TAKING CARE OF GOD’S TEMPLE

1 Corinthians 6:20b, says we are to honor God with our body. Yet how often do we neglect our sacred vessels? Think about it…if your car starts to make funny noises, we take it to the shop and it get it fixed right away. Yet we wait until we have acne, we’re 20lbs overweight, and feel like we’re sixty before we take care of our bodies. Just as our cars need preventative maintenance, so do our bodies. Eating healthy, along with keeping our bodies clean of sin and impurity spiritually, and using our bodies as tools to do His work and to worship Him, are just a few ways we can honor God with our bodies.

So I did a little research…

These 30 miracle foods are high in complex carbs are nutritious, delicious, and high in fiber…and they also reduce the risk of cancer. These foods coupled with the right exercise regime work wonders at burning unwanted fat, keeping away infection, and balancing your body with the right vitamins and nutrients.

Fruits—

Apples Bananas (good brain food too) Citrus Fruit Cranberries

Grapes Melon Pears Pineapple Jams—sugar-free

Vegetables—

Broccoflower Broccoli Cabbage Celery Corn and popcorn

Leeks Lettuce

Mushrooms Peas Peppers

Potatoes Root Vegetables

Spinach Tomatoes

Zucchini Beans—any

Grains—

Bread—whole grain Low-fat waffles and pancakes

Grains- any Pasta—whole grain

Complex carbs lose most of their calories when being digested so you can eat as many as you like and not gain weight.

You can still eat protein, just eat in them in moderation. The best proteins to eat if you are trying to lose weight are eggs, low-fat cheese, fish, or chicken. Lay off or eat very very little butter or red meats. Calories from these fatty foods cling to the calories moving through your body and cling to your waistline. Not eating is even worse than eating these fatty foods. As your hunger continues, your body decreases its basal metabolic rate in order to conserve energy and also becomes efficient at storing whatever fat you do eat so it gets good at retaining fat longer.

At least 65% of your daily food should be made up of complex carbs. They carbs are invaluable sources of Iron, Phosphorous, Thiamine, Niacin, Vit A, Vit B6, Vit C, Copper, Magnesium, Iodine, Folacin, and Protein.

Simple carbohydrates are low in nutritional value and should also be used in moderation. They include your snacks or sugars. Complex carbs are combination of sugars, starches, and fiber that are nutritional in value. They give you the same amount of energy as proteins but contain half the calories of fat! Complex carbs break down easier into glucose, our blood sugar that is our main source of energy. They raise your metabolic rate. We still need protein but only 200-400 grams of animal protein is needed daily. This can come from roasted chicken, broiled fish, or even a few tablespoons of cottage cheese. Never eat more than 5 ounces of animal protein in one day.

Another great fat burning tip is to eat 30-40 grams of fiber everyday. Your best sources sources of fiber are your fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Also, consume no more than 20-30 percent of calories from fat per day or you will gain weight. The foods on the list above all contain less than one gram of fat per serving. Stay away from saturated fats and trans fats as much as possible as they increase your risk of obesity, high cholesterol, and heart disease. They include: Red meats, butter, peanut butter, most milks, hard cheeses, most oils, pizza, fried foods, processed meats, pudding, whipped cream, most chips and crackers, chocolate, hot dogs, and gravy.

Cool trick: Eat slower…it takes 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach your full 😀

STOP FEEDING THE FLESH WHAT IT WANTS! Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and grace you with love, peace, forgiveness, kindness, SELF-CONTROL, patience, goodness, and gentleness. These fruits of the Spirit are enough to fulfill us Spiritually and eating the healthy foods above are enough to feed us Physically. Feeding the flesh what it wants constantly only creates a greater hunger and you will never be satisfied. Ever notice that the foods that taste the best are the worst for you? That is because our flesh wants unhealthy, and it will NEVER be satisfied…

With the foods listed above, you now have the tools you need to stay healthy so you can better serve God and live a long, joy-filled life.

If we KNOW better…then we should DO better!