It's a multi-billion-dollar industry: dieting. Every year, someone comes up with a new spin on the age-old question of how to stay fit. When I was growing up, we dutifully memorized the food pyramid. I was shocked to learn recently that the food pyramid wasn't based on true scientific research, but on government subsidy politics. So, once again, we're told to learn something new.
Thankfully, one book never changes: the Bible. That's why Dr. Rex Russell's book should be on every parent's bookshelf: it serves as a companion to God's Word, explaining in laymen's terms how to eat based on the Creator's plan.
Despite our massive improvements in sanitation, nutrition, and medical research, studies show the average American's lifespan could DECREASE by as much as five years in the coming decades. Why is that? It's because we eat too much, eat the wrong things, and we're too FAT! More than 60% of adults and 30% of children are overweight or obese, putting themselves at a higher risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and a variety of other illnesses.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT HEALTHY LIVING is based on three simple principles: 1) Eat the foods God created for you. 2) Don't alter God's design. 3) Don't let any food or drink become your God. This book also has a chapter on fasting, which is a topic everyone needs to understand. You see examples of it throughout the Bible, but how many of us actually practice it habitually? I know that I for one was never taught the importance and signifigance of fasting, it was only referred to in Bible storries. It never occured to me as being something I could and should be doing.
Dr. Russell tells the case of a nine-year-old girl with severe dyslexia who was undergoing expensive therapies and treatments, yet still couldn't read. The surprise came after she fasted a few days from having the flu. She could read! Her parents discovered her learning problems were diet-related. They learned she was sensitive to sugar, corn, white flour, margarine, honey, and other frequently eaten foods.
I think many kids who are diagnosed with ADD and other disorders could be cured through cutting processed food out of their diets and getting hours and hours of fresh air and exercise outside instead of being forced to sit still indoors. Easier said than done, of course. But it's still a lifestyle to aim for. I know I see a HUGE difference in my 2 children when they are eating fresh, and whole grain foods instead of sugar and processed foods. It's not easy, though, when they go to preschool 2 days a week and get cookies and sugary cool aid or when they spend the weekend with Granny who has a stash of candy in her van!
My friend, Donna, who recommended this book to me, has been following the principles of the book for 8 years now and has literally not been sick with so much as a cold since she started! I can feel an amazing difference in how I feel after just a few days of eating all natural, fresh foods. While the physical difference is huge, the mental difference I feel has surpised me. I feel sharper, able to think more clearly, and 100% less fatigued.
Warning : read this book and you will cringe at the thought of eating white bread, or processed and sugary foods again!! But your mind and body will thank you.
