If I had to give one piece of advice about eating, Christian weight loss, and health, it would be this:
"Fruit for food, leaves for medicine."
Where does this prescription come from?
Ezekiel 47:12 and Health
A picture of Heavenly health comes from Ezekiel 47:12:
"Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”
Ezekiel 47 is a beautiful picture of the heavenly temple. In Ezekiel's vision, healing waters flowed from this temple. The water nourished the fruit trees near the temple and the fruit and leaves provided wonderful benefits.
While it is a vision of Christian life in the Spirit, you can also apply it to your Christian health efforts. After all, your body is God's temple!
Eating God-Created Food
Do you believe that your health and weight would change for the better if you took this advice daily as seriously as you took a daily pill from your doctor?
I attended a lecture by Dr. Joel Fuhrman once and he said he believed that many lifestyle-related diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer) could be prevented simply by eating a minimum of 2 and 1/2 cups of vegetables every day.
Remember, Popeye ate Spinach for super strength! Okay, he is a fictional character but the idea is rooted in reality.
Spinach is rich in iron, vitamins, and minerals for energy. And most of us have heard the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
So if chronic diseases run in your family, consider putting into practice to improve your health, little by little if necessary.
I recommend picking up some fruit and leaves (green leafy vegetables) at the store to make this prescription easy and convenient for yourself. Make eating whole fruits and green leafy vegetables at least half of what you eat every day.
High fiber fruits to include:
- Berries (Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries)
- Oranges
- Pears with skin
- Apples with skin
Leafy green vegetables to include:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Turnip greens
- Mustard greens
- Collards
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Watercress
- Bok Choy
- All types of salad greens (go easy on the salad dressing because many varieties are loaded with calories).
Greens prepared with Wiley's Greens Seasoning is my favorite.
Here are two of my favorite sites on the benefits of fruits and vegetables and both contain great recipes:
Too often when Christians wants to lose weight, they focus on what to give up. But that is a sure way to defeat.
Rather focus on what to add to your diet to heal, energize, and nourish your body.
And in doing so, you will improve the quality of your life now and in the future. Remember: "Fruit for food, leaves for medicine."
The Designer's food is the best!