healthy diet what is good and whats not so good

[Ian 155]

Going through Dr.Steger video - this is quiet a challenge I mean its worse than PT course , I was sitting this morning after watching it last night feeling totally guilty, this body being Gods Temple and all - Me have to have coffee,meat and very little water in fact if i can help it non at all ... and that small voice spoke to me in a quiet time this morning and the words kill eat came to me...

I recall Peter being shown a scroll in a vision 3 times the command came to him

I enlisted Googles services which took me to Acts ch 10

Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common

Act 10:16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Was he talking about food or was he talking about the upcoming meeting with Cornelias.[Gentile]

The scroll clearly depicts all types of animals including reptiles - this is for our consumption and has been "cleansed"

Weird, I knew a chap - total health nut no pun intended, always eating salad,fruit,veg and white meats very healthy until one day as he was leaving a sushi bar

was run over by a car ....

Ian

[arion]

There is a difference I believe in what is permissible and what is good for you when it comes to foods.  That there is no spiritual prohibition of any foods to eat is not deniable.  All are permissible for the believer.  Now then, what is good for you is a different story.  They had whole, natural foods back in those days.  Today the heavily refined and processed 'foods' are common and the whole natural foods are more uncommon.

Take Ray for example.  That God has all things under his control and that Ray went down the path that God had set for him is not to be argued.  But, I'm sure that if Ray had the knowledge that he gained after his cancer from Dr. Steger and others that he would of changed some of his lifestyle and diet before he had the cancer.  We can learn from Ray's experience as well as others.

I've read Dr. Steger's book and learned a lot and have put many of his suggestions into practice.  What will be will be and we can't change it.  But because I don't know what will be I do everything within my power to take care of myself including denying myself of some of the bad habits that I picked up when I was younger.  The results are up to God but I'm going to do the best that I can to take care of myself along the journey.  Folks that want to eat like pigs [nothing implied with that comment] also have to be willing to pay the price that may come due as they get older. 

[Kat]

Hi Ian,

Dr. Steger had a lot of good info on how to live a more healthy lifestyle, but let's face it the man carried it way to the extreme. I would say it would be good to learn a bit from what he says and try to impliment a few of the things he says, but anything should be done in moderation. If we are not careful any physical thing could become an idol of the heart, like trying to eat only clean/healthy foods.

What is an idol of the heart... well what is an idol - an object of passionate devotion. So there should be nothing, besides God, that in our heart we have a passionate devotion for... and why is that?

Mar 4:19  and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Now the Scripture in Acts 10 where Peter saw the sheet come down with all the animals in it, well Scriptures have many layers of meaning. Physically, yes it speaks of all animals being clean.

1Co 10:25  Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake;
v. 26  for "the earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness."
v. 27  If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience' sake.

Mat 15:11  Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

But spiritual speaking Acts 10 does speak of the Gentiles as well.

Acts 14:27  Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Hope that helps.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[Extol]

I started a healthier diet about ten years ago. At that time, there were four main changes: I stopped eating fast food, stopped drinking soda, stopped drinking milk, and stopped using medicine. Since then, I've gradually implemented more and more changes as I seek to live a healthy lifestyle.

Before I came to BT, when people would ask me why I eat the way I do, I would respond (in what was probably a boastful and condescending voice), "I want to still be running when I'm 100" or "I want to play my grandkids in tennis." Though I consider my diet to be much better now than it was then, my attitude has undergone a change as big as my change in diet.

I hope that by eating the way I do, I can live a long healthy life and stave off disease. But I'm very aware that if that happens, it is because God has ordained it to be that way, and the diet was merely the means by which God accomplished it. In a daily battle against my pride, I must remind myself THY WILL BE DONE. As Job said, God "has decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer." (Job 14:5, New Living Translation) Maybe God has decided the length of my life to be 110 years, aided by decades of fresh vegetables and fruits. He may also have decided for me to get run over by a car this weekend after leaving a sushi bar. 

[Extol]

Oh, and contrary to popular opinion, I do NOT think junk food tastes better than healthy food.  My wife likes to joke with friends that my diet is "sugar-free, salt-free, gluten-free, TASTE-FREE." But this is not so! Almost everything I eat is very good. (Granted, this may be in part because I'm used to eating this way.) If there was some great revelation tomorrow that food has no effect on our health, I still wouldn't want to go back to eating the way I used to. I'd still rather eat my homemade spelt crust pizza than go to Pizza Hut, and I'd still rather have an almond butter sandwich than a double cheeseburger. 

[Gina]

Extol!  ha, ha!  Should God decide that you be run over by a car, I sincerely hope and pray it be a symbolical running over with a symbolical car and not literal at all!   But it wouldn't bother me if the sushi bar were literal.    

[Dave in Tenn]

Going through Dr.Steger video - this is quiet a challenge I mean its worse than PT course , I was sitting this morning after watching it last night feeling totally guilty, this body being Gods Temple and all - Me have to have coffee,meat and very little water in fact if i can help it non at all ... and that small voice spoke to me in a quiet time this morning and the words kill eat came to me...

I recall Peter being shown a scroll in a vision 3 times the command came to him

I enlisted Googles services which took me to Acts ch 10

Act 10:15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common

Act 10:16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Was he talking about food or was he talking about the upcoming meeting with Cornelias.[Gentile]

The scroll clearly depicts all types of animals including reptiles - this is for our consumption and has been "cleansed"

Weird, I knew a chap - total health nut no pun intended, always eating salad,fruit,veg and white meats very healthy until one day as he was leaving a sushi bar

was run over by a car ....

Ian

Ian, if we just look at that verse, the vision is about the acceptance of the Gentiles.  There is a fair amount said in the New Testament scriptures about food.  Primarily, these 'lessons' are there to teach on other things...Love, being the most important. 

Still, they are 'useful' to do this because of the "assumption" that the dietary laws of the Jews were not binding on Gentile christians.  This is NOT a false assumption...see Acts for what what 'burden' WAS placed on the Gentiles.  It wasn't dietary laws or restrictions, except for the eating of meat sacrificed to idols.  It wasn't even the single MOST important distinction between national Jews and the nations...circumcision.

Aside from the 'law', are there 'better' and 'worse' foods to eat?  Yes.  The problem is, that these are not 0ne-size-fits-all.  The Lord has made us all different, and that includes heredity, ethnicity, culture and geography, relative healthiness, wealth, allergies, etc. etc. etc.  Education is general (and ,sadly, often contradictory) but application has to be specific. 

1Co 3:16,17  Know ye not that ye (plural) are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you (plural)?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye (plural) are.

I have to wonder:  Who is 'defiling the temple of God' more, the one who eats a cheeseburger, or the one who shuns or lords it over the one who eats the cheeseburger?

I like Extol's reply.  It makes good sense.  Be sober, moderate, reasonable, of a sound mind.  Do good.

   

[Ian 155]

Yeah I agree I thought the scroll referred to the Gentiles ch10 starts with Cornelias then Peter gets shown the vision then the meeting takes place - I can't fit "Kill and eat" in the same context though,
point is I agree, a moderate or reasonable diet should be followed but to panic about all these different theories which are and can really get you messed up is not what the word is telling us - all things are permissable all are not profitable "do not worry about life ,what you will eat"... is what you are saying - Be sober, moderate, reasonable, of a sound mind

So, how bad is Coffee for one, any thoughts

[Craig]

Well after reading about all the evils of processed foods, meat, etc. and carefully reviewing all the documentation on the subject; I've decided to give up reading.

Craig

[cjwood]

oh craig, you never let us down.  love your bottom line to the matter. 

claudia

[Gina]

ha! Craig, you're a hoot.

Yeah, I agree.  My daughter's like Extol.  She eats raw because she wants to and feels better doing that and has learned along the road that she doesn't need to shove her diet choices down other people's throats.  Pun intended.

If someone forced me to eat the way Dr. Steger suggests (though he does have plenty of good pointers) I'd be miserable and end up killing myself.  Which totally defeats the purpose!   Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to BK for my favorite dessert:

(Though today, I'm thinking of switchin things up a bit and trading out some of that scrum-diddly-umptious bacon for a little scrapple, iBob. nudge-nudge) 

[lauriellen]

@ Craig, i haven't laughed that hard in a while.....thanks for that 
this kinda ties in with this discussion....Joh_6:63  It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing.
i used to be very health/weight concious.....but now i find when i decide to make the effort to spend more time
takin care of my body/physical health....this verse always comes to mind.....i find myself not really caring about my physical
health at all, rather spending the time reading/searching for more understanding .
1Ti_4:8  For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the present life, and of that which is to come.
Can the flip side of being too health conscious (becoming an idle)......to being TOO UN-health conscious also be a sin?  If so, i am definately guilty. BTW, i am not a lazy person, my life on the farm does provide me with lots of physical labor/activity, but i just don't really care about my health/weight etc.....Is this sin?  I don't think really believe when God talks about taking care of our body as His temple that He is talking about the outward appearance.....
Hope i didn't go too far off subject with my comments. 
lauri

[John from Kentucky]

Hi Ian,

Dr. Steger had a lot of good info on how to live a more healthy lifestyle, but let's face it the man carried it way to the extreme. I would say it would be good to learn a bit from what he says and try to impliment a few of the things he says, but anything should be done in moderation. If we are not careful any physical thing could become an idol of the heart, like trying to eat only clean/healthy foods.

What is an idol of the heart... well what is an idol - an object of passionate devotion. So there should be nothing, besides God, that in our heart we have a passionate devotion for... and why is that?

Mar 4:19  and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Now the Scripture in Acts 10 where Peter saw the sheet come down with all the animals in it, well Scriptures have many layers of meaning. Physically, yes it speaks of all animals being clean.

1Co 10:25  Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake;
v. 26  for "the earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness."
v. 27  If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience' sake.

Mat 15:11  Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.

But spiritual speaking Acts 10 does speak of the Gentiles as well.

Acts 14:27  Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Hope that helps.

mercy, peace and love
Kat

Thank you Kat, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Finally, something said about Dr. Steger that I can agree with.

Usually, when the subject of Dr. Steger comes up, I roll my eyes over like a great white shark and chew my tongue and fingers off so as to not say or write something inappropriate.

But finally, something said about Dr. Steger that I can accept on a spiritual level.  Proof to me that God's Spirit is directing and working with us here on the Forum.   

[Kat]

Yeah John, HaHa... Actually I was impressed with Dr. Steger's devotion to learning about and applying the healthest lifestyle he possibly could. But would never want to live like him, I mean the man is obsessed with this thing. Not to mention it's totally going against the way of this world... wait a min. something sounds familiar here. Anyway how does he live without enjoying milk and cookies or ice cream, but maybe he has some kind of healthy version he (his wife) makes 

Kat

[Gina]

Yeah I agree I thought the scroll referred to the Gentiles ch10 starts with Cornelias then Peter gets shown the vision then the meeting takes place - I can't fit "Kill and eat" in the same context though,
point is I agree, a moderate or reasonable diet should be followed but to panic about all these different theories which are and can really get you messed up is not what the word is telling us - all things are permissable all are not profitable "do not worry about life ,what you will eat"... is what you are saying - Be sober, moderate, reasonable, of a sound mind

So, how bad is Coffee for one, any thoughts

That depends on the individual.  How much does one drink? Is it caffeinated or decaf?  What does one add to it?  Does such an one like it black or with cream and sugar, or heaven forbid one of those nasty sugar substitutes? 

To be overly-righteous much is soooo drab, dahling. 

Now, I personally don't drink caffeinated because I don't like the bags I get under my eyes or the headache, or poor sleep.  Not to mention it stains my pearly whites.  (I'm just a touch filled with vanity still.)  But what I really don't like is that I love it so much!  Decaf only with some raw honey, cinnamon and cream--but not soy milk, thanks anyways!   Soy milk is creme de la creme--I love the way it makes my coffee taste but as a woman I get that tummy bulge after weeks on end of drinking it, and those dreaded engorged, painful mammary glands from the estrogen; I just don't need the added discomfort.

However, I would not fault anyone else who chose to drink it because I get why they do it.  It flipping tastes yummy. 

Now it's your turn -- what are your thoughts about coffee? 

[Ian 155]

Now it's your turn -- what are your thoughts about coffee?

Ok Gina - Ill Put it this way I wake up in the morning and if the coffee is empty, Not GOOD,If the sugar for the coffe is finished -even worse  and if there is no milk for the coffee , disaster  - I like my cup of Coffee perhaps too much and have about 4 - 5 cups a day

[Gina]

Hi again,

Again, too many variables.  It still depends on how strong you like your coffee and how much sugar you put in each cup and your own constitution.   Sugar's addictive and so is caffeine.   

I'd like to give up smoking but God hasn't granted me the ability to do that yet.  I don't want to put harmful substances in my body any more than the next person.

I have an idea.  I'll pray for you and you pray for me and let's see what happens, okay?

[Ian 155]

Ok I will - to finish, Kat has nailed this down - its not what goes into the body
...

[Dave in Tenn]

Can the flip side of being too health conscious (becoming an idle)......to being TOO UN-health conscious also be a sin?  If so, i am definately guilty. BTW, i am not a lazy person, my life on the farm does provide me with lots of physical labor/activity, but i just don't really care about my health/weight etc.....Is this sin?  I don't think really believe when God talks about taking care of our body as His temple that He is talking about the outward appearance.....
Hope i didn't go too far off subject with my comments. 
lauri

I'll give it a stab. 

1Co 6:19, 20 Or are you not aware that your body is a temple of the holy spirit in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you are bought with a price. By all means glorify God in your body.

Is it reasonable or of a sound mind to have no thought about living healthily?  On the other hand, is it reasonable to make yourself unhealthy in order to conform to someone else's view of beauty?  In the verse above, Paul is certainly not talking about what we look like, but what we do with our bodies.  I reckon what we do WITH them, we also do TO them. 

********

Just to add on to my previous post, it's no less 'defiling the (collective) Temple' for the one eating the cheeseburger to shun or lord it over the ones not allowing themselves the cheeseburger.  BOTH are doing what they do as unto the Lord...assuming they are.   

[Gina]

Ok I will - to finish, Kat has nailed this down - its not what goes into the body
...

Actually, it is important what we put in our bodies. 

Simple example:  It's lawful for me to drink 5 cups of cafe a day; God's not going to call me on the carpet for it. 

But it's not EXPEDIENT for me to drink that much cafe because I personally [we're talking about me - not you, Ian] get the jitters BIG TIME and will turn around and snap and bite someone's head off in a flash.  See?  That's when drinking 5 cups of coffee crosses the line from being something that is lawful but is not expedient.

It's also not expedient for me to drink that much cafe because I am personally convinced it  screws with my estrogen and that makes me a danger to society.   

And that's why I need a Savior because there are some things we need saving from, even if they are "lawful."