If you’re pressed for time or in a hurry, you don’t prepare your food but instead go to a drive thru and order burger, fries, soda and sundae for dessert which you can get in 15 minutes or less. You take a bite of that sandwich bearing fried or hopefully grilled beef burger with onion, tomato, lettuce and cheese with mayo and/or mustard dressing. Then you dip your cheese or sour cream flavored potato fries in barbecue sauce or tomato ketchup. You take a sip of that ice cold carbonated drink to flush the food down your throat because you almost choke with your mouth full. As the vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate dip slowly melts in a carton cup, you try to drink it instead of using a spoon because you need at least one hand on the wheel.
How much and how often do you feed yourself with this junk food? You get calories more than what you actually need so that you gain weight, your blood sugar goes up and your bad cholesterol hits an all-time high. How would you like to start your journey from junk food to real food and start adopting a comprehensive health improvement program (CHIP) through lifestyle-medicine which covers four areas namely, nutrition, exercise, rest and social connectivity.
For now, let me just zero in on one aspect which is nutrition through fasting. It serves a double purpose in time for the coming Lenten season because Catholics are advised to observe fasting, alms giving and praying.
FAST
When you fast, it means you don’t eat your usual meal or even skip meals. You give your body the chance to relax and detoxify because your digestive system is resting. You use your body’s energy to get rid of the toxins that has accumulated in your system due to a wrong diet. Fasting cleanses your body. You may fast once a week. For some, it may last 3-5 days. Although, Professor Arnold Ehret, advocate of rational fasting fasted for as long as 49 days which I don’t recommend.
You choose the type of fast that you want. You have two options. The first option is a liquid fast which can either be a water fast or a juice fast. The water fast is too drastic because it will aggressively remove all unwanted toxins too fast that may be a shock to the whole-body system. You may end up with dizzy spells. The juice fast is much better because your body still receive the necessary enzymes and energy. The second option is to decrease the number of meals that you eat for a day. It may be just one full meal a day or you may have a small breakfast, a full lunch and a small dinner a day with no snacks in between.
However, fasting is not just a dietary restriction. From Isaiah 58:6-7: “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish…Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.”
EAT
Eat the food that will provide energy rather than consume energy. Choose a plant based whole food low fat diet instead of instant food, processed food or any food with preservative. Nothing beats fresh organic fruits and vegetables which are filling, nutritious and tasty. Professor Ehret proposed a mucusless diet or food that does not produce mucus that can plug your systems and cause constipation. Eat a big dark leafy green salad each day with all the veggies in it that you love. Properly combine food. Eat fruits first. Wait half hour and then eat veggies. Never mix them because you may feel bloated. Part of the meal is to drink at least 3 liters of alkaline water every day in between your solid food. Drink at least 30 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after. But avoid drinking while you are eating unless of course you choke for eating too fast. You can also drink 1-3 liters of organic green juice daily.
ABSTAIN
Abstain means to avoid certain food. Let go of meat, dairy, sugar, wheat, caffeine, processed/packaged foods, heavy cooked foods, and anything else you feel may be harming your body, soul, and mind.
SUSTAIN
Sustain entails making sure that you stick to your chosen diet and find ways to look for the sources of organic food if those grown biodynamically are not available.
TRUST
Trust means to repent and to surrender yourself to the One with bigger hands, the Lord, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life to save us from sin.
Your journey from junk food to real food is possible when you F.E.A.S.T. (FAST, EAT, ABSTAIN, SUSTAIN, TRUST).
Hope you can share so you can help others.
