food for thought...

So I just finished reading the book Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. This is one of the books my friend Ginger and I were reading in our little long-distance book club:) I wanted to sit down and write my thoughts on it right away before it all leaves this pregnant mind of mine!

Disease-Proof You Child is a book about feeding your children well when they are little in order to lessen illness presently and in their future adulthood. I have been thinking a lot about the epidemic of cancer there seems to be in our country and he talks A LOT about cancer prevention which was very beneficial to me. Basically I had heard most of what he writes about due to the fact that health has definitely been somewhat of a hobby of mine since I was in high school. The main idea of the book was eat real food. Eat vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds predominantly, cut out completely dairy, white flour, sugar, oil and most animal products. He definitely hails saturated fats as an absolute no-no, which I agree with. The thing that was the hardest for me was the thought of giving up cheese and butter both of which I eat moderately but enjoy immensely! I was glad to be encouraged to eat more fruit and vegetables and to continue Zoe on her diet of mainly vegetables, beans, fruit and whole grain. The only meat that she eats are the turkey hot dogs I get at the health food store which I am considering phasing out. I have definitely quit giving Zoe cheese and I have started using Earth's Balance instead of butter. The MAIN thing that I got out of the book was EAT MORE VEGETABLES! They contain so many God-given disease fighting compounds that it just makes sense!

One thought before I close this post...I just want to end this by saying that I DO believe that we have a responsibility to take care of our bodies and especially to feed our children as well as possible in order for them to be healthy and able to fight off disease BUT I do not believe in it becoming an obsession...I have been there. A verse in the Daily Light (the little devotional that I read to Zoe every morning while she eats her breakfast) stood out to me in relation to this book I have been reading: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will TRANSFORM OUR LOWLY BODY THAT IT MAY BE CONFORMED TO HIS GLORIOUS BODY, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." Phil. 3:20-21 The thought crossed my mind as I read the verse...I can do my best health wise for myself and my family but ultimately we dwell in a "lowly body." What we are going to be is not yet revealed and what is in store for us when HE comes back will be GLORIOUS. I am clinging to this and excited for that day. I am excited to pray that my children will grasp this as well, that they will not only be as healthy here as possible (physically) but most importantly spiritually healthy. I pray this for myself and I give all of the rest to the one who created us not for ourselves but for HIMSELF. "All things were created through Him and FOR HIM." Rom 14:9