2023: Invest in Your Health

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2

Today I researched holistic health strategies as related to achieving the wellness of optimal health. Did you know that home cooking your food is the number one preventative against poor health?

For many, cooking involves the use of air fryers and microwaves. Yet, cooking on a stove and using a conventional oven allows one to receive the highest level of nutrients for digestion and assimilation on a cellular level in the human body.

What are the guidelines for choosing healthy foods? Moderate in calories, low salt, low fat, and no processed sugars. 2,000 calories per day should provide necessary nutrients for the average adult.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the building blocks for maintaining a Be Ready Stay Ready Immune System. The colors green, orange, red, yellow, and purple should be consumed daily. Complex carbohydrates along with adequate protein from legumes, fish, and poultry will leave you energetic and change your perception of life in general.

Be creative. Personally, I do not care for one pot meals. Who says our plate has to be limited to only three varieties of food?

Healthy eating is part of having a healthy lifestyle. It is not a diet. Your mind and tastebuds require retraining to achieve optimal health.

Change is intentional. A healthy lifestyle requires an alteration in our thought processes along with strategic planning. Because our choice of food is from learned behaviors, we require Divine Intervention to change from eating foods that supply little nutrients.

Our health is of the utmost concern to God. Throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth, He healed many who had mental, emotional, and physical illnesses. When we consume foods based on taste or habits our bodies will fail us by succumbing to chronic diseases. We were created in God’s image to live long, productive, joyous lives.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19

Involve God in your desire to take care of your temple. Pray for help! Develop your goals. Purchase a journal. Eliminate time-consuming distractions. Learn your body’s rhythm. When are you hungry? Consider taking a mid-afternoon snack to work to prevent raging hunger that results in ordering fast food on the way home.

Be intentional with your food choices. Purchase your food weaknesses in smaller sizes–one pint of ice cream instead of a half gallon. Consider making your own ice cream with fruit. Shop for food on a full stomach–the junk stuff will be less appealing.

The most exciting part of pursuing optimal health is the body’s response–high energy, weight loss, mood stability, increase in mental acuity, and the overall feeling that comes from your accomplishment of loving you.

The only way for us to achieve optimal health is to lovingly care for the fearfully and wonderfully made minds and bodies gifted by our Heavenly Father.

I have achieved and maintained optimal health for two years. Go ahead! It’s a great way to live!

https://www.aetna.com/health-guide/health-benefits-of-home-cooking.html