3-1-21 Health Seekers: Two Vital Needs for Our Health

Hi Friends,

     This week, let’s look at the first two pillars: nutrition and hydration. Interestingly, Jesus commands us to do both as we celebrate communion in remembrance of Him. Listen: 

“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1Co 11:26 NIV

     Eat and drink. It is not enough to do one, but not the other. We must feed our bodies whole, healthy foods through which we receive the nutrients our body needs to function. But if we do not hydrate them, these nutrients will not be able to travel where they need to, so that we can have the health benefits they provide. We need to do both. The following are brief…very brief…explanations of both. I do want to say one thing before we begin to dive in though, this is NOT a matter of Salvation, but it is all about Sanctification. If we have sincerely surrendered our lives to Jesus as Savior, then we must continue to grow so that He will truly be our Lord too. This means learning things like this: how to treat our bodies with respect by eating well and staying hydrated. You cannot lose Heaven by not following this wisdom, but your life here will not be the vibrant, enjoyable, life-giving one it could be if you keep on growing, changing and following Jesus in all things. Having said that, let’s talk about these first two pillars.

     1- Nutrition: 

     God cares about what we eat. Each human is precious in God’s eyes, yet we make poor decisions that can lead us to poor health. Now do NOT misunderstand, not every disease is caused by what we have done or not done. My 5 year old daughter’s brain cancer is a great example. Yet we do have a lot more control, and responsibility, than we might care to admit. The major illnesses plaguing this world today can be limited, if not cured, by simply changing our eating habits. Most, if not every chronic illness can be eliminated from our lives if we choose to eat the way God designed us to eat.

     The death choices: You’ve heard it said “you are what you eat,” but the reality is we are what we absorb. (We will cover this in more detail when I talk about our microbiome, but for now, understand that, if we do not give ourselves healthy foods in the first place, we will not have good nutrients to absorb.) If we choose to follow the Standard American Diet, eventually, we will begin to feel the damage these nutrient poor foods offer. (side note: the acronym, S-A-D, SAD, should say it all) This type of “diet” includes eating lots of highly processed meals, refined carbohydrates and sugar-filled foods, which are mostly stripped of any nutritional value. These foods either do not offer or do not allow our bodies to absorb the vitamins, minerals, enzymes etc that our bodies need to thrive. God did not create us to eat this way and our bodies do not know what to do with all these manufactured and altered substances, so our immune system goes nuts. This type of “diet” causes loads of systemic inflammation, which again, we were never meant to sustain. As a matter of fact, it has been found that this chronic inflammation is at the root of just about every deadly disease known to man, including cardiovascular, diabetes, cancers, auto-immune and every mental health problem from depression to Alzheimers. If we choose to eat this SAD way, there is nothing good for our bodies to absorb and, sooner or later, our physical health will reflect these poor choices. By God’s Grace, we might not BE junk, because in Christ that is NOT our identity, but we can certainly feel like we are because our health will take a big hit.

     The life choices. If instead, we choose to eat God-made, healthy, vitamin & mineral rich whole foods, then we will be feeding ourselves nutrient dense meals that will enhance our physical bodies. We will have the proper nourishing foods that can make us feel healthy, as well as be strong, energetic and filled with life. We will be able to do what we were created to do, to be God-reflecting, thriving, life-giving individuals that bring God glory. The more natural we can eat, the more beneficial nutrients will be available for us to absorb and use to repair any past harm, as well as to fortify ourselves from any future impairment. Whenever you possibly can, select organic, non-GMO, free range, hormone & antibiotic free foods. If God did not put these chemicals into our food, then we were not created to eat them, so don’t.

     2- Hydration: 

     Living Water. Just like we cannot have true life apart from Jesus, we cannot have healthy lives if we are not well hydrated. Our bodies are made up of roughly 70% water. Every chemical reaction within our bodies requires water. Everything from our blood to the neurons in our brains need water to function optimally. A quick list of the benefits of proper hydration include: regulating body temperature, acting as a shock absorber for our brain & spinal cord, lubrication for our joints, helping to flush our bodies of toxins and metabolizing & transporting nutrients through our bloodstream to our cells. What most people do not realize is that we are a people who are usually at least slightly dehydrated. Dehydration can cause all sorts of problems for us including headaches, elevating our blood pressure, imbalance in our blood sugar, lack of energy and causing us to feel irritable. We can quickly become dehydrated within 3 days and normally no one can live more than 5 to 6 days without water. My point? Hydration is vital for our lives.

     Next week, I will give you some quick and practical ways we can improve our nutrition and hydration. I am on this journey towards being as healthy as I possibly can be, because I want to respect this body, this incredible gift God has given me. How about you? Then won’t you join me?

     Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.

<>< Peace, Diane