Be A Good Steward Of The Body God Entrusted To You

Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

God has given to each of us a wonderfully made human body. The $64,000 question is: Are we a good steward of the body He has entrusted to us? I see people adorned in ugly tattoos everywhere I go today, and it is truly a sad thing. I think that is especially true for women. Ladies, please do not mark up the lovely body which God has given to you. I think it is foolish, worldly and sad to see a beautiful woman covered in green dark tattoo ink. That is not God's will for your life. I think many women who get tattoos have rebellion issues and getting a tattoo is her way of expressing her independence.

I gained some weight going into winter last year. So I needed to go on a dietary fast, getting ready for the summer. I lost 7 pounds this month so far. Here's a partial list of the foods that I've been eating to help me lose weight quickly:

1. Avocados (200 to 300 calories each)
2. Oatmeal (150 calories per 1/2 cup)
3. Beans (120 calories per 1/2 cup dry)
4. Onions (60 calories each; I chop up one onion in each batch of beans. Onions help to reduce inflammation which causes pain (so onions help reduce my neck pain a bit)
5. Sardines (170 to 200 calories per can; sardines are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which also help to reduce inflammation that causes pain.
6. Blackberries, green seedless grapes and cherries (grapes help make the body feel satiated, full longer)
7. Natural sunflower, flax and pumpkin seeds (seeds are rich in needful nutrients)
8. Shelled pecan nuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts (nuts are high in good fat, which make the body feel full longer)
9. Ezekiel bread (80 calories per slice; I love this wonderful bread, which is flourless and contains only sprouted whole grains and natural ingredients, awesome for good health)
10. Soy milk (a whole quart of unsweetened soy milk only contains 240 calories, as verses regular milk which contains about 1,400 calories.
11. Pre-sliced chicken or turkey breast (1/2 pound is only 240 calories)
12. Lots of Dasani mineral water (I do not drink tap water from the sink)
13. Shrimp stir-fry with cottonseed oil, snap snow peas, mushrooms and garlic. When done I drizzle some sesame oil on top for flavoring. But go easy on the oil, because it is 120 calories per Tablespoon.
14. I eat a BIG salad each day. Yesterday at Publix grocery store I bought 3 big individually wrapped salads for $10 total. Each bag contains only 45 calories. Each bag contains radishes, red cabbage, carrots, snow peas, romaine nd iceberg lettuce. I use Paul Newman's Sesame & Ginger dressing, which contains only 35 calories per 2 Tablespoons. Good stuff Menard!
15. Dill pickles (the entire jar is about 5 calories)
16. Barley (1/2 cup is 300 calories)
17. Brown rice (1/2 cup is only 160 calories)
18. Kiwis (each one is loaded with nutrients and only has 45 calories; I cut them in half and eat them directly with a spoon)
19. Brown eggs (farmers feed high protein diets to healthy chicken who are free to roam on a farm, producing their distinct brownish/orange color). I really like poached eggs. Just boil 2" of water in a pot, add a couple Tablespoons of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother (yeast and bacteria in the bottom of the jar, shake it up first). Then break the shell and drop the egg right into the boiling water, and let it cook for a couple minutes. I use only Pink Himalayan Salt.
20. Pink Himalayan Salt has 80 different nutrients in it, which are naturally occurring. Please avoid Morton salt, which has been so processed and depleted in nutrients that the producers have to add iodine to it. Pink Himalayan Salt naturally contains iodine, so nothing needs to be added. Cool, huh?
21. Sweet potatoes (each one contains only 114 calories; bake them for 45 minutes to an hour at 400 degrees. Rub them with extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle a good amount of pepper, salt and dark brown sugar over them, which will stick to the oil)
22. Greek yogurt (avoid Yoplait and other sugary brands; Greek yogurt is LOW in sugar, making it much better for you, having only 70 to 110 calories per container)
23. Celery sticks (I measure and cut out 1/8 package of Philadelphia Crème Cheese, which is 100 calories total). This is a great healthy snack!
24. Mexican salsa on Mary's sprouted grain crackers. I love these healthy foods!
25. Grilled burger with one slice of cheddar cheese on one slice of halved Ezekiel bread. I don't use ketchup or mustard so I can savor the succulent grilled burger on my barbeque. I always like to use regular ground beef which is higher in fat, making it more juicy
26. Baked fish (I like Tilapia, which is about 100 calories per fillet; I pour a little extra virgin olive oil or butter over the fish before it bakes. Don't forget your favorite seasoning.)

My daily goal is to eat 1,000 calories, which allows me to eat quite a bit from the preceding low calorie density list of foods. The Avocados are a medium calorie density food, so eat them in moderation. I also love dark chocolate covered pecans, but they are 40 calories per piece, so I limit them to 3 to 5 pieces per day. I shuffle around the preceding list of foods, making sure that I don't go over 1,000 calories, if I want to lose substantial weight for that day. By eating 1,000 calories per day I lose 2 pounds per week, guaranteed!!! Don't watch the scale from day to day, because carboHYDRATES will cause your weight to greatly fluctuate by as much as 3 to 8 pounds. Just weigh weekly on Sundays. If you know how many calories you are consuming, then you know of a scientific certainty that you will lose weight if you reduce your calorie intake. A big salad with 2 Tablespoons of Paul Newman Sesame & Ginger dressing is only 60 calories total!

These are the majority of healthy foods that I eat, which have been helping me to lose weight and feel better overall. So I encourage you to join me if you want to lose weight. You don't have to starve yourself and be miserable. To get started, simply eat some healthy food, like an avocado and oatmeal. I sprinkle cinnamon over my oatmeal and a couple twists of Pink Himalayan Salt. Oatmeal makes the body feel full for a longer period of time. Also, never use instant anything! Buy the Old-Fashioned Oatmeal. It has been less processed, which is why it takes 4 minutes in the microwave to prepare instead of 60 seconds. The body processes instant foods faster, which means you'll be hungry again soon thereafter. Old-fashioned oatmeal and whole grain breads take longer for your body to digest, which keeps you feeling full for longer. Remember, avoid anything advertised as “instant.”

Here is a helpful handout called: "Weight Loss Medicine."

Yours Truly Eating Yogurt!