Life has thrown another curveball as it’s known to do. My sister was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. Typing those words was very hard. I’ve been known to find my comfort in a place called Denial but stubbornly staying there now wouldn’t do anyone any good. So I’ll leave my comfort zone and join the battle. I am a believer and I believe that God still heals today. So healing is my hope and my prayer. This battle will not only be fought on my knees but in the kitchen too.
This situation just solidifies my resolve to change our eating habits and promote slow food. There are so many toxins that we encounter in our day to day living. We certainly don’t need to be ingesting even more toxins and pretending it’s food. I’ve heard it said that if you shop only the outer edges of the grocery store and never buy from the inside aisles you’re less likely to buy junk. You’ll be forced to make real food, whole food.
Real sourdough bread that’s fermented has been made that way for thousands of years. Ancient grains like Einkorn and Emmer contained Vitamin E, Lecithin, and Omega 3 Fatty Acids but these nutrients are removed from most of today’s wheat to make white flour. This is done in order to keep bread lasting longer. Now, most store-bought sourdough bread can last for weeks. Sadly, the direct result is that more and more people are dying from heart attacks.
You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
Psalm 104:14-15 ESV
It’s not enough to try to stay away from junk food we have to make sure the food we do eat is nutritious. Bread can be good for you if made properly. Slowly. The right way. It can even strengthen your heart. If more people made bread this way it wouldn’t have such a bad rap.
I, for one, am choosing to slow down, relax, and stop the hustle. Americans would do well to learn to live in and enjoy the present rather than working, worrying, and striving for tomorrow. The immense value of health is only realized when lost. Stress, junk food, lack of exercise all contribute, albeit slowly, to our body’s breakdown. If we’re willing to spend more money on the prevention of disease and sickness by buying organics and grass-fed, grass-finished meats we’ll find that in the long run, it’ll be much less than what a hospital visit would have cost.
We can’t stop every illness just by eating right but it’s worth a try.
