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Healthy
Views & Commentary
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF EATING AND DRINKING
HEALTHY
November 6, 2005
by David B. Biebel,
DMin, and Harold G. Koenig, MD
Fortunately, you
don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the weight problem of
most Americans is caused by the fact that we eat too much of the wrong things.
And it doesn’t take a degree in nutrition to know what the “right foods” are for
you to eat—fruits, vegetables, lean meats, less sugar, and less processed foods.
Most importantly, these foods should be eaten in smaller, healthier amounts—and
that will help you lose weight more effectively than any fad diet that will ever
come on the market.
To help you get
started, here are what we like to call “The Ten Commandments of a Healthy Diet.”
These are practical suggestions to show you where to begin:
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Eat, drink, and be merry.
Accentuate the positive. The Lord put food on this earth for us to enjoy. So
lose the anxiety, go “back to the garden” (as in the Garden of Eden), and
consume a variety of healthy foods daily from all of the food groups
(including adequate amounts of fiber). Don’t forget to be thankful for all
of the good things that God gives you.
-
Eat a healthy breakfast every
day. Many breakfast cereals contain significant amounts of fiber. Breakfast
eaters perform better at work or school and find it easier to control their
weight, since a good breakfast jump-starts your metabolism after your
overnight fast.
-
Drink about one-half ounce of
pure water per pound of your weight per day, 15 percent more when you
exercise. If you are new to good hydration, increase from your current
intake toward your goal slowly.
-
Eat at least nine servings of
vegetables, fruits, and whole grains—whole, pesticide- and
herbicide-free—daily. Variety is essential—i.e., three servings of broccoli
is not as healthful as one serving of broccoli, one of legumes, and one of
berries.
-
Consume several small amounts
of lean protein daily, versus consuming large amounts at one sitting. Some
people find that eating small healthy meals up to five or six times a day
can help combat their cravings for foods that are unhealthy. Vegetarians
should be careful to consume enough high-quality protein, including leucine,
an amino acid essential to developing lean muscle and regulating hormones
related to appetite and metabolism.
-
If you drink alcohol, stick to
red wine, and no more than two servings per day. If you’re pregnant, do not
drink alcohol at all, since even a single drink may cause brain damage to
your developing child. You can drink grape juice if you want to benefit from
the health benefits of the antioxidants in the grapes.
-
Keep healthy snacks handy.
Almonds, cashews, pecans, or walnuts provide fiber, vitamin E, and
monounsaturated fats. They are “heart healthy” but high in calories, so use
moderation. Note for chocolate lovers: A small amount of the right kind of
dark chocolate (Dove Dark Chocolate) can be a health-enhancing reward, due
to the type of flavonoids in it.
-
Avoid most processed foods,
especially those containing refined sugar or flour, excess salts,
unnecessary fats, MSG, trans fats, and other additives. These are most
prevalent in cake mixes, cereal and energy bars, chips and crackers, dried
soups, fast food, frozen entrees, margarine, nondairy creamers and whipped
toppings, packaged cookies and candy, packaged doughnuts, pies, and cakes.
Think “natural” versus “manufactured.”
-
Skip the junk—go for quality.
Ban sugar-loaded soft drinks, candy, and other calorie-dense but
nutrition-deficient “foods” from your house. Nobody can snack on what is not
available. Forget “fast food” and “TV dinners” and stick to “slow” food
that you can enjoy with your family around your dining room table (or
wherever you normally eat together) as often as possible. This fellowship
will build quality relationships and enhance spiritual connections with each
other.
-
Become an informed consumer.
Know what you are eating and where it came from (i.e., how it was raised or
cultivated, plus what its benefits or dangers may be to your health and the
health of those you love). Read the labels, read the labels, read the
labels. This is one of the most important factors.
-
Bonus commandment—know why you
want to practice better nutrition. Ask yourself: What is my deepest
motivation for wanting to learn about and practice better nutrition for my
family and me? If your answer is: “So we all lose weight and look great,” or
“So we can avoid a bunch of doctor bills,” or “So my spouse won’t have a
heart attack,” over the long term you probably won’t change much about what
you or your family eat and drink. Long-term change requires better
motivation, and the only motive that will sustain you will be: “Because I
believe that we are here for a purpose, and in order to fulfill it, we all
need to achieve optimal health.”
Excerpted from
Simple Health by David B. Biebel, DMin, and Harold G. Koenig, MD
Published by Siloam (A Strang Company) 600 Rinehart Road; Lake Mary, Florida
32746
This excerpt may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher,
except as provided by United States of America copyright law. Copyright © 2005
by David B. Biebel, DMin, and Harold G. Koenig, MD. All rights reserved.
To contact Dr. Biebel, see:
www.crosshearthealth.com or write
to dbbv1@aol.com
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