Food

Food – Laws of Health

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God expects us to learn the laws of health, to practice the laws of health, and to teach the laws of health. When we comply with God’s expectations, then He can fulfill in us His desire for us to have health. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” III John 2. Jeremiah 30:17 makes it very clear that the Lord wants to restore health to us: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.” All of us desire health, but none desire it more than God desires to give it to us.

If we comply with God’s expectations through obedience, then He can bless us with greater health than would be possible without our obedience and His blessing. This can mean a life that is healthy and filled with vitality. Exodus 15:26 says, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the Lord that healeth thee.” In Psalm 105:37 we see the fulfillment of this promise. Speaking of the Israelites that left Egypt, we read: “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and [there was] not one feeble [person] among their tribes.” It has been estimated by some historians that as many as one million people may have been part of the exodus from Egypt. Where before or since could we find a million people on the planet earth in which there was not one feeble person among them?

Daniel and the three Hebrew worthies are also examples of the results of obedience to God’s requirements concerning health. In Daniel 1 is given the faithful recording of what the results are when we refuse to defile ourselves with the meats and wine of the world. Daniel and his three companions were found to be fairer in countenance and ten times greater in knowledge and wisdom than all the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 1:1–21.)

We must, through obedience, cooperate with God’s design if we ever hope to have the health that He wants to give us. Regardless of our current health status, we can experience a greater blessing if we begin to faithfully obey God’s health laws. These laws are simple and available to everyone. An overview of these laws will be given in future LandMarks.

Recipe – Creamy Steel-Cut Oats

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Ingredients

1 14-oz. can light coconut milk

1 ½ cups water

1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats

dash sea salt

 

Process

Pour can of coconut milk and water into pot; bring to low boil over high heat.

Add oats; stir. Immediately reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring several times throughout cooking. Portion into bowls. Add desired garnishes: chopped medjool dates, raisins, shredded coconut, toasted walnut pieces, fresh fruit, etc. Creamy and delicious!

Food – Beta-Glucan & Oats

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While you may know that the fiber in oatmeal is responsible for lowering cholesterol, as well as offering other health rewards, you may not know that it’s a very particular type of fiber called beta-glucan that’s responsible for the benefits.

Nutritionally beta-glucans trigger a cascade of events in the human body that help regulate the immune system, making it more efficient. Beta-glucans also stimulate white blood cells that bind to tumor cells and viruses and release chemicals to destroy these cells. Studies also show that beta-glucans reduced the incidence of infection in patients with high risk surgeries, as well as shortened intensive care unit stay and improved survival rate. Bottom line – of all the polysaccharides studied that act as immunostimulants, beta-glucans were found to be the most effective against infectious disease and cancer.

Beta-glucans have also been found to improve insulin response and restore the activity of gut organisms.

Beta-glucans form a viscous solution (gel) in the gut which slows digestion and absorption, giving a feeling of fullness for much longer and is the basis for many health benefits. This thick gel grabs cholesterol as it moves through the digestive system to prevent absorption, and then eliminates it from the body. Getting 3 grams of beta-glucan a day may help lower cholesterol levels by as much as 8 percent. One and a half cups of cooked oats provides 3 grams of beta-gluten.

https://www.breadbeckers.com/the-beta-glucans-of-barley-and-oats/cholesterol

Incorporate oats in granola, muffins, waffles, breads, crisps, cooked alone or with other grains in cereals, and in savory dishes to ensure an ample amount of beta-glucan in your daily diet.

 

Creamy Steel-cut Oats

Ingredients

1 14-oz. can light coconut milk

1 ½ cups water

1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats

dash sea salt

Process

Pour can of coconut milk and water into pot; bring to low boil over high heat.

Add oats; stir. Immediately reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring several times throughout cooking. Portion into bowls. Add desired garnishes: chopped medjool dates, raisins, shredded coconut, toasted walnut pieces, fresh fruit, etc. Creamy and delicious!

Recipe – Veggie Patties

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¾ cup shredded zucchini

½ cup cooked rice

¾ cup shredded carrots

¼ cup egg substitute

1 ½ teaspoons onion powder

2 Tablespoons nonfat bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 15-ounce can nonfat black beans, mashed

Preheat broiler on high heat. Line broiler pan with foil; lightly spray with nonfat cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. (If mixture is too moist to shape, refrigerate for 1 hour.) Shape mixture into 8 patties and place on prepared pan. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until lightly browned. Great as a sandwich on roll with lettuce, tomato, and condiments.

Food – Vegetables

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What is meant by the term vegetable? The term vegetable in its broadest sense refers to any kind of plant life or plant product; it usually refers to the fresh edible portion of a herbaceous plant consumed either raw or cooked. The edible portion may be a root like a rutabaga, beet, carrot, and sweet potato; a tuber or storage stem such as potato and taro; the stem as in asparagus and kohlrabi; a bud such as Brussels sprouts; a bulb such as onion and garlic; a petiole or leafstock like celery and rhubarb; a leaf such as cabbage, lettuce, parsley, spinach, and chive; an immature flower like cauliflower, broccoli, and artichoke; a seed like pea and Lima beans; the immature fruit like brinjal (eggplant), cucumber, and sweet corn (maize) or the mature fruit like tomato and chili.

Those plants or plant parts that are usually consumed with the main course of a meal are popularly regarded as vegetables, while those mainly used as desserts are considered fruits. Actually, cooked vegetables constitute our principal meals, while fruits are consumed as desserts. Thus, cucumber and tomato are botanically fruits, but they are mainly used as vegetables.

It is an accepted and well-settled fact that cooking or heat destroys nutritive value of vegetables. The tender leaves and stems of fresh vegetables contain the highest percentage of vitamins and minerals. If they are consumed fresh in a raw state (as expressed juice), it will be highly beneficial for the body to keep fit and healthy. For this reason there is now a growing tendency to consume more vegetables and fruits in their raw states.

Many elements are required to make a diet that is nutritionally adequate, and no single natural food can supply all. Vegetables supply some elements in which other food materials are deficient. The dark green leafy vegetables are rich sources of carotene that is converted by the body into vitamin A. Vitamin C is also amply provided by leafy and green vegetables.

Few vegetables are valuable sources of proteins or carbohydrates; beans and peas are rich in iron and proteins; potatoes and sweet potatoes are important sources of carbohydrates; citrus fruits supply most of the vitamins, including ascorbic acid in plenty.

Classification of Vegetables

Vegetables are classified on the basis of the part of the plant such as root, stem, or tuber that is used for food.

Root vegetables: The root group includes beets, carrots, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, and yams.

Stem vegetables: The stem group includes asparagus and kohlrabi.

Tuber vegetables: The tuber is an underground stem. Edible tubers include Jerusalem artichoke, potato, taro, and yam.

Leaf and leaf-stalk vegetables: The leaf group includes Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, chard, chicory, endive, lettuce, parsley, rhubarb (pie), and spinach.

Bulb vegetables: The bulb group includes garlic, leek, and onion.

Immature inflorescence vegetables: This group includes artichokes, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Immature fruit vegetables: This group includes cowpea, cucumber, papaya, jackfruit (ichar), eggplant (brinjal), Lima bean, okra, pea, and summer squash (gourd).

Mature fruit vegetables: This group includes muskmelon, pumpkin, tomato and watermelon.

Do you know how to make sure you are in good health? Eating vegetables is a good start.

Recipe – Seven Grain Patties

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Recipe

Seven Grain Patties
3 cups of boiling water 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or equivalent)
1½ cups seven grain cereal 2 teaspoons onion powder
¾ teaspoon salt ¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon thyme ½ cup walnuts, chopped
Cook cereal in water until done. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Shape into patties and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Yield: 6 servings. You may select seasonings of your choice to alter the flavor of the patties.

 

Recipe – Pineapple Tofu Cheesecake

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20 oz. can of crushed pineapple w/juice ½ cup Pineapple Juice Concentrate
3 ½ Tbsp. Agar-Agar  1/3 cup Honey
2 12.3 oz. pkgs. Mori Nu Silken Tofu,   extra firm Rind of ½ Lemon or ½ tsp. Lemon Extract
½ tsp. salt  
Combine crushed pineapple with Agar-Agar in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.  Blend with the remaining ingredients in blender until smooth.   Pour into prepared crumb crust in 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.  Chill and serve.  Adapted from a recipe by Barbara Watson in The Total Vegetarian Cookbook.

Food – Chew? Why?

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Man was created with an inquisitive mind. “Why?” is a favorite question from infanthood through adulthood. We like to know the ins and outs and what fors. With understanding comes an ease of mind. When the Adventists were first given the message of health reform, though, they had to go without the answer to their “whys?” But today science has confirmed many of the scientific reasons that were behind God’s instructions by way of our diet.

“Chew your food well; there are no teeth in your stomach!” We have all heard our parents tell us to chew well, but inevitably, as with any curious child (or adult), up pops the question “why?” There is a reason that has nothing to do with old wives tales or superstition, but science and how the body works. The stomach’s job is to mix food, liquids, and digestive juices with its peristaltic, squeezing motions. When large pieces of food enter the stomach, the surface area of the food is decreased, but the chemical breakdown of the food is not as effective. This causes a hindrance in the digestive process.

Most people love to eat. Food tastes so good and we tend to over-do what we like. Chewing food well increases the flavor in the food for our taste buds to pick up, and increases our sense of satiety as we eat. Part of feeling “full” is simply feeling satisfied. This is a factor in portion control and then, obviously, weight control.

Chewing our food well is also important as a preparation for swallowing. The esophagus, the tube that takes food to the stomach, can only be stretched so far. It is important that the food swallowed is small, moist, and well lubricated. This does not happen if the food is not chewed. People sometimes choke on their food simply because it is too large and dry to swallow with ease. The Heimlich maneuver is not as consistently effective or pleasant as simply slowing down enough to chew!

Pavlov so aptly demonstrated for us that even the thought or sight of food can make us salivate. Saliva contains chemicals that are important in the early stages of digestion, one of which is alpha amylase, which begins the chemical breakdown of starches found in carbohydrate, a primary component of the vegetarian diet. A second chemical in saliva is salivary lipase, which is responsible for the breakdown of fats. Fats are found in many vegetarian foods, such as nuts, olives, and oils.

So next time you are tempted to swallow your food before it is a well-lubricated, ground-up bolus, think of Mom and Dad and realize that they did know what they were talking about after all!

Recipe – Split Pea Dal

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1 cup dried yellow or green split peas

5 cups water

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric or saffron

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Rinse split peas. Bring water to boil in a large pot, and add peas. Return to boil, stir, then lower heat, and simmer 1 to 2 hours until tender. Add spices, salt, and tomato to peas, and cook 30 minutes. Serve with plain brown rice and vegetable curry.

FOOD – Fiber – Start Roughing It

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Aside from not smoking, the most important determinants of good health are what we eat and how active we are. Fiber is one of those nutrients that many of us know is important but that remains a bit of a mystery.

Basically, the term fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Fiber is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. However, not all fiber is the same, and there are a number of ways to categorize it. One is by its source or origin. For example, fiber from grains is referred to as cereal fiber. Another way of categorizing fiber is by how easily it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. These differences are important when it comes to fiber’s effect on your risk of developing certain diseases. Soluble fiber includes oatmeal, oat bran, nuts and seeds, apples, pears, strawberries, and blueberries. Foods such as whole grains―whole wheat breads, barley, couscous, brown rice, and bulgur―carrots, celery, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes are considered to be insoluble fiber sources.

Long heralded as part of a healthy diet, fiber appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation. Despite what many people may think, however, fiber probably has little, if any effect on colon cancer risk. But just because fiber plays little role in preventing colon cancer does not mean you should abandon a high-fiber diet.

High intake of dietary fiber has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a number of large studies that followed people for many years. Fiber intake has also been linked with the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors that increases the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes. These factors include high blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess weight (especially around the abdomen), high levels of triglycerides, the body’s main fat-carrying particle, and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Several studies suggest that higher intake of fiber may somehow ward off this increasingly common syndrome.

Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, and you should get a least the minimum recommended amount of 21-38 grams of dietary fiber per day for adults, depending on gender and age. For children over age one, the recommended intake is at least 19 grams per day.

Some tips for increasing fiber intake:

  • Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
  • Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole-grain products.
  • Choose whole-grain cereals for breakfast.
  • Eat raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.
  • Eat legumes two to three times per week in chili and soups.
  • Experiment with international dishes (such as Indian or Middle Eastern) that use whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (as in Indian dals) or in salads (for example, tabbouleh).