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Thursday 26 March 2015

Take A Healthy Bite For Longer Life


When I was a child, Grandma always warned us not to use our teeth to dig our graves. Now she is 106 years old and as strong as a lion, while some of her children and grandchildren are ailing from nutrition-related illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and obesity.
How healthy is your bite? Are you digging your own grave with your teeth?
March is National Nutrition Month and it is important for us to focus on what we are biting into. Research and personal experience - yours and mine - have shown that the foods we eat contribute either to our health or ill-health.


Why Eat Healthy?


• To improve our immune system and reduce the risk of developing certain illnesses, even the simple flu.
• Prevent unintentional weight gain and weight loss.
• Reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers such as colon, breast and
stomach cancers.
• Reduce the chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus, and being overweight or obese.
• Control blood sugars, blood cholesterol, blood pressure and body weight.
• Better rest or sleep.
• Improve overall quality of life.
 


Tips For Taking A 

Healthier Bite


• Eat smaller amounts of food at meal and snack times.
• Eat and drink from smaller plates, bowls, cups, mugs.
• Eat away from the kitchen, pantry, kitchenette.
• Chew foods slowly ... at least 32 bites.
• Eat then wait about 20 minutes before going back for seconds or more food.
• Use more natural seasonings and spices instead of those that are artificially flavoured.
• Eat a handful of nuts every day.
• Eat three to five servings of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables every day. Eat more salads than cooked vegetables.
• Limit sugar, honey and molasses intake.
• Use less oil, margarine and butter in meal preparation. Bake, boil, steam and stew instead of frying.
• Use plant- or vegetable-based oils that are high in unsaturated fat such as coconut, corn, canola or olive oils.
• Eat less salt and salty foods. Limit sodium intake to one teaspoon (2,500mg) per day for a normal healthy individual. If you have diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, kidney disease, limit sodium intake to half-teaspoon or 1,500mg per day.
• Read food labels carefully ... the less ingredients in the products, the better.


• Eat less servings of carbohydrates-rich foods. It is a part of our culture to eat lots of 'tough food', rice, bread, pudding, dumpling and crackers. Choose three to five, half-cup or four-ounce servings of carbohydrates-rich foods at each meal. Persons who are more physically active should do the upper limit (five) and inactive or overweight persons the lower limit (three).
• Drink or eat about two to three servings of cow's milk or milk products per day. Adults and children need milk for protein, calcium and naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. If you are lactose intolerant, use soy milk, processed milk products or less cow's milk along with your meals. Processed milk such as yogurt and natural cheese (cheddar, mozzarella) have less lactose.
• Drink more water instead of juice, drinks or sodas. Try flavouring your water with lime, lemon, ginger, orange or your favourite fruit or vegetable.
As we celebrate Nutrition Month this March, let us make healthy food choices, chew slowly, wait 20 minutes after eating to decide if we are still hungry and want more food, eat smaller portions or less foods to prevent or control illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, certain types of cancers and heart disease.
Let us salute the work of our registered dietitians, registered nutritionists and other nutrition advocates.
STOP DIGGING AND START LIVING!
- Marsha N. Woolery, RD, is a registered dietitian/nutritionist at Fairview Medical and Dental Centre, Montego Bay, and adjunct lecturer at Northern Caribbean University. Email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Deliverance

Freedom :The breath of life ....what this word means to you?

This blog is based on Romans 6 that is read in accordance with the Revived by His Word initiative of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.


"And,having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." Rom. 6: 18


I've always seen a link between Deuteronomy 5: 15 and Romans 6 as both deal with the issue of deliverance, and that deliverance being the basis of our allegiance to God. "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day," (Deut. 5: 15). This was the deliverance from Egypt. Romans 6: 18 deals with the real issue - deliverance from sin!




Note also that whereas Deut. 5: 15 has been used to suggest that the Sabbath is exclusively for the Jews, Romans 6 tells why that isn't so. Instead, we have an even bigger reason to give God our allegiance. Hallelujah!


Captured below is the general sense of Romans 6 that I have been impressed. Be blessed:


So we're not refused because we sin, but we're neither kept in it;
SIN MUST CEASE without and within, and before we die in it
But praise the Lord, it's not all up to us; we don't each must find our way
Why, Jesus came to deliver us and with His life our ransom He did pay
And now we're freed we'll no longer live as those once bound by sin
No, Jesus died the best gift to give, and now He lives within


Amen.


To read and/or listen to Romans 6 and to read other related blogs please click here.
Photo credit.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

The Amazing Jesus: Phenomenal Mediator

This blog is based on Romans 5 that is read in accordance with the Revived by His Word initiative of the General Conference of SDAs.


The rift between contending parties can sometimes get so extreme that to broker peace between these parties is a matter of life or death for the mediator. For Jesus it was death, as He came into Satan's usurped/appointed domain hoping to woo/reconcile us back to God.
In a mysterious twist of events Jesus' death did not result in His failure, but rather ensured the success of His mission. And the result of this mission?





1. Peace with God (verse 1)
2. Access to Grace (verse 2)
3. Hope of glory (verse 2)
4. Joy in suffering that produce endurance and character (verses 3 & 4)
5. God's love poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (verse 5)


Praise God for Jesus, Who is all the mediator we need. Little wonder then that Paul would say, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Tim. 2: 5.




To read and/or listen to Romans 5 and to read other related blogs, please click here.
Photo credit.

Monday 2 March 2015

GRACE: WHEN MERIT JUST WON'T DO

This blog is based on Romans 4 that is read in accordance with the Revived by His Word initiative of the General conference of Seventh-day Adventists.


The world operates on a system of merit; earned privileges:


1. We study hard to pass exams. This in turn improves our chances of landing a good job


2. We work diligently/smartly to earn money; the harder and smarter we work, the more we expect to get. Scripture posits this position too.


3. We must have a "good" business plan or idea if we hope to attract investors.


4. We must be considered "nice/eligible" to successfully woo a mate; some folk look for those who to them are good-looking, intelligent, financially secure.


Image result for forgiveness images


There's nothing necessarily wrong with the above situation, as far as the distribution of limited resources is concerned. In making some decisions, we cannot do much better than that as we're only able to look "on the outward appearance," (1 Sam. 16: 7) to determine the most eligible. And still, even among us, there are things that are by Grace and not by merit. These include:


"Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," (Gal. 5: 22), forgiveness (Matt. 18: 22). This is not an exhaustive list, but the idea is clear: to the extent that we have received these bounties from God in how He relates to us, we're to treat our fellow beings accordingly - "freely ye have received, freely give." Matt. 10:8.


To read and/or listen to Romans 4, and to read other related blogs, please click here.


Photo credit.