Blog Rebranding: The Sacred Pursuit of Healthy Living

I’ve recently “re-branded” this blog for various reasons. One is that I’m changing the focus just a little bit…

Where is God in our pursuit of health and handling of illness? He created the world and our bodies perfect and to live forever. But since sin has messed everything up, where does that leave us? How should we view health and illness?

 Health is not valued till sickness comes. - Thomas Fuller

I chose this quote as the header for this blog because it’s very true. Most of the time when a baby is born God gifts them with a perfectly formed body, healthy and fully-functioning organs and an amazing immune system. Yet how often do we think about this gift and thank Him for it? Further, how much do we strive to care for this gift He has given?

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, 

who lives in you and was given to you by God? 

You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. 

So you must honor God with your body. 

- 1 Cor 6:19-20  

The Bible actually has some things to say about how we care for our bodies, what we should eat and put into our bodies and how we should treat the world that gives us our food. How we care for our bodies impacts our long-term health. He’s also given us a mind in order to think and learn, and we are responsible to find out what’s best for our bodies.

There’s also a strong inter-connection between spirit and body. We are both body and spirit, and the two are so interconnected it is sometimes almost impossible to separate them. A person can be unconscious and still hear what is going on around them. They can be “brain dead” but their spirit still be aware of what is happening. We are called in Scripture to “love God with all our hearts, mind and strength” (Deut. 6:5). I took a spiritual and physical fitness class once where we learned about physical exercise but also how the attitude towards fitness carries over into our spiritual life and how our spiritual and physical fitness affect each other. I do not like to run… but I did run for a few years not just because of the physical benefits, but because I actually found it spiritually strengthening as well. We are to “run with endurance the race set before us” (Heb 12:1), and physically running reminded me of this and encouraged me to press on spiritually as well.

The medical evidence is clear and mounting. It’s no exaggeration 

to say that bitterness is a dangerous drug in any dosage and that your 

very health is at risk if you stubbornly persist in being unforgiving. 

- Lee Strobel

It’s also true that things like stress and sins like anger and bitterness can affect our physical health. Anxiety is exhausting. Depression weakens the body. Anger makes you tense.

Mental health struggles can often mask physical problems as well…. Or vice versa. And sometimes they can be so intertwined it can be hard to tell what is causing what.

I venture to say that the greatest earthly blessing that God can give 

to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness. 

Sickness has frequently been of more use to the saints of God than health has. 

- Charles Spurgeon

It’s important to remember that sickness, while an effect of the curse of sin, is not a “punishment of God” or “lack of faith”. It is something He allows – usually for reasons we cannot understand. And Scripture is clear that God uses and even redeems sickness for His glory!

In John 9, Jesus encounters a man who was born blind from birth. Something didn’t form right when he was growing in his mother’s womb. Why did God allow this? Jesus’ disciples were wondering to… “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (verse 2). Jesus’ response is amazing, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” One’s disability, one’s sickness, is an instrument for God to display His glory. (For an amazing sermon on this passage by John Piper see here.) 

Sickness, illness, disability…. They are sometimes unavoidable. But when things are avoidable or treatable, we should want to know about them. And at least in our culture, good health is never the result of careless living (although sometimes it might seem like it). Good health, like all good things, must be pursued and cared for.

While I’ll continue many of the same things as before (sharing things I’m learning, reviewing companies/products, etc.) I’m going to seek to look at things more with a Biblical lens and why to pursue healthier options as well as discussing current events and research in the medical/health field. 

Thanks for reading, I look forward to this adventure and welcome you to share things you've learned as well! 

Review: Trim Healthy Mama

Trim Health Mama (THM for short) is a bit unique... it’s mainly a lifestyle of healthy eating that was created as a way to help women (and men too) lose weight and be healthy. It was founded by two sisters (Serene & Pearl) who did a LOT of experimentation and research to come up with this very detailed way of eating.... and it WORKS! They do sell some products online and in their own store in Tennesee, most of which are food-related, however,  in this review I’m not so much going to look at the products they sell as much as their actual philosophy/eating plan. (Their products are good though and I believe are an A in the purity department and products are sold directly through their website, with a few available on Amazon.) I DO highly recommend getting their book “Trim Healthy Mama Plan” (check Amazon or local bookstore - or better yet, borrow from a library!) which explains the plan in detail. It is NOT a “diet”, it is a lifestyle. They also have a facebook page that you can join and follow just to learn more, hear testimonies/experiences and get inspiration. Their plan has been reviewed and even recommended by doctors and found to be very healthy AND effective for achieving health. Many, many women (and men and young people) have lost weight, lost their diabetes status, and fixed other health issues as well as just achieved better overall health and energy – all through eating right!

The Trim Healthy Mama plan essentially boils down to this: Eliminating high-starch/sugar/processed foods and separating fuels (carbs and fats). So, no more “white” foods (flour, white potatoes, white rice) and no more sugar (this includes large amounts of honey and maple syrup as they still spike your blood sugar). They have S-meals (for fat-based meals, the S stands for “satisfying”), E-meals (for carb-based meals, stands for “energizing”), and XO’s or crossovers (which are a combination of fats/carbs for those who do not need to lose weight or are pregnant/nursing). There are certain guidelines you need to follow in order to really lose weight of course (like how no more than 5 g of carbs in an S-meal). Some find this harder than others - some lose weight very slowly no matter what they do. It really depends on your body. For flour you substitute things like THM's own baking blend (which is a combination of things - I make my own from almond four, oat fiber & flaxseed meal) or coconut flour. Sprouted flour is also on-plan as it is not as processed and is easier on the digestive system. They have sugar substitutes like stevia, xylitol, etheritoyl (or a combination). I use Pyure (combination of stevia and etheritoyl that you can get at Walmart). Honey is acceptable in very small amounts as well as coconut sugar (these may cause you to stall on weight loss though). There is special low-carb pasta out there that you can use instead of regular pasta or they also recommend using zucchini or spaghetti squash instead (both of which are really good by the way). Here are a few examples of different S & E meals:

S-meal: eggs with veggies and cheese; eggplant parmesan (if you bread them then you use a flour substitute) with ground beef and tomato sauce; chicken with alfredo sauce (homemade with better ingredients) using spaghetti squash; various cakes using substitute flour and sweeteners.

E-meal: Sandwich using sprouted bread with turkey, laughing-cow cheese (a very low-fat cheese), and lettuce, etc. (you can have 1 tsp of mayo, mustard is fine); chicken with brown rice and veggies; waffles made with oats and low-fat ingredients, oatmeal muffins.

They have two different cookbooks you can get (I have both) but there are tons of recipes to be found online and on blogs (simply google THM recipe) and that are shared on the facebook pages. There are few other people who have produced cookbooks that are THM friendly as well (Brianna Thomas is a popular one). Some when starting out are concerned about extra cost for "special ingredients" but you don't necessarily need unique ingredients for lots of recipes - and many things you can find at Walmart or grocery stores if you look. Also, if you're cutting out other things that aren't healthy and you budget well it should work out!

I have been on the plan for several years, and while many times I have gone "off plan" or haven’t stuck to it 100%, when I do, I notice a difference! I feel better, healthier, I often will lose weight without really even trying and I believe it's made a great difference for me while pregnant as well since I've been very healthy and not gained as much as I know I would have otherwise! Food feeds your body, so what you eat and how you eat it matters! 

Check out their website here and you can also subscribe to their podcast (Trim Healthy Mama) where they talk a lot about health and cover lots of topics from various ingredients to fasting. If you're curious, I highly recommend just joining their facebook page to see and hear testimonies and learn more!