Forget the Food

I have a really pretty friend inside and out who looks like she still did in high school with lots of babies and one set of twins. She has never seemed to be interested in diets and food. Although we have never talked about nutrition or weight, we have talked about parenting quite a bit. She is a precious mother. I remember once she was talking about "working" as a stay-at-home mom, and she said, "Most days I even forget to eat."

That has always stayed with me because forgetting to eat is not exactly a habit of mine. Lately, I've experienced this a little more. What I love about her eating habits is that she is not insecure about her weight or food. She's just a good mama who gets so busy that she forgets to eat because food is not on her mind all the time.

I'm all for eating, but I am even more for freedom from thinking about food.

PS....FLOG. I did terrible today. Absolutely terrible. I totally stepped off the trail then decided to take a nose dive off a cliff. I'm not even sure if I've landed yet. But you know what? I do know that I am righteous and what I've "done" today does not define me. I will trust him to pick me up and plant my feet on higher ground. I don't have to climb back up myself. He's got me there. "The righteous fall.." for sure, but they can get back just because they know they are righteous. (Admitting that to the world helped me recognize my freedom. Feels good after being in bondage to old habits today.)

Nutritional Nugget: Tryptophan

(Homer ate too much turkey.)

Have you ever heard that?...that turkey makes you sleepy? Tryptophan is considered the culprit behind the snoozes on Thanksgiving day. Tryptophan is an amino acid. That means it is a link in protein chains. It is a dandy little nutrient. Our bodies are able to convert tryptophan to the B vitamin Niacin. How cool is that? But it is also used to make a neurotransmitter called serotonin which helps to regulate appetite, sleep, and mood. Increasing a diet with tryptophan will increase serotonin levels in our body. Don't let that be an excuse to stuff yourself after you stuff the turkey. Tryptophan is high in a variety of foods, but really the tryptophan in turkey is about the same in all poultry. Milk, Seeds, egg whites, and red meats are also good sources per protein gram of tryptophan. Eating a balanced diet with good variety still remains the best way to get all the stuff you need for health.

Mind on the 'Hind

I heard a sweet girl bud of mine speak so wonderfully this week on trust. (Heather Seyer, You Rock!) She gave the most perfect illustration to something I've noticed in my own life about resting. She rearranged her cabinets to make it more functional in her kitchen, but sometimes she still goes to the old place where her cups used to be just out of habit. The longer she lives in the better design, the less frequently she visits the old cabinet for a cup. Been there? Gosh...I have. I'm learning about rest and experiencing rest and contentment and freedom like never before, but I am a doer by nature. I struggle with Martha popping up to say, "Hi! Get to work!" and feel good about the GOOD I can do. Phooey! ---It's me again. Martha! (That would have been really awesome if Margaret's name would have been Martha.) The more I walk in rest, (Isn't that a funny way to say it?) the less I visit the bunny trail that leads back to condemnation, works, etc. But today...(sigh)...I strapped on the ears and fluffy tail and hopped right down that bunny trail. I didn't get so far down that I got lost or anything, but let's just say I was very aware of the "Dunlap Disease." (I'm laughing...ever heard that? "Belly dunlapped over my belt?") I mean some serious moments of, "Big rear. Over here." "Big Bottom. I got 'em.") Wading around in this thinking caused me to eat a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie. Yep. I haven't cared that we had a box in the pantry all this week even though I consider that my favorite junk for the trunk. Today I wanted one. Couldn't keep my mind off of it. Felt guilty for even thinking about it, and then I remembered, "How silly." Thinking I can't have one just strengthens the desire to eat a whole truck load of them. So I ate one. I liked it, but you know what? The revelation that, "I can have it if I want it," returned to me, so I didn't have two. I still wandered around that detour on the journey for a little while today, but Wayne brought something home today (an attitude of freedom or something) that just made me realize I wasn't hungry for food. I was starved for some bread of life. Just a little taste of the good stuff made me remember how to find my way. Now..."I'm hungry? I had no idea." Freedom from food tastes so sweet.

Nutritional Nugget: Corn

A"maize"ing! Oh the stories I will spare you about corn!

Corn is not exactly known for its nutrient density, but did you know that we had an epidemic of a niacin deficiency called Pellagra because we soaked the corn in a liquid that caused the niacin to leak out? Why do we white people think we can "improve" the Indians. Yikes! Pellagra is a yucky and unnecessary disease known for the four D's: Diarrhea, Dermatitis, Dementia, Death. Whoa Yucky!

Corn is so cool. We eat it in a variety of ways like popcorn, corn on the cob, corn bread, the fairy tale porridge, hominy, grits, etc. But it is also grown and used in other ways. Art, Maize Mazes, Biofuel, products like plastics, adhesives, fabrics. I mean let's give corn some credit. Yes, it's disgusting when you change a baby diaper, but it saved our pilgrim rear ends. It might not be known for curing cancer, but we can certainly celebrate the history of it this Thanksgiving.

Testimony

I saw the following post on Bertie Britt's Facebook page. Perfectly stated! (They both said I could share this.)

This is a WONDERFUL TESTIMONY from - Roshan Roy Wow, hey bertie, you have no idea how the gospel has worked in me. I remember hearing one of your old messages and you addressed fat people trying to loose weight and you said acknowledging and seeing yourself in Christ in the way. I was a 106kgs or something and for my height 5 and a half feet or so thats heavy. Now when i listened to it like a coup...le of years ago i was wondering if this really works and if yes, how? To put it in a capsule it was contentment that came from the Gospel that empowered me to a condemnation free joyful life. I hit the gym not to get happy but already perfectly joyful. As a result, my workout wasnt a burden at all, there was no challenge that i was trying to win but was caught up with the Gospel and the aftereffect of it. I saw that the loosing weight part was not born of condemnation but out of a realization of being complete in Christ. So i wasn't waiting to get there to get happy or something. As a result i saw that my body responded to my diet and exercise like really quick that i knocked off 38kgs in like 3 months and had felt no effort at all. The huge task was reduced to nothing. My friends were amazed at this. The gym guys couldn't believe it. It kinda caused me some trouble though coz i was asked many questions regarding this when i went to share the gospel, i ended up sharing about weight loss and stuff :)

Nutritional Nugget: Asparagus

I've heard old timers refer to this as "spar grass." I've also heard them use this vegetable in lots of other funny little sayings that I'm too embarrass to post. Trust me though. It's funny!

Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. Wayne grills them a lot and it's my favorite. My friend Beth made me a chicken and asparagus dish that has become one of my family favorites. I'm pretty sure she said it came from Paula Deen, but it has been adapted.

1. Brown chicken breast in a little olive oil.
2. Layer asparagus in the bottom of a dish.
3. Place the browned chicken on top.
4. Spread the following mixture on top of the chicken.: 1 can cream of chicken soup. 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. 1/2 cup fat free mayo. Pepper. (I like a lot of pepper.)

Asparagus is very nutritious. The following nutrition description came from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus

Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, manganese and selenium,[16][17] as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.[citation needed] The amino acid asparagine gets its name from asparagus, as the asparagus plant is rich in this compound.

Just Dance

One of my favorite weirdo artists is Brian Andreas (Thanks, Nicole). He did a Story Person once that said, "For a long time, she flew when she thought no one was watching." ...I love that so very much. It's not my favorite of his stories, but it's in my top three. Can't believe it, but I found a picture of it....so weirdo, though! I love it! For whatever reason, I keep thinking of "flying" as "dancing." Maybe it's just the freedom factor. But doesn't she...um it? um...look like it's dancing?

Wayne and I went to a Glory and Grace conference this past weekend. Boy, did we have some fun! Just when I think I'm free, I get a better glimpse of our too-good-to-be-true Father and get freed up a little more. Wow! Imagine how free we will be tomorrow! YES! It is his goodness that draws us. If you don't know he is good, never mad, never judgmental, never disappointed, never causing bad things to happen to teach or test us, then I will boldly say you do not know my Father, and I'd like to introduce you to him. The more free I become, the easier it is to walk away from food. Food is good, food is great. But the emotional "need" for it no longer has control over me. Getting smacked in the face with liberation this weekend helped me to see a bit more of myself. (I mean on the inside, peeps! I haven't gained weight, Yo!) The light illuminated dark places and hurts I didn't even know I had. It came out in the form of tears for two days. When we were getting ready to go to the evening session on the second day, I wondered if I should even put on make up since it just washed off as soon as I stepped in the door. It was such a sweet presence of the Living God. The final morning of the conference, I caught pure freedom. (I must be free to admit this.) I totally embarrassed myself. Well, I'm not really embarrassed, but lets just say I'm glad I wasn't on tape. I have no idea what I was doing really. (I'm laughing as I try to think about it.) My arms and legs were going crazy wild. I felt like a puppet on a string. I couldn't stop, or I didn't want to stop. Not sure. Both! Nana used to tell me that when I was a toddler, she would get me to dance to "Dance A Little Dolly." She would say that I looked like a little rag doll. Well, that is exactly what I felt like. Fini was praying for me, and I heard him say, "That's the sign of true freedom." And he was right. Freedom from self. Freedom from others. One of my shoes flew off. People were moving away from me fast. My other shoe fell off. I finally fell into the seats, and I heard Fini say, "Just stay there, it's safer." He was laughing. I don't remember much, but I do remember wondering if I could walk and also thinking that I am out of shape. Wayne missed the whole thing. He was out in the foyer eating a banana.

Tonight at home, Wayne was going through some things and he found the "Just Dance" Wii game. I have been looking for it for a while. I played it after the boys went to bed. It was fun to do even with Wayne in the room. I still gave him a hard time about watching me, but really I didn't care as much as I used to. In the past I was too self aware to have him anywhere near me while partaking in such physical activity. I mean I wouldn't want him to see me trying to catch my breath from dancing to "Big Girls You Are Beautiful." Know what I mean? I still have a freedom hangover so it was ok he was in the room with me. He's lovely and kind, but I judge others to think they judge me like I judge myself. Vain and dumb and just plain not true. Freedom from myself automatically frees me from people. To not be self-conscious is to be God-conscious. I've always enjoyed dancing, but that is one thing that the years of fat-consciousness has really stolen. I mean, I don't think I could ever slap on a leotard and be comfortable being Elephantina. But I can be comfortable in my own skin,(in my own clothes.) I'm still a little self-conscious, but I'm just going to step out more and more into this freedom and enjoy myself (while getting some good exercise.) I'm just going to dance.

Nutritional Nugget: Cranberries!

With Thanksgiving coming up, what better thing than to talk about some of the traditional yum yums. Cranberries are sort of known for the help with the urinary tract. To achieve the urinary health benefits daily intake: 10 ounces of cranberry juice or 1/2 cup cranberry sauce or 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries or 3 oz dried cranberries. The phytonutrients in the cranberries seem to be the key for the health goody goodies. These have also been shown to help with cardiovascular disease, certain stomach ulcers, and cancer.

We drink cranberry juice some, but most of our urinary tract health benefits comes from crasins. Love 'em. The boys really love them. They eat them all the time for snack, but we eat them regularly on salad. Mmmmmm!

Check out http://www.cranberryinstitute.org/news/CI_Nutrition_Fact_Sheet.pdf for more info and references.

Mary-ing

No more Martha-ing. (Busy doing.) Jesus said, "There is one thing that is needful." Sitting! Sitting at his feet listening to his lovely voice and focusing solely on the one who is the express image of Father God. God who is actually love. I imagine Mary almost laying on his lap listening to his message of how much she is loved. A Martha would say, "But being a goody-two-shoes is responsible." "Finding a diet plan and sticking to it to insure proper weight loss is the thing to do." and Jesus would say, "There is one thing that is needful." There is nothing wrong with a diet plan, and I am certainly not implying that one should "give up" in that sense. There is grace for the grace, but self effort just wasn't working for me. Oh, the pounds might come off, but I was miserable losing, and miserable not losing as fast as I thought I should be. Martha would see all the dust bunnies and pounds that needed to fall off. She would need to FIX it, and she would be aggravated at all the people who weren't working as hard as she was. She would be jealous of the ones who seem like they are living skinny in la la land. And Mary?....She is so caught up in Jesus that she doesn't even notice if she is skinny or fat. Food is not on her mind. What Martha is cooking up in the kitchen won't taste as good as what she is feasting on in her Spirit and soul.

My personality profile matches Martha. ...Ouch!... You cannot imagine the Debbie-Downer Syndrome I felt when I read that. To add insult to injury, I actually had to write a paper in Bible school on how I was like my Biblical personality profile match. Then just a little while after I wrote my paper, Sweet Jesus gave Sweet Rosemary a word for each member of my family. She wrote it down, and it still remains on my frig. Gosh, she hit the nail on the head for each one of us, but for me (I might cry) it said, "Audrey, God thanks you for being a Mary." plus some other things. POWERFUL. POWERFUL. I just about fell in the floor. I think I actually dropped the paper. I know I had to wait before reading the rest of the words because my eyes were flooded with tears. That really meant the world to me. I identified with someone Jesus had to put in her place, but then God said that's not who I am and told me who he sees me as...someone at rest doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing. I thank him for the way he sees me. His perspective draws me to his perspective. Sitting. Resting. Listening. Being loved on. Content. Happy. No need to "diet." Weight will fall off effortlessly. It's a fruit of the rest. Sedentary in the Spirit! Ha Ha Ha.

(I had written a little extra about "resting and doing/faith without works". Then I realized that it was not coming from my heart so I erased it. I was only adding that in for those who are scared of rest. I didn't want to be accused of being one of "those." But you know what? Here is the pure truth: Someone at rest may be doing a lot of good works effortlessly because it is out of who they are, but REST WORKS plain and simple. There is no adding that needs to be done to it. There is one thing that is needful. ONE thing is ONE thing. It is ok to jokingly call it "Sedentary in the Spirit" because "sedentary" is the fancy word we use for couch potatoes which implies sitting. That's what it feels like to live with a mind in a state of rest. We may be physically busy, but it just doesn't feel like it. Everything is easy and light. It really is effortless. Imagine...just pondering and soaking up love then all the sudden wake up and realize we're skinny. Sound too good to be true? Well then it must be God!)

Nutritional Nugget: Chopping Broccoli

Broccoi casserole was the first dish I made for married supper. That makes me laugh. It was the hardest thing on the menu, and I had planned for it for weeks. Gosh, I was little! Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, and warm and serve rolls. I've come quite a long way.

So I've said it before, but I'll say it again. If you come to a nutrition question on a multiple choice exam or the million dollar question on some game show with broccoli as one of the choices, then broccoli is the correct answer.

"Broccoli" is a derivative of a word that means, "the flowering top of cabbage." It is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, vitamin K, and calcium and loads of other nutrients. It's a gassy food too. It is diverse in recipes. Raw, steamed, casseroles, whatever. It's a dandy. You can even puree it up and hide it in things like brownies (I've heard, but not tried.)

The Voice From the Aisle

I was standing in the cereal aisle at Kroger when I heard a conversation between two workers in another processed food aisle next to mine that went something like this:

"Yeah, I bought me a big box of those and they were disgusting!"
"How many did you eat?"
"I ate the whole box."
(Laughter)

Then the guy who was hungry for the disgusting box of whatever came around the corner to my aisle. ...Um he fit the part, know what I'm sayin'?

Why was that so funny? Because why would someone eat more than just a bite of something if was wasn't good, and it wasn't nutritious anyway? It was obvious he had poor eating habits.

...I used to be like that. Well, maybe not just like that. I probably wouldn't eat a box of Nasties in one sitting, but I have valued food above myself. If it was food I would eat it even it was just to get it out of the way or if it was in front of me or just to have something to do sometimes. Now it seems something real occupies by brain. Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is true.....think on these things. That is alive in me now and I'm beyond thankful.

Nutrition Nugget: Hot Peppers
My dad says, "Hot in. Hot out." Ha Ha Ha!

I copied the following article from http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=62587. I thought it was really interesting.

Peppers are hot -- as a health and diet aid
by Darren Swan
Oct 02, 2007

The secret is out: hot peppers are the spice to a healthier life.

Capsaicin, the hot pepper’s natural heat-causing component, has been proven to kill cancer cells, prevent sinus infections, serve as an anti-inflammatory agent, provide gastric relief and produce fat oxidation.

A daily dose of hot peppers lets people breath easier, feel less pain and lower their body fat.

Registered Dietitians and medical experts in Chicago are pushing the multitalented and diverse health benefits of hot peppers.

Carla R. Heiser, registered dietitian and managing partner of Body Logic MD in Chicago, advocates diet and lifestyle strategies in conjunction with a cohesive medicinal plan.

“Medication is used to heal and people can use their food to keep the process going to eventually come off the medication," Heiser said. "Successful diet and lifestyle pathways can get us away from a reliance on medications.”

The burn felt while eating a jalapeno, habenero or cayenne pepper comes directly from the food’s capsaicin. Capsaicin, though odorless and flavorless, is primarily found in the pepper’s seeds and ribs, but is also evenly distributed throughout the vegetable’s flesh, according to the Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition.

It retains the unique ability to provoke prostate cancer cell suicide, repress joint pain, block pro-inflammatory chain reactions in the blood and reduce nerve fiber swelling in the brain.

This age-old vegetable has similar effects to those of Aleve, Tylenol, Advil, Tums and chemotherapy all wrapped in one—except this food has zip, taste and no fearful side effects to the consumer beyond a spicy backlash.

The hot pepper’s fuel has the same metabolic effects as Ephedra without containing Ephredra’s negative cardiovascular side effects. It has been added to vitamin and weight loss supplements to increase effectiveness and safety.

A common myth exists that hot peppers cause ulcers and small intestine irritation.

However, research asserts that though spicy food may add to ulcer pain and irritation, it does not function as a cause: Ulcer development has never been factually linked to spicy foods or hot peppers.

Recent experiments at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles provided experimental evidence supporting capsaicin’s ability to halt prostate cell replication and encourage programmed cell death. Heiser said the uncovered benefits of capsaicin are on the right evolutionary road and we as eaters should get on the bandwagon.

“The first path was treating cancer cells with capsaicin and then to use the data to write the study that would then be applied to animals,” she said.

“This is all a scientific process," she said. "We’ll move from a Petrie to replication on an animal model and with good results they are likely to move to human beings. Animals might even be skipped because [hot peppers] are already in our food supply.”

Hot pepper research has become incredibly popular in 2007 with more than 200 placebo-controlled studies conducted in that time.

Halloween FLOG

Guess how many pieces of Halloween candy I ate and didn't feel bad about it?

I've been doing excellent because it's effortless. When I used to be on any sort of weight reduction plan, I knew exactly how many days, hours, minutes, meals that I had cut back. I was aware of how much food I hadn't had. It's only been since last Wednesday, but I actually had to think a minute about when I started. The days have flown by. I truly have not even missed anything, and when opportunities arise to eat, I'm just like, "I really don't want that." And I don't eat it. I can't wait to weigh myself, but then again, yes I can wait. Weight loss seriously is no longer the main focus. It's a by product from the rest. I think that my heart finally caught up with the truth that I have learned. Grace made that switch in me and so far, I've been resting in contentment. It just feels so free to not need food. Last night I went to bed a little hungry satisfied in my soul that breakfast would come soon. Morning came for me about three hours before it came for the boys, and I actually had to make myself cook me something instead of getting started on the day just because I know I needed it. But I was content not to even eat. That is so amazing because it's like a brand new me now. For breakfast I made an omelet and oatmeal. That is also what I fed the little guys and they loved it too. It felt good to prepare such a good breakfast for the simple purpose that I value myself instead of valuing food. I know I've not "arrived," but I sure am enjoying this freedom. Freedom from food is a huge deal for me, but it's not just food. It is every area of my life. And I can honestly say it is not me. DUH, That must be why it's working.

Oh...I ate one piece of Halloween candy. ONE! Do you have any concept of how unlike the old me that is? I unwrapped another one, but then I thought, "I really don't want this." I mean I really didn't. Not for flab consequences, just because I didn't want it. I knew I could have it if I wanted, but I think I've finally filled that hole with something (Real Life) that I used to fill up with food.

Nutrition Nugget

In light of Halloween, let's talk about sugar.
World Health Organization says to limit sugars to 12 teaspoons or 48 grams a day. That is a WHOLE lot less than we get. Four grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon of sugar. One regular cola has 38 grams! So that's 9 1/2 teaspoons just from a coke. 1 bar of milk chocolate candy has 31 grams or almost 8 teaspoons. One bag of skittles has 47 grams. That basically takes the whole recommendation.