fruitful steps

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Don't Get Old!

It seems almost every day in the clinic someone recites to me that familiar line, "Don't get old!" I usually respond that there are two choices: grow old, or die young!

I understand. People say that because their bodies aren't working the way they used to.

They're in pain, or they are prevented from doing some of the things they love to do. Sometimes they are referring to other events taking place in their lives, like losing their friends to death, or having to take care of an ailing spouse instead of enjoying retirement.

We weren't meant to grow old and deteriorate. The Bible teaches we were made to live in fellowship with God, but man chose to leave that fellowship. He chose to disobey the One who made him. Man's disobedience put a stain on the entire world, and cursed creation to be prone to decay and deterioration. No one can escape this cycle while here on earth. We all feel it.

Yet God made a provision for us. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to erase the stain of disobedience and decay. Jesus died to pay for our disobedience, and is preparing a place for us in heaven where we can live forever without worry of "getting old." He said, "I am the resurreciton and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Powerful words, words of hope, and a future.

The deterioration and pain we experience in this world is a reminder that we are not yet in our permanent home, with God, as we were created to be. If this world were perfect, would we long for the next? If we never experienced pain, and if we didn't get old, would we ever want to leave? Pain now serves purpose. It makes us long for home. It makes sweet the promise of seeing our Savior at the end of this life. It erases the fear of dying, and renews our faith in what life was meant to be. I believe we can live with hope. Hope of our eternal home, which overshadows the physical and emotional pain of this life.

This fact is well expressed in a poem I came across by Dora Johnson.

Enjoy:

You tell me I'm getting old, I tell you not so;
The "house" I live in is worn out--and, that, of course, I know,
It's been in use a long, long while, it's weathered many a gale;
I'm really not surprised you think it's getting somewhat frail.
The color's changing on the roof, the window's getting dim,
The wall's a bit transparent, and looking rather trim.
The fountain's not so steady as once it used to be.
My house is getting shaky, but my house isn't me!
My few short years can't make me old--I feel I'm in my youth;
Eternity lies just ahead, a life of joy and truth,
I'm going to live forever there; life will go on--it's grand!
You tell me I'm getting old? You just don't understand!
The dweller in my little house is bright and young and gay--
Just starting out on a life to last throughout eternal day.
You only see the outside, which is all that most folks see.
You tell me I'm getting old? You've mixed my house with me!

Environment of Inflammation

I keep talking about an ENVIRONMENT OF INFLAMMATION within our bodies. What am I talking about? Why is it so important?

An ENVIRONMENT OF INFLAMMATION is a state in which the body is making and releasing harmful chemicals into the bloodstream that circulate, cause damage, and sometimes target certain tissues in the body. The inflammation is usually set off by something entering our bodies that we cannot tolerate. It could be an allergen, or a food that we are sensitive to.

When we are allergic, we tend to have dramatic reactions, such as visible swelling, hives, or even shortness of breath. Sensitivities are not so dramatic. They are sneaky little fellows that creep around under the radar for months to years before they are discovered. They wear down our organs, and can cause damage to almost any tissue in the body. They ruin our veins, and nerves. They cause autoimmune diseases, pain and fatigue.

It is for this reason that more attention than ever is now being paid to the things we eat, breathe or put in/on our bodies.

GFree Chocolate Cherry Brownies

This is a recipe from my friend Peggy Alberda:

Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Brownies

Ingredients:
1 ½ c. Chocolate Chips
2 c. Organic Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (1 15 oz can)
4 Organic eggs
1/3 cup Organic sugar & 1/3 cup agave nectar (or ¾ -1 cup sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla & 1 tsp. Almond ext.
½ tsp baking powder
Topping,
1/3 c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. Chopped tart dried red cherries
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl melt carob chips in microwave for 2 minutes.
In blender or food processor, combine beans and eggs, till smooth.
Add sugar, baking powder, and chocolate, vanilla and almond ext.
Process until smooth.
Pour batter into a 9” or 8X8” greased non-stick pan, sprinkle with topping,
press into
Batter slightly.
Bake for 25- 45 minutes depending on pan size. Test with wooden pick.
I bake mine in a 10” tart pan with removable bottom, bake for 25 min.
After cooled remove sides

Gluten Free Baking Flour

Here is a recipe I have begun using for Gluten Free Baking Flour:

2c Brown Rice Flour
2/3c Potato Starch
1/3 c Tapioc Flour
1t Xanthum Gum

Mix all together. Store in an airtight container until use.

Most of the above ingredients are available from multiple companies, and can be found in the Gluten Free section of your grocery store. I like Bob's Red Mill http://www.bobsredmill.com/
products, which cn be purchased at most groceries, or purchased online.

Xanthum gum is an expensive product, and as you can see, it is used in small quantities, so you may want to purchse it from a bulk foods department where you can buy just a little at a time. If you live in the Fort Wayne area, you can purchase it at the Three Rivers Natural Grocery http://www.3riversfood.coop/. It's on Sherman Avenue a few blocks south of the zoo.
If you live out of the Fort Wayne area, try your local health food shop.

A Glutton for Gluten

Recently I was attending a class at my church, when lady mentioned that she had just found out she is gluten intolerant. Another lady piped up right away, "me too." Then someone mentioned that her husband is gluten free, and I chimed in that my daughter is too. In a room of about 20 people, 4 people had someone in their household who is gluten intolerant. Why is gluten such a big deal lately? Everyone is advertising their "gluten free" products: Corn Chex, Rice Krispies, and specialized products.

We are becoming more and more aware of how many people simply cannot tolerate gluten, an element of grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. Thus, most of our bread and pasta products are full of gluten, and cannot be tolerated by a growing percentage of our population.

Reasons:

1)--GMOs--Genetically Modified Organisms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organism

Grain, and other foods have been genetically altered from their natural forms. This makes them difficult to digest, and confusing to our cells. We are not albe to glean the same nutrition from foods modified by GMOs verses foods in their natural state. MOST of our food supply in America contains GMOs, including our grains.

2)--Overload! We put wheat in EVERYTHING!! We are gluttons for gluten! Our bodies cannot take the overload of any one food, especially foods that have been altered from their natural forms!

3)--It could be that gluten intolerance has been present for a long time, but the symptoms can be so varied that we are just now identifying the connections.

Common symptoms:

Belly Pain

Diarrhea

Gas and bloating

over time, malnutrition

Less Common Symptoms:

Vague Muscular Pain, such as in Fibromyalgia

Inflammatory Diseases such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Thyroid Disorders, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Heart Disease, and many more

If you read my post titled "Our Diabetes Story" you will read about my daughter who miraculously has been healed from Type I Diabetes. We think now that an intolerance to gluten may have been the trigger that set off the Diabetes. Since becoming gluten-free Katy states she is feeling better than she has in a long time.

I have a friend who had stopped mensruating. Upon finding she was gluten intolerant and becoming gluten free, she has resumed her monthly cycle.

It is amazing to me how eating the wrong foods can affect the body in so many varied ways. It's all tied in to the idea of an ENVIRONMENT OF INFLAMMATION (see post).

Sunshine!

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

Or anywhere else for that matter! Research the last few years has been proving that Vitamin D, produced in our bodies by sunshine, is an excellent help to our immune system. But the benefits of sunshine don’t stop there! Sunshine is also directly related to how much melatonin and serotonin are present in our brains. Melatonin affects our sleep, and serotonin affects our mood, so lack of both makes us tired and grumpy! The amount of sunshine a person is exposed to during a given day is directly related to a feeling of well-being because of its influence on serotonin levels. Serotonin also helps to decrease inflammation in the brain so we think more clearly, and well, we do everything more clearly!
Sunshine carried a bad wrap for many years as people overexposed themselves and caused skin cancers to soar. Now we are realizing we need some sun to be healthy. :)

Everything in moderation, friends!