Do you have a personal health philosophy? We have Earth day, save the whales, save the rain forest, etc. Why not develop your own philosophy on personal health and save your body from disease?
We hear a lot about being good stewards of the earth. In fact it has been politically correct for years to be an earth lover. And hey, don’t get me wrong, we love the earth. It’s our home away from home (if you know what I mean). I will be the first to say I am greatly disturbed by the way people trash the planet (I kind a wonder what their homes look like inside.) But quite frankly, without people, what good is the earth. I mean its kind like the old adage, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise.” We should be good stewards of the earth, but we also need to be good stewards of our bodies.
The medical profession seems to convey the message that if you are a good steward of your body you will take medicine. In fact about 50% of Americans are on some kind of prescription medication. Yet at one of our favorite web sites, Dr. Mercola reported recently that according to the CDC prescription medication errors are now the second leading cause of unintentional death.
Sadly, much prescription drug use could be eliminated if folks would simply develop an effective health philosophy and stick with it. Food is the best medicine. Learning to be a good steward of your body and health begins with making a decision.
Recognizing that your body is a gift from God and is to be nurtured and cared for properly is a good place to start. After all, you might be able to trade your automobile in every few years, but you can’t trade in your body. In most cases the original body parts work the best!
Let us encourage you to develop your own health philosophy. Begin by asking yourself some important questions. What does being a good steward of my body mean? How should I nourish and care for my body? How do I show myself/God that I value what I have been given?
Next, ask yourself what would be the benefits of following through on a good philosophy of health. Some of the answers might include: you will feel better mentally and physically, you will have less worries about health issues such as developing cancer and heart disease. You will have more energy to do the things you enjoy. Your brain will work better.
Our personal philosophy begins with the belief that we were made by God to serve and love Him. One of the ways we personally try to honor God is to be good stewards of the bodies He has given us. Therefore, as part of that philosophy we choose to put into our bodies those foods that will promote health. On the contrary, we also choose not to put things into our bodies that are known to harm our health. For us this means a mostly raw, whole food diet.
Once you have developed your own health philosophy about nurturing and caring for your body, you will have a much easier time making wise choices in food selections. If you are not sure whether you should eat something, ask your self “why would I eat that?” “How will this promote my health?” We use a principle of eating food “as close to the garden as possible.” That way when someone offers us a soda, we don’t have to think about it, we immediately say “no.” After all what garden did soda emerge from?
Some other benefits of having a whole food health philosophy is you won’t need to ask “can I eat sucralose, should I eat a fat substitute, etc.” It is immediately obvious this is not a whole food and therefore should not be in your diet, along with any other refined or artificial sweeteners. It will also save you time and money, since you can avoid 80% of your grocery store isles. No point in traveling down isles that have no whole food and only temptations to damage your health.
Finally, let us encourage you to take some time and think about what it means to be a good steward of your body. Write down your health philosophy, take it out and read it periodically, even take a copy with you to the grocery store. This reminder will help you overcome temptation when it comes. The benefits of developing a philosophy of health are well worth it.
