Following The Ancient Paths - "Our health in 20 years is our report card for how we're living today"

Following The Ancient Paths

Thursday, January 11, 2007

"Our health in 20 years is our report card for how we're living today"

I'm taking a break from the mental overload of the end of the year bookwork for the business, farm, and rental properties - not to mention our personal finances. While the kids work on a few crafts together I'm going to ramble. Wanna join me? LOL

We were watching "Assignment Discovery" the other night about acids and bases (yes, a bit too "much" of a science lesson for our kids but it's always amazing just what they do understand - even when they think they don't get it at all). There was a nutritionist on the program who said something that really hit home with me. He said something along the lines of:
"Our health 20 years from now is our report card for how we're living today." He was talking very quickly about how what we put into and do with our bodies doesn't tend to show up in our lives until much much later. He made another statement about how the rates of disease has increased dramatically in recent generations and how that is directly related to how we are taking care of ourselves when we're younger. I've heard this similar thought often in the past few weeks related to the 'obesity' of our nations population and the increase of things like diabetes.

Then I heard a lady on the radio today talking about a particular health plan that she was promoting and she said something along the lines of:
"I want to live as long as I'm alive. I don't want to have a condition that prevents me from living my life to it's fullest. I want to live my life as fully as I can in order to serve my Father as fully as I can." She was talking about quality of life when we so often talk about longevity of life. There's nothing wrong with living long, but we need to take care to live well so that our longevity is filled with as much life as He allows us. (did that just make sense?) If my hands hurt too bad to write a check, my eyes can't see very well, my body can't handle my walking through town, or something else along those lines - I may not be able to be as useful to my Father. My mind will be spending more time on my condition than on Him, I'll be slowed down more than I would like to be, etc. At the same time my grandmother, of blessed memory, had the worst case of rheumatoid arthritis I have ever seen. That is eventually what killed her. She didn't ever let it stop her from life, as much as I know. He used her in spite of her conditions (which also included breast cancer and other 'smaller' conditions) and she grew in spite of her conditions. Please don't think that I feel that someone with a health condition can't be used by Him, I don't feel that way at all. I'm merely trying my best to repeat the concept that this lady was relating.

I've noticed a theme of things that I keep bumping into in my dialy life the past few weeks - ever since a friend of mine told me that she felt the LORD tell her that her favorite treat - ice cream - is "the nectar of death". It seems that almost daily there are a few things that come into my life that I find myself chewing on related to health and our family diet, why we do some of the things we do. I thought I'd share my thoughts with you all and see if any of you have anything to share with me on the subject.

First of all, we do our best to keep Biblical kosher. Outside of our congregation, people think we're strange. Giving up marshmallows, the kids tell me, was a million times harder than giving up christmas or easter. LOL Summertime bonfires just don't have the same apeal without smores, yams just aren't the same without the marshmallow topping (the cream just isn't the same...). But all in all, nobody misses anything that we used to eat that we don't eat anymore. Well, except for marshmallows... Other than kosher, there's no more cookies (except for DH's lunch) but there are granola bars instead, no more candies (except for special occasions) but a lot more dried fruit these days, we don't eat much processed food - as little as we can, and we never eat out anymore. Our families think we've lost our marbles. LOL

When we moved into our new house almost two years ago we switched from using regular cooking pans (you know, the teflon kind) to cast iron. My reasoning was more the novelty of it all more than the health aspects of it, but after I had decided on this move I started hearing quite a bit about how teflon is now being found in the blood streams of infants, imagine how much it's being found in the systems of those who are actually eating the food cooked in those pots and pans. I also read an article that was saying that after the common use of cast iron for cooking the rates of anemia increased dramatically, this author was connecting the two (you know, the iron factor). I don't know if that's a correct assumption but it was interesting anyway. We really have liked the taste of our foods in the cast iron and I really like that they're so easy to clean. Health benefit or not, we're sold on the cast iron. We still have a few aluminum pots, and some say there's a connection between aluminum and alzheimers. We'll see. I think the Coke in a can might be worse for me than the pots are.

Long before we moved into the house I started to cut out all plastics in the kitchen. My reason for this was mostly taste - I hated the plastic taste that the foods would have. I also had heard that the plastics leeched toxins into the food and liquid, and that was of great concern to me. I had heard about the pseudo-estrogens in plastics and was sure that those weren't a necessary part of my families diet. I switched to glass bowls for storing/reheating left overs and sending DH to work with his lunch in ceramic/glass containers rather than plastic. We found some water bottles that were a harder plastic and didn't leave that plastic taste to the water, and we're assured by others that these harder plastic bottles don't leech any "stuff" into the water.

Then there's the seed catalog that came this week. We started talking as a family about what we'd like to grow in the garden this spring/summer/fall. Is it ever too early to start planning the next garden?

Our oldest daughter, Myriam, has been reading about various herbal remedies lately in her constant quest for medical/veterinary knowledge. She was talking about certain plants and their uses medicinally (like rutebega and honey for a sore throat). I found it quite interesting and my mind started going to Shmuella (our youngest daughter) and her constant battle with sickness before she came to our family - all the medicines and chemicals that have been put into her system. We soon found ourselves talking about our meat - since we raise it ourselves. Our goal is to raise more and more of our own fruits and veggies too, and to store them (freeze them) for use througout the year. It really struck us this spring when Reuven and Shmuella came into our family just how "strange" our diet is compared to most. Now that they've become accustomed to our diet the school lunches make them sick and the thought of going out to a restaraunt with their family makes them groan. LOL But the dark circles under their eyes are gone and their skin has cleared up almost completely. We have moved farther and farther away from traditional medicines and things of that nature, unless there isn't anything else to treat the problem and we feel it's necessary (like Shalom and DH's inhalers that they haven't needed for over a year now). We've been growing quite the herbal remidy cabinet over the past few years.

These bunny trails all seem to go along with the ones about how we've cut out amost all of the refined sugars (except my Coke and the white sugar we have on hand for people to put in their coffee and in a very few things we eat) and replaced the sugar with honey, or how I'm a water-pusher or fruit/veggie pusher. LOL I have people ask me, more often lately than not, "Do you use a microwave?" which completely dumbfounded me at first. Yes we have one. Do we use it? Not much really, DH uses it to melt butter for his popcorn. I started making my own bread just over a year ago and now we can't hardly stand store bought bread. Besides, it's not nearly as fun! I've come accross more than a few articles/radio programs related to processed foods and the increased rates of various diseases since WWII. Is it just me or is all of this health stuff a very popular subject these days?

I guess the theme of all of this has been how I've been trying to make good choices for our family for several years now and how I'm trying to ensure that our report cards in 20+ years show some good healthy habits. I am not one to stand on a soap box and preach about health or diet or exercise - my soap boxes are of a different nature. But there is a part of me that wonders - is there more to this than I previously thought and is He revealing something to me that I'm at the early stages of grasping? I know that my body is the temple of the Ruach here in this world and that when Messiah returns that I'll be given a new body/temple/mansion. That doesn't mean that I don't take care of the mansion I have now. (LOL Yes, I do have some weight I could drop.) My primary goal is to teach my kids good dietary habits, an appreciation for exercise, and a good foundation for overall health. My kids won't learn if I don't do it myself. "More is caught than taught" I hear.

So check back with me in 20 years and let's see how our families general health is then. Maybe we can say that because we didn't use plastic and we did use cast iron that we're better for it. Maybe we will find out how horrible those things really were for us. Who knows. Maybe the aluminum will have done it's job and I won't know what on earth you're talking about. LOL I don't usually spend much time thinking about such things but lately it seems to be a theme somewhere in my every day life.

I've rambled WAY too much and I hear all the kids dancing to "Jew & Gentile" in the other room. I need to go interrupt them so we can get our evening Bible reading in before bed.

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Friday, January 12, 2007 - Lunar Shabbat Health

Posted by MtnMama@kvis.net

Hi,
I was looking for another link and found yours. I noticed you are lunar shabbat keepers? We are too. I was wondering if you have read HOLY TIME by Eliyahu ben David @ www.tsiyon.org. Have you heard the radio program also?

I really appreciate your posts. I am a little confused on this website so don't know who wrote it or how to contact. I tried "email me" but it refused to send.

I can't figure out your name but know you homeschool and I think live in WA. I have homeschooled since 1990 and have about 14 years more to go. I live NW MT.

I appreciate your blog and how you have handled some of the issues. Coming out of the traditional church to the Messianic to lunar time keeping really puts one "out there" and it can be a lonely walk but one well worth it. I was wondering, if you get a chance could you check out Holy Time and the radio program then give me your opinion. I am trying to find radio stations around the country who would be interested in carrying the program.

Shabbat Shalom (we are on Israel moon this month and sabbath is almost over here in MT)

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Saturday, January 20, 2007 - What goes in is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Posted by Anonymous

I thought you might be interested in this article my DH brought home. I have one on soda too. If your interested or anyone else is interested let me know. I went to the Library to see if the book was avalible and there is 2 holds on it so I'm number 3. Given the topic of health I just thought you might be interested.

GOT “MILK” ?

Most of us have seen the slick “milk” mustache commercials, which successfully promoted a fallacy to trusting consumers. Pasteurized and homogenized “milk” has been and is promoted as the near “perfect food” for humans, especially for children. Most parents have been conditioned to believe that the proper growth of their children’s bones and general health is dependent on the consumption of processed cow’s milk. Unfortunately, “milk” isn’t milk anymore. There has been practically none available in the U. S. for about 50 years (except in some Health Food Stores or directly from a farm). The only thing unprocessed real milk has in common with commercial milk is the white color.
The pasteurization process of milk alters the proteins and fats. Reduces the vitamin content by over 50%, and lays waste to the enzymes. The enzyme “phosphates” which is essential for the absorption of calcium, is completely destroyed. Thousands of blood tests have shown that those who drank 3 or 4 glasses of commercial milk a day had the lowest levels of blood calcium.
Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus which holds the putrefactive bacteria in check. This is why raw milk will curdle and sour if allowed too sit at room temperature. Pasteurization extends the shelf life of milk from 5 days to several weeks, and will eventually rot. It enables farmers to maintain low standards of cleanliness. Calves fed pasteurized milk usually die within 60 days, as shown by numerous experiments.
Homogenized milk has been linked to the rise in arteriosclerosis and heart disease. The culprit is an enzyme called xanthine oxidase (XO) which partly survives pasteurization. When the cream in milk is in its natural state, the fat globules are too large to go through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream. Homogenization changes that by straining the fat through minuscule pores under immense pressure. (XO) attaches to the fat molecules (reduced in size but greatly increased in number) which are now small enough to get through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream to do its damage.
Homogenization also destroys the enzyme “lipase” which is used for fat digestion, as well as “galactase” which is needed for sugar digestion. The Pathology Department of the University of Washington compared the incidents of heart attacks of ulcer patients who were on a homogenized “milk” diet as ulcer therapy with those who were not. They found a 3-fold number of heart attacks among those who had consumed homogenized “milk”. The number was 6-fold in a similar English study. Millions believe that they are avoiding hardening of the arteries by drinking low fat or skim “milk”. Autopsies revealed that commercial skim milk fed to animals had cause severe hardening of the arteries and calcification of the soft tissues. The use of rBGH / rBST, antibiotics, pesticides, and the “stabilization” of milk all render the “most perfect food” even more toxic.
Many scientific studies and articles confirm that processed milk is not healthy. It has been linked to a wide range of disorders and diseases. They include asthma, allergies, acne, arthritis, anemia, arteriosclerosis, cramps, constipation, cataracts, cold & flu, diarrhea, diabetes, ear infection, heart disease, headache, osteoporosis, obesity, sinusitis, skin rashes, tooth decay, and other maladies. U.S. government statistics show that milk consumers are 2.5 times more likely to contract food borne illness from pasteurized milk than from free-range raw cow’s milk. For sources of real non-toxic organic milk visit: www.realmilk.com/where2.html#me.
Commercial milk is one of the most dangerous junk foods being peddled to the brainwashed American people as being “healthy”. Got “milk”? Hopefully not! America it’s time to wipe off your “milk” mustache. You’ve been had!

Suggested Reading: MILK – THE DEADLY POISON by Robert Cohen

Food for thought anyway,

Shalom Salina

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Saturday, January 20, 2007 - What goes in is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Posted by Anonymous

I thought you might be interested in this article my DH brought home. I have one on soda too. If your interested or anyone else is interested let me know. I went to the Library to see if the book was avalible and there is 2 holds on it so I'm number 3. Given the topic of health I just thought you might be interested.

GOT “MILK” ?

Most of us have seen the slick “milk” mustache commercials, which successfully promoted a fallacy to trusting consumers. Pasteurized and homogenized “milk” has been and is promoted as the near “perfect food” for humans, especially for children. Most parents have been conditioned to believe that the proper growth of their children’s bones and general health is dependent on the consumption of processed cow’s milk. Unfortunately, “milk” isn’t milk anymore. There has been practically none available in the U. S. for about 50 years (except in some Health Food Stores or directly from a farm). The only thing unprocessed real milk has in common with commercial milk is the white color.

The pasteurization process of milk alters the proteins and fats. Reduces the vitamin content by over 50%, and lays waste to the enzymes. The enzyme “phosphates” which is essential for the absorption of calcium, is completely destroyed. Thousands of blood tests have shown that those who drank 3 or 4 glasses of commercial milk a day had the lowest levels of blood calcium.

Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus which holds the putrefactive bacteria in check. This is why raw milk will curdle and sour if allowed too sit at room temperature. Pasteurization extends the shelf life of milk from 5 days to several weeks, and will eventually rot. It enables farmers to maintain low standards of cleanliness. Calves fed pasteurized milk usually die within 60 days, as shown by numerous experiments.

Homogenized milk has been linked to the rise in arteriosclerosis and heart disease. The culprit is an enzyme called xanthine oxidase (XO) which partly survives pasteurization. When the cream in milk is in its natural state, the fat globules are too large to go through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream. Homogenization changes that by straining the fat through minuscule pores under immense pressure. (XO) attaches to the fat molecules (reduced in size but greatly increased in number) which are now small enough to get through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream to do its damage.

Homogenization also destroys the enzyme “lipase” which is used for fat digestion, as well as “galactase” which is needed for sugar digestion. The Pathology Department of the University of Washington compared the incidents of heart attacks of ulcer patients who were on a homogenized “milk” diet as ulcer therapy with those who were not. They found a 3-fold number of heart attacks among those who had consumed homogenized “milk”. The number was 6-fold in a similar English study. Millions believe that they are avoiding hardening of the arteries by drinking low fat or skim “milk”. Autopsies revealed that commercial skim milk fed to animals had cause severe hardening of the arteries and calcification of the soft tissues. The use of rBGH / rBST, antibiotics, pesticides, and the “stabilization” of milk all render the “most perfect food” even more toxic.

Many scientific studies and articles confirm that processed milk is not healthy. It has been linked to a wide range of disorders and diseases. They include asthma, allergies, acne, arthritis, anemia, arteriosclerosis, cramps, constipation, cataracts, cold & flu, diarrhea, diabetes, ear infection, heart disease, headache, osteoporosis, obesity, sinusitis, skin rashes, tooth decay, and other maladies. U.S. government statistics show that milk consumers are 2.5 times more likely to contract food borne illness from pasteurized milk than from free-range raw cow’s milk. For sources of real non-toxic organic milk visit: www.realmilk.com/where2.html#me.

Commercial milk is one of the most dangerous junk foods being peddled to the brainwashed American people as being “healthy”. Got “milk”? Hopefully not! America it’s time to wipe off your “milk” mustache. You’ve been had!

Suggested Reading: MILK – THE DEADLY POISON by Robert Cohen

Food for thought anyway,

Shalom Salina

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Wednesday, February 7, 2007 - haelthy diet

Posted by sugrpop

I live in Oklahoma and our congregations around the state are going through some of these same issues.
The messianic movement as a whole follows a lot of the same topics often. It's interesting to ponder the possibility of YHVH moving us in the same direction to get us ready to be his bride, exciting!
I have just started incorporating raw food into my diet (not just salad). A messianic man named Paul Nison from FL. came and spoke to several congregations here about "Raw Food in the Scriptures" and doing food demos. He travels around the country teaching this. I have spent a week online reading various raw food sites and several people in my congregation are changing a lot of thier eating habits. This sabbath we're having a raw food demo to show people that food can taste good and be good for you. I hope this info. helps some of you.
Alisa in OK

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