~McDonald’s Bacon Egg and Cheese Bagel with egg whites because hey, you’re trying to save on some grams of cholesterol by choosing well with the egg whites yet it has 530 calories, one fourth of your total caloric intake for the day, 23 grams of fat, more than one-third of your daily value of fat and 1340 mg of sodium, more than half of your recommended value of salt for the day.

 

So with those two breakfast choices, one’s health account is overdrawn and checks are bouncing.

 

While you may not know or have readily available these nutritional facts before you consume food (though it is posted in McDonald’s) you should ask yourself, “Is this contributing to or detracting from my health?”

McDonald's Choices

And I’m sharing here not to point fingers or to make you feel bad. I’m sharing because I know from my personal experiences that it IS difficult to choose well. I do have one area where I am NOT so disciplined and that is with popcorn. See I had rationalized it was healthy so I could indulge but that indulgence went too far and I had to really examine myself. You can read more about that here. But I’m happy to report; I’m getting that under control. I will not be a slave to my urges. Yes, by the power of the Spirit at work in me I am a spirit-controlled self-disciplined individual.

 

A spirit-controlled individual is self-disciplined. As Believers we can discipline ourselves to attend worship service regularly, to serve regularly, to dial in to prayer calls regularly, to have daily quiet time, but when it comes to eating right and exercise…well, it can be challenging.

 

I know it’s difficult. But I also know that we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength. Just like He strengthens me at this very moment to not go downstairs and get something sweet. I used to like to have a sweet little bite before going to bed but I had to end my attachment with that. Eating before bed interrupts your ability to fast overnight. That’s why the first meal of the day is called Breakfast because you are breaking your overnight fast. Eating before sleeping can cause insomnia, restless sleep, weight gain, and heartburn among other issues. I have eaten before bed and literally awoke feeling like I had a hangover. And I thought to myself, “Did that food ferment in my stomach?” I’m no doctor but that was my immediate thought.

 

So be empowered friends to choose well.

 

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deuteronomy 30:19

 

Having the right information is just one step in helping you make better choices. When it comes to what you eat, some decisions may be clearly apparent, while others may be murky. To assist you when making better choices at the grocery store and at restaurants there is a fun quick read called Eat This Not That.

 

Coupled with the right information is then exercising our will and making the right choices. Will we choose to add to or to detract from our health? Every food decision we make is either a deposit or a withdrawal. There is no food shade of gray, just black or white, an investment or a loss, an advancement of health or a reversal.

 

“Every person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.” Alfred A. Montepert

 

I stand here, cheering you on as you choose well!

 

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired to Live Fully!

 

Feature Image Photo Credit

Happy to connect with Dance With Jesus Fellowship Friday Grace and Truth

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