Researching an Old, Healthy Diet

Lately, I've been researching an old, healthy diet that I think I need to try.  No, it's not for weight loss, or weight management, or anything like that.  It's for the health of me and my body.  

Celiac disease has taken its toll.  Even being on the gluten-free diet, I still don't feel the way I know I should.  My stomach still gives me issues, my head aches and throbs for no apparent reason sometimes, and I'm less energetic than I know I can be.  

If you've read my household blog, www.gentleandquietlamb.wordpress.com, you know that I've been researching all natural skin care products, hair care products, and cleaning products, and I've been pleasantly surprised with almost everything I've tried in the past year.  It feels so good to be rid of those unhealthy, chemically-laden, cancer-causing, commercial products that plague our everyday lives.  What's worse is that they are being passed off as "good and necessary" things!   

While researching all the different products I mentioned above, I stumbled upon some articles about the additives (artificial flavors and food coloring, etc.) and carcinogens disguised as preservatives (BHT, BHA, etc.) they put into our foods (aka processed foods).  I couldn't believe that even some of the so-called healthy foods that we are being sold are filled with these sorts of things!  

A few days ago, my mom sent me an article about the same toxins being found in gluten-free foods (and even in higher concentrations than non-gluten-free foods) and, I admit, I was disheartened to hear that the diet I have been prescribed to follow is nothing but a basic surface diet.  It not only neglects to eliminate all of the contributors to my poor health, but it also deceives me into believing that gluten-free foods are "safe" when in reality, they may very well be even more toxic!  

It seems to me like it's a feeble attempt to keep Celiac patients hanging dependently on their doctor's every word.  We're supposed to trust the experts, aren't we?  At least, that's what we've been told to do because the experts know what they are talking about and have our best interest in mind.  

Yeah, right.  If that's true, why aren't they telling us to go on the Paleo diet?  

 

(Y'know, the way human beings used to eat, back before meals were packaged and sold to us in convenient little cardboard boxes?  I knew I admired the Native Americans for a reason.

• They exercised dominion over the animals and used every resource the animals had to offer so as not to be wasteful.  Every part had a use.

• They ate off the land and tended to the plants and fields surrounding their villages, the way God first commanded Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  

At the end of the article about the toxins found in gluten-free foods, there was a link to the author's research on the Paleo diet and I started looking into it for myself to see if it was something that might actually help me in my search for Celiac symptom relief.  I honestly have to say, I wish I had thought about food this way from the beginning.  

- If wheat nowadays is so heavily laden with chemicals and is genetically modified beyond my body's ability to digest, common sense would have me wonder about the genetic and chemical properties of all the other foods I eat on a daily basis! - 

What I found was incredibly encouraging, even though the concept was incredibly simple.  The Paleo diet is basically the hunter-gatherer diet.  It consists of things you can hunt or find, such as the following foods*:

• Meat - GRASS-FED, not grain-fed. Grain causes the same problem in animals as they do in humans.
• Fowl - Chicken, duck, hen, turkey…things with wings that (try to) fly.
• Fish - Wild fish, as mercury and other toxins can be an issue in farmed fish
• Eggs - Look for Omega-3 enriched eggs.
• Vegetables - As long as they’re not deep-fried, eat as many as you want.
• Oils - Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil – think natural.
• Fruits - Have natural sugar, and can be higher in calories, so limit if you’re trying to lose weight.
• Nuts - High in calories, so they’re good for a snack, but don’t eat bags and bags of them.
• Tubers - Sweet potatoes and yams.  Higher in calories and carbs, so these are good for right after a workout to replenish your glycogen levels.

That's the way our ancestors ate before processed foods came along.  You can read about it here (and I strongly encourage you to do so!):

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/

(*Note: list taken from The Beginner's Guide to the Paleo Diet website)

 

The health benefits are for everyone, not just Celiac patients.  If you're living on processed foods like all the other obese, diabetic, and chronically ill people in America, how long do you really think your body can last without developing those same problems?  Our bodies weren't made to be nourished by fake foods.  Our bodies consist of delicate, sensitive vital organs, tissues, and cells which can only function properly with specific nutrients and dietary requirements that just aren't being advocated enough by national experts or doctors.     

The research is out there.  So, why aren't doctors recommending this diet when treating their patients?   

I don't know about you, but I think it's time I went Paleo.

  

Don't Kill With Your Words

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

I grew up hearing this, soaking it in, and applying it to my own life.  Being the nurturing, tenderhearted peacekeeper that I am, it made perfect sense.  Why waste your breath saying something negative, especially if it will cause conflict or hurt feelings?  We're called by God to build people up, not tear them down. 

They say that sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you.  The Bible says otherwise:

Job 19:2 “How long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words?"

Psalm 64:3 "...Who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows..."

Proverbs 10:19 "When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."

Proverbs 12:18 "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

~~~~~~~~

Imagine forming a hurtful comment in your mind.  I'll give you time to come up with something.

Got it?  

Now consider this...

Would you say that hurtful comment to God?  

How do you think it would make Him feel?  

Would you regret saying it?  

~~~~~~~~

Proverbs 17:27 "Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding."

When we neglect to hold our tongue for people when we should, we neglect to hold it for Jesus, as well.  

"Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'"  Matthew 25:45

My paraphrase of Jesus's words:

"The way you treat other people is the way you treat me."

I hope to instill this in my future children.  Speaking unkind words to others shows a lack of spiritual maturity, respect for your fellow brothers and sisters, and love for the Savior.  It is a non-reflection of Christ's love and character, and is a bad example to set for the watching world.

I've been torn down a good deal recently and I've felt the pain of more unkind words in the past five years than I have in my whole life combined.  The rest of what I have to say is directed at the people who have played a part in tearing me down with their words.  Your words don't just hurt me.  They hurt God and my husband, too.  I don't care what kind of grievances you have against me.  Your unkind words are uncalled for and unwelcome.  If you would rather choose to continue with your disrespect toward me, know that Daniel and I would rather choose to discontinue our communications with you.  We have no room in our lives for people who choose to tear us down.

I’ve Changed My Mind

Some recent developments have filled me with a desire to re-visit my previous post from February, as seen below.

Our Home – Why we’re still in Maryland
I wanted to address this matter because I know my family strongly desires to see Daniel & I make our home in another state; however, we strongly believe that God has a different plan and purpose for us.

Boy, have times changed.  And it’s only been 7 months!  Almost 6 months of marriage, and I have spent approximately 5 of them having my eyes opened to the reality of our situation.  Man, was I ever blind!  It has not been an easy process…in fact, it has been quite painful…but I am confident that God intends it for our good.  I no longer believe that God wants us to stay in Maryland.  I believe that He wants us to do what is wise and practical.

God’s plan for us is to stay in Maryland.  Why? 
He has provided affordable living arrangements for us, good connections, networks, and friends who are encouraging and walking with us every step of the way, and a good new job for me (babysitting 4 children for a single mother, whom I met through my recent involvement in the Pro-Life ministry at church.  This job is a blessing because it came when my work hours were very few and this mother's need was very great.  I love being able to serve her and her children in this way and I hope to provide child-care for her as long as God would have me do so because I feel it is His plan for me to share His love with the people around me in Maryland - and isn't THAT what it's all about?).  We feel very connected in our ministries in church and our service is very much appreciated; on top of that, we are meeting new people and our existing friendships are growing.  He & I have very few friends apart from the ones in church, particularly friends with whom we are very close, and we feel the best way to grow those relationships is to walk beside our brothers and sisters on a daily basis here in Maryland.

I have watched in the past 5 months as everything I had was stripped away.  My connections, networks, friends, and church have crumbled beneath my feet.  I am no longer babysitting for the single mother.  My bouts with the county over the money they owed me for my childcare services lasted way longer than I could have ever anticipated and I have no intention of ever dealing with them again.  I am no longer a member of Covenant Life Church.  My spiritual scars from the past were re-opened and new ones were being formed right on top of them.  Removing myself from the pain was the only way to begin the healing process. 
     
We don’t feel led to leave Maryland yet, and we’re not just going to “jump ship” without God’s leading.  Our life path is different than everyone else’s; what He has planned for one family is not what He has planned for another family.  I considered moving to NC with my family this past summer, but God quickly made it clear that that was not what He intended for me to do.  Looking back now I can see that, had I moved, Daniel would've suffered terribly on a mental, emotional, and spiritual level.  We went through some difficult trials together, pertaining in particular with his jobs.  That being said, I cannot nor do I want to imagine how much harder it would've been if we had been separated.  With no promise of employment elsewhere we feel that, in this season, God would have us stay in Maryland.  In another season, He may have us move but right now we can’t see the future or what it holds for us.

I cannot express how strongly I now feel led to leave Maryland.  I should have moved to NC/TN with my family last year.  The distress, longing, and burdens I feel within me have physically lifted every time we’ve gone down to visit my family this summer.  I have learned that employment elsewhere cannot be attained UNLESS you are elsewhere.  Very rarely are people able to get a job unless they are in that location.  And to be honest, we’ve tried to make it here, and it’s just not happening.  How could we have been so naïve to think that we, the poorest couple, could make it in one of the richest counties?  Our expenses are too high and the cost of living here is too high for our small little income.  We need to be in Tennessee, where it is cheaper and where we can make our money go farther.
Our God is bigger than the economy and the tyranny of the government. 
God has been faithful to prove His trustworthiness in the face of our great financial difficulties and I believe that, if it is God’s will for us to stay here, He will continue to bless us and provide for our every need.  I have seen Him provide me breakfast when I had nothing of my own to eat, and finances for car repairs, groceries, and medical supplies when I was short on money.  Honestly, the biggest issue should not be the money.  I’m not trying to downplay the severity of our state’s situation.  Maryland is a broken state, just like all the others.  Our country is a broken country, just like all the others.  But our God is bigger, more powerful, and more loving than our government.  If He were to send us to the poorest, sickest, most hostile place in the world, we would go.  His plans for us are for our good…He has nothing but our best interest in mind and we can go wherever He sends us with confidence because He is always with us.  That being said, we are very blessed to be where we are, surrounded by the people who care for and love us most, as we start this new season in our lives.  I would also like to say that I have felt my faith strengthen in these trying times and, through the faith-building I’ve received, I believe that God has used me to encourage Daniel in his own times of anxiety and doubt.  This is very encouraging because it means He is growing us into the husband and wife that He wants us to be.

While God is bigger than the economy, that does not mean He wants us to sit around where we are struggling to survive and wait for Him to drop a job in our lap.  As I said in my last post about stewardship, He gives us resources and trusts that we will use them wisely.  If we squander them, that’s our fault.  That’s why I believe that staying here is not a wise use of our money – what little we have to our names right now.  Staying in an expensive county with very little money and no good prospects of making enough to live on month-to-month is not putting faith in God to provide.  It is foolhardy and reckless.  I feel especially threatened when it comes to my health.  I am absolutely dependent on health insurance coverage for my doctor visits and prescription medications.  Without health insurance, my medicines would cost thousands of dollars and my doctor visits would cost hundreds.  We simply do not have the money to pay for all of those things out of pocket, and the price of my health insurance plan here has almost doubled.  It would be absolutely reckless to continue living where the cost of my health insurance hangs in the balance of our tight budget.  We can’t afford to not have it.  My life depends on it.
Daniel wants to stay close to his family in order to receive allergy shots from his mom (a registered nurse) when he needs them. 
My Diabetes and Celiac doctors are also nearby.  This is not to say that we couldn’t move elsewhere and receive the same care; it is just much more convenient for us right now.

Convenience is overrated.  Seriously.  We’ll find other doctors.

Because of these few reasons I am going to follow, cleave to, and respect him and his leadership in this decision.  After all, we are going to be starting our own family unit and family units have to do what is best for them, which is not always what is best for everyone else.  Because we are different people and a different family, we have a different path.

I will be honest.  We are a divided household.  We have different opinions and points of view.  We both realize that we cannot have it both ways – we cannot live in Maryland AND Tennessee.  One of us is going to have to give.  And I am scared.  I know that Satan is looking for a foothold, any chance he can get to drive a wedge between us (which it seems is already there), so that he can destroy what God has brought together.  I can feel him attacking but I can also sense God’s hand at work, albeit in the background.  I know He’s not going to let us go.  I know He is going to work all things for our good.  But that doesn’t change the fact that it has been difficult to follow Daniel down a path that looks like it ends in financial ruin.  I refuse to let us get to that point.  I have struggled enough in my life to know the pain and heartache of bankruptcy.  That is not what I want for us or for our future children, whenever we may have them.  If we are going to do what is best for our family, we need to be prepared to make decisions – hard decisions – that may or may not involve “hearing from God.”  There are some decisions WE just need to make.  And sometimes, those decisions require us to make a sacrifice for the greater good.  And you know what?  Sacrifices HURT! 
I’d also like to point out that this isn’t a matter of me being discontent with where we are, or submitting and “obeying” my husband because he has the “final say,” because honestly, that’s NOT biblical.  This concept has been nagging at me for a while now and I wanted to make my stance perfectly clear.      

Being Stewards: Making Our Own Decisions

Lately, I've been mulling over the definition of a steward.

Stewardship:  

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc.  

2. the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving (dictionary.reference.com)

The Bible tells us that we are God's stewards.  We steward everything He gives us: clothes, money, food, property, natural resources, animals, plants, children...everything.

I've heard two perspectives on this matter:

1.  Some people believe that we need to seek God and wait for Him to tell us how He would have us steward the possessions He has given us.  

2.  There are other people who believe that we should just choose what we want because it's our stuff and, if there is a God, He doesn't care about our material goods.

I think both views are missing the point.  We shouldn't have to ask God how to steward what He has given us because He's already told us in the Bible.  God wants us to make good decisions with the things that He places into our care.  He wants our decisions to bring about fruitfulness and abundant provisions for us and our families.  Read the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30.  The master does not tell the servants what to do with his money.  They decide themselves what to do.  The first 2 men go and trade the money and make double what they are given.  The third man gets scared and hides the money he is given in the ground.  His master calls him wicked and slothful for doing so.

Let me be clear about something:  He entrusts US with the decision making because He *wants* us to choose.  I believe it is very legalistic to tie ourselves to the belief that we HAVE to wait to hear from God on every single decision that comes up in life.  While I think that seeking God's will is important, we cannot hide behind this belief like some kind of life-preserver.  God does not want us to put our lives on hold during a decision making session simply because we have not heard from Him.  He has given us the FREEDOM to decide what to do and how to do things in our lives, and sometimes He's waiting for US to ACT because He plans to reward us for our faith to act (even without exact instructions).  

Another thing we should remember is that He has given us the grace to find freedom in being able to escape the legalistic views.  He is not a legalistic God.  He is an abundantly gracious and merciful God.  He wants us to be free to make our own decisions.  No matter what we choose, He will use our choices for our good.  We need only to believe that if we act as good stewards and recognize that we need to make a certain decision, it would be right and wise to make that decision, even if we don't hear from God about it.  We don't need to hear from God in order to make a decision.  There are going to be decisions in our lives that we will have to make, no matter how much or how little we pray.  Sitting around "waiting" for God when we should be acting is not pleasing to God.  He is not going to come down out of Heaven and tell us everything He wants us to do.  He entrusted us, as stewards, with the ability to think and act on our own accord for the benefit of us and our families.  To neglect that responsibility is shameful and may even be considered sinful, as James says in 4:17:  "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."  If you know that a decision is the right thing to do, do not remain captive to the belief that you must hear from God about it.  Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord: make the decision yourself. 

Self-publishing My First Volume of Poetry

I just posted about my BIG reveal over on WordPress.  Go check it out; that's where you can keep updated on my progress and giveaways!

http://gentleandquietlamb.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/the-darkest-years-volume-1/

Sometimes Life Is Like Headphones

“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls.” Psalm 42:7

Sometimes I just need to escape.

Sometimes I just need a break.  

Sometimes I just need to stop and be still.  

Sometimes should happen more often.

Life is too busy.  

Life is too stressful.  

Life is too demanding.

Life is too much.

Is your schedule packed?

Is your social life non-existent?

Is your spiritual walk suffering?

Is that any way to treat God?

Like to do your own thing?

Like to be selfish with your time?

Like to drown out the world?

Like to lay around?

Headphones isolate you.

Headphones drown out your surroundings.

Headphones distract you from what's really important. 

Headphones keep you from hearing God.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I get mysterious bruises all the time.  I’m a clumsy person.  I run into walls, chairs, tables, counters…if it’s in my path, you name it, I hit it.  Sometimes I’m walking too fast to care.  Or I turn around and BAM it’s right there.  Hiking can be treacherous.  I trip on tree roots, rocks, logs.  I have horrible balance, too.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked,

“Where did that come from?” 

“How did I get that?”

Have you ever gotten a bruise or cut you didn’t know you had because you didn’t feel it when you got it?  Maybe you felt it but you chose to ignore it.  Then later you realized it was there because something else made you look down and notice it.

That’s what I’m going through right now, on an emotional/spiritual level.

I don’t expect you to understand.  I just know I’m here, confused, hurt, and distrustful. 

Why?  Because I’ve realized something: I am not ashamed. 

This time, the mysterious cuts and bruises were not caused by anything I did.  They were caused by so-called spiritual leaders who thought they were doing the right thing but in fact were just covering up the truth with lies and deception to protect their “holy” appearance before their congregation. 

I was smeared with dirt and spit on.

I was refused help and forced out.

I was betrayed and isolated, left for dead.

I was shown no mercy, no love. 

That’s right, Cedar Brook.  I mean you.

Now with the whole lawsuit surrounding SGM/Covenant Life, along with some other concerning things I’ve received as counsel from different sources connected to it, I’m feeling new bruises and seeing old ones come to light.

Both churches have 3 things in common: 

1.      Lies
2.      Deception
3.      Cover ups

As a result, everything I’ve learned is being questioned.  Everything I believe is being scrutinized.  I don’t know what to believe any more, and I don’t know who to trust.  The spiritual leaders I’ve followed so far have done nothing but let me down.  Walls are going up in my heart as I strive to save what little I have left of my faith. 

Let me just put something straight.  I am not losing my faith.  I am not renouncing my faith.  I am questioning what I have learned, DECONSTRUCTING the wrong beliefs I have, and planning on REBUILDING my beliefs when I have regained my trust.

Because that’s the root here.  My trust is broken, severed by the people I thought were supposed to be trustworthy and helpful.  My scars are so deep and my trust is so broken that the walls around my heart are getting bigger and stronger every day.  They want to keep everything that could harm me out.

And maybe that’s what I need right now.  I don’t need outside influences or controversial issues trying to reach in and sway me to their side.  I need peace, I need solitude, and I need God.  I need to be alone with my wounds so I can clean them out, bandage them, and let them heal.     

Letting this pain come to the surface and rear its ugly head has shown me that repression is not healthy.  Denial is not healthy.  Ignoring it is not healthy.  The only way I’m going to heal is by acknowledging what has broken my trust and facing it with the intention of moving past it and healing. 

However, I’m not quite sure how to do that. 
How do I face my pain? 
How do I deconstruct my faith?
How do I rebuild my faith?
How do I trust again?
How do I heal?

It feels so hard to reach, and so far to go until I get there.  Sometimes, it barely feels possible.  But my past still haunts me, and living like this day in and day out is not helping.  The pain isn’t going away and, even if it takes the rest of my life, I am going to focus on pushing forward and healing.

Now, if I could just get out of this cage.