Hello, All!

I know it has been quite some time since my last blog (realistically, mine should be called a clog cause I've been so behind) but I've been in a big transition. I've moved from Cali to Tennessee and as you could imagine that took some effort. I won't make any promises but will try to do better with this site development. Pray for me, please!!

Just in time for the holidays, I thought I'd catch up with you about diet and nutrition. (Yes, it is very, very, necessary for you to read this before dinner on Thursday and before the holiday parties commence!) One of the blessings resulting from my life out West was how I approach my diet. After decades of telling my patients that food was only supposed to be energy and fat was excess stored energy, this perspective took on a new meaning. Though I've restructured what I eat and drink many times over the years and avoided "diets", I believe I am eating healthier now than I ever have before. With what I have learned about nutrition, I've significantly modified my prior goal of eating a green vegetable every day. Now, I choose to be aware of the content of the foods that I select and why they are nutritionally more important. Though most of what I had grown to prefer was yummy and filling (pizza, bread, desserts, fries), they had little or no nutritional value. Taking it a step further, I realized that my body would function best with the food created for its nourishment. I've grown to appreciate Daniel, Chapter 1:8-16 as an excellent biblical resource on this subject. In summary, Daniel, in exile in Babylon, resisted the command to eat from the king's table. Ultimately, he was able to convince a steward to monitor the result of allowing him and his companions to eat only vegetables and drink water for 10 days. In that short period of time, the four who chose not to eat rich food and drink were healthier than all of the others who ate from the table of the king. Clearly, the nourishment created by God was superior to any prepared by human hands and was essential to keep the human body functional and healthy. Let's face it, modern conveniences allow us to eat from the king's table daily and many ailments have resulted. Having a diet full of processed foods, excess sugar and high in cholesterol is equivalent to putting regular gas in a car that needs premium. Sure it will run, but not well and not for long. Don't you think your body deserves premium food? Therefore, I challenge you to consider restricting rich food and drink to times for celebration and maybe once per week. Realizing how difficult it can be to resist the daily sugar cravings, (my last name is SWEET) we should pray for willpower. Also, we can't eat it if we don't buy it. And, most importantly, let your motivation for modifying your diet be for His glory. Ladies, God dwells in this temple and we must honor Him by maintaining this gift that we were given. Many of us would sign up for cleaning our church sanctuaries or contribute to have its air conditioner repaired. Why not use that same devotion to care for His bodily temple?

Stay tuned, the nutrition page is under development…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!