Good morning beautiful friends. I hope and pray that where ever y'all are on this big globe that you are happy, healthy and in a wonderful relationship with Jesus Christ!!! He should be our all in all and He is mine. I'm sure I don't love Him as perfectly as He would like or as perfectly as I would like. One thing I know, He's not looking for perfection, He's looking for our heart. I pray He has your heart and mine.
While I have ignored my blog, I have been struggling. Health issues, back issues, arthritis issues, inflammation issues, and a host of other issues. I have been discovering that my issues are my fault!!! That's true. While most of us don't aim to hurt ourselves purposefully, sometimes we do. Oh, a bite of this won't hurt. Just a little nibble of that won't hurt. Here, doesn't this smell divine and one little piece will surely be ok. Do any of those sound familiar? Maybe you have others that you could add to my list. Anyway, the sad thing is that most of us do this and we don't even realize the detrimental affect that these nibbles, bites and pieces are having on our bodies.
As I was walking this morning in the the 35* weather, I was praying and crying a little too. Asking God to show me what I need to see. My health has been a struggle for a long time. If you're in the same situation, start doing something right now. If you're a young person, it's imperative that you take control of your life situation right now. I could not be more serious. If I had known 30 - 35 years ago, what I know now, I truly don't think I'd be in the mess I'm in now.
In all seriousness, I've been getting a little healthier over the last 5 to 7 years just by changing a few things in how I cook. But, there was still LOTS of room for improvement. Some of the changes I've made over the years is I started making my own greek yogurt. Beneficial gut health. I started making my own Kombucha, more beneficial gut health. I've started making ferments, again, beneficial gut health. I use my air fryer a lot and cook from scratch in it. I've gotten rid of all oils except avocado oil. I use real butter. I bake all of our bread from scratch. It's usually just 4 - 6 ingredients and nothing that I can't pronounce or spell. And other steps have been taken also, to try to improve my overall health and the health of my husband. I make my own bone broth to cook with, among other things.
While I have helped some areas of my health, other areas are still crying out desperately for health. That's what I've been trying to listen to here lately. Doing a little research and I find that there's lots of contradicting info out there. What one has to do is see what's affecting you, personally.
So, while I haven't been 100% compliant with my eating, I have been at least 80% compliant with Whole 30. I have lost a little weight, I have no idea how many inches I've lost because I didn't measure anything. I honestly didn't even weigh myself at home, but going by the scales at the drs office I have lost a few lbs. No ways near enough, but it's a start and I'll take it.
I had cleared out enough inflammation that it's been making a difference. My main problem, and this is what I was talking to God about, is that I have a problem with snacks and snacking. I cave too easily, I give in to the craving too easily. I asked Him to help me. I pleaded with Him to help me. I know He can and I know He will. Now, am I gonna be ready to take His help? I pray that I can and will.
So, we have a made a pact, my husband and I, no snacking for a solid month. Fresh fruit and fresh veggies is always good and it's not including those types of things. We was out yesterday for a few minutes and we went into a store and I was looking for good healthy buys. I found some sesame crackers with a honey glaze, I wasn't looking for them and I wish I had left them in the store. The ingredient list didn't look to bad, so I got them. Thinking they would be a good snack. After lunch, I got us about 1/4 cup for each of us and they were really good...........for the moment. In an hour or so, I could hardly walk, both of my ankles were hurting so bad. My trigger finger was flared to the point that I could hardly open or close my left hand. I have a major back issue that I've been dealing with for many many months and within that same hour, my lower back and sides, from one frontal hip bone around to the other side frontal hip bone, was in so much pain that I thought I was going to have to go to the dr yet again!!!!! I'm telling you, I done that to MYSELF!!!!! I didn't realize that it was the snack, but it WAS!!!!!!!
It is so frustrating that we live in a day and age where the manufacturers and the govt are doing everything they can to keep us sick and in desperate need of meds. Just throwing a med at each symptom instead of getting to the bottom of the problem. They all know what the problem is, but healthy people doesn't produce a cash cow for the drs and the drug manufacturers and the govt is bought off by big business and all the hospitals have become all about profit. We want your money, we want it all, and we want it NOW!!!!!!!!! Yes, that is their attitude. If I sound a little ticked off, well let me just that I am.
We live in an upside down perverted world and it won't get any better. But I've got to do what I can do to ensure that my senior years look as good as they can. Every time you turn a tv on or watch you tube videos or anything, there's all these commercials for all this food stuff that's actually as deadly as rat poison. It's just a slow release rat poison so they can get as much money out of you as possible, trying to slow down the "bleed out process" of rat poison. Read labels and find out what some of the ingredients are that's in our "food".
So, I'm trying to share a little of my back story here in the hopes that one person will read this and think that some of this sounds like me. Maybe there is something I can do. Check out Whole 30 and Autoimmune ways of eating. Start with whole ingredients. Nothing processed if at all possible. Cut out sugars!!!!! That is the main culprit for most of us!!! Cut out the terrible, unhealthy snacks. Prepare as much as possible from scratch. I wish I had more, real tips and ideas for all of us. I don't, because right now, I don't trust myself to share the right things. I guess more than anything, I wanted to share my frustration at how food has made feel for so long and I hadn't made the connection that it's garbage food that has made me feel like garbage and not the wholesome, good food. So for me, I'm gonna say "cut the garbage out!!!!" I pray that I can follow my advice of cutting the garbage from my own diet. I don't want to find myself in a wheelchair someday just because of all the garbage I've filled my body with. And I truly believe that that's one of the problems that most of us who partake of the western diet are dealing with. Let's cut the garbage out and do better and feel better. That is my resolution, cut the GARBAGE!!!!!!!
I pray that if you found this something that you need to think about, that maybe you'll share it with someone else that maybe needs a kick in the seat to start them thinking about this too. I pray that if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that today would be the day that you would ask Him into your life. Believe in Him and repent. I know that the upcoming days are going to be hard for me and I couldn't do this without Him in my life. I pray that you have a wonderful rest of the day. Blessings of love, joy and peace be yours today and everyday. hugs, patty
