Wellness: Wisdom Through the Ages

Change is in the air! The warm embrace of a summer breeze is changing to a crisp fall kiss. Blossoming trees and flowers are preparing for their winter naps and we change from shorts to pants, tank tops to sweaters.

Yes, change is all around us, but one area of transformation that I am reluctant to embrace is our modern day food supply. I believe that the wise Christian woman must be aware of technology tampering with our sources of nourishment. Genesis 1:29 reminds us of our true food source: “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food’” (NIV).

Modern food technology cranks out refined, processed, adulterated, irradiated “food-like edible substances” that don’t resemble natural food. The devitalized ingredients consumed in a regular diet over a long period of time promote nutrient deficiencies often leading to degenerative disorders. How does the wise woman of God revolutionize her family’s wellness (and her own) in the midst of the “modern-day mania” around food and nutrition?

Prepare

This step promotes efficiency – time, energy, and money. Shop carefully and choose a variety of flavors, colors, and textures so that you can ensure a full range of nutrients. Also include a variety of lean, hormone-free, and antibiotic-free protein sources, such as beef, chicken, turkey, and cold-water (not farmed) fish. Try some different cooking techniques to add variety to your favorite menu, and include healthy fats (essential fatty acids) such as olive oil, flax seed, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and avocado.

Protect

Take care of what God gave you before you have to repair it. A well-balanced whole-food (mostly plant foods) diet promotes normal bodily functions. Finishing the day with sound sleep provides repair and restoration for those body functions. Healthy relationships filled with laughter and prayer will strengthen your “health” coat-of-armor. Any type of active movement will keep body parts (inner and outer) in much better working order. You don’t have to run marathons; just include extra movement throughout the day.

Prevent

Benjamin Franklin’s famous saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” has been repeated by women for centuries. By taking the two previous action steps to greater health, we will take great strides in preventing numerous maladies and disorders. When our bodies are nutritionally full, we look better, feel better, and perform better, and that allows us to do all that we do for God’s glory.

Cold and Flu Prevention

Nature’s pantry provides several God-created foods that protect your body’s immune system from frequent colds and flus.

• Add a tablespoon of chopped garlic or onion to chicken or beef broth. Though they cause your eyes to water and your nose to run, onion, garlic, ginger, horseradish, and turnips also stimulate lymph circulation and improve your body’s defense system.
• Sprinkle ground cinnamon and clove on your hot cereal, or add a sprinkle of cinnamon to your coffee. Aromatic herbs and spices such as cinnamon, clove, cayenne, eucalyptus, or ginger warm the body as well as provide anti-oxidant protection.
• A few tablespoons of ginger powder added to a warm bath can bring soothing relief from aches and pains. Ginger tea brings warmth, stimulates circulation, and reduces congestion.