oatmeal

Food for Life — Health Laws

by

In the last few years we have heard a great deal about Candida Albicans (yeast infection), due to a defective immune system. These good bacteria which normally keep the yeast in check in the body are destroyed when you take antibiotics, specifically penicillin, preparing the way for Candida to multiply. This can indeed become serious and if left to invade the system, one may have it for life. Diet is of utmost importance, and one of the items that must be eliminated is yeast. Bread, being the “staff of life,” is a very important item in millions of households. So, it seems essential that we substitute unleavened bread in a variety of ways when this condition is present.

“When hot, or new, raised bread of any kind is difficult of digestion. It should never appear on the table. This rule does not, however, apply to unleavened bread. Fresh rolls made of wheaten meal, without yeast or leaven, and baked in a well heated oven, are both wholesome and palatable.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 316, 317. Also beneficial is the thorough mastication process required which is a considerable draw-back in eating porridges and soups.

How many of us really realize what we owe to our Heavenly Father, who has created us and redeemed us by His precious blood on Calvary, for the perfect “blueprint,” enabling us to have health and strength to work for Him, using our varied talents in His service.

“The transgression of physical law is the transgression of God’s law. Our Creator is Jesus Christ. He is the author of our being. He has created the human structure. He is the author of physical laws, as He is the author of the moral law. And the human being who is careless and reckless of the habits and practices that concern his physical life and health, sins against God’s laws. Many who profess to love Jesus Christ do not show proper reverence and respect for Him who gave His life to save them from eternal death. He is not reverenced, or respected, or recognized. This is shown by the injury done to their own bodies in violation of the laws of their being.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 43.

“If we close our eyes to the light for fear we shall see our wrongs, which we are unwilling to forsake, our sins are not lessened, but increased. If light is turned from in one case, it will be disregarded in another. It is just as much sin to violate the laws of our being as to break one of the ten commandments, for we cannot do either without breaking God’s law. We cannot love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength while we are loving our appetites, our tastes, a great deal better than we love the Lord. We are daily lessening our strength to glorify God, when He requires all our strength, all our mind. By our wrong habits we are lessening our hold on life, and yet professing to be Christ’s followers, preparing for the finishing touch of immortality.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 70, 71.

May God help us to keep the channels open, the delicate nerve endings of the brain, by not benumbing them, that the Holy Spirit may do its work in our lives and prepare us for the soon coming of our Savior!

Oatmeal Pecan Crisps

2 cups oat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup millet flour

1/2 cup fruit source

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups soy or nut milk

Add milk until proper consistency, thick but spreadable. Spread evenly on a non-stick cookie sheet, about one inch think. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

 

Food For Life — Healthy Blood

by

“The knowledge that man is to be a temple for God, a habitation for the revealing of His glory, should be the highest incentive to the care and development of our physical powers. Fearfully and wonderfully has the Creator wrought in the human frame, and He bids us make it our study, understand its needs, and act our part in preserving it from harm and defilement.

“In order to have good health, we must have good blood; for the blood is the current of life. It repairs waste and nourishes the body. When supplied with the proper food elements and when cleansed and vitalized by contact with pure air, it carries life and vigor to every part of the system. The more perfect the circulation, the better will this work be accomplished.

“At every pulsation of the heart the blood should make its way quickly and easily to all parts of the body. Its circulation should not be hindered by tight clothing or bands, or by insufficient clothing of the extremities. Whatever hinders the circulation forces the blood back to the vital organs, producing congestion. Headache, cough, palpitation of the heart, or indigestion is often the result.

“In order to have good blood, we must breathe well. Full, deep inspirations of pure air, which fill the lungs with oxygen, purify the blood. They impart to it a bright color and send it, a life-giving current, to every part of the body. A good respiration soothes the nerves; it stimulates the appetite and renders digestion more perfect; and it induces sound, refreshing sleep.

“The lungs should be allowed the greatest freedom possible. Their capacity is developed by free action; it diminishes if they are cramped and compressed. Hence the ill effects of the practice so common, especially in sedentary pursuits, of stooping at one’s work. In this position it is impossible to breathe deeply. Superficial breathing soon becomes a habit, and the lungs lose their power to expand . . .

“The lungs are constantly throwing off impurities, and they need to be constantly supplied with fresh air. Impure air does not afford the necessary supply of oxygen, and the blood passes to the brain and other organs without being vitalized.

Hence the necessity of thorough ventilation. To live in close, ill-ventilated rooms, where the air is dead and vitiated, weakens the entire system. It becomes peculiarly sensitive to the influence of cold, and a slight exposure induces disease . . .

“In the construction of buildings, whether for public purposes or as dwellings, care should be taken to provide for good ventilation and plenty of sunlight . . .

“So far as possible, all buildings intended for human habitation should be placed on high, well-drained ground. This will ensure a dry site and prevent the danger of disease from dampness and miasma. This matter is often too lightly regarded. Continuous ill-health, serious diseases, and many deaths result from the dampness and malaria of low-lying, ill-drained situations.” The Ministry of Healing, 271–274.

Isn’t God wonderful to have loved us, unworthy mortals though we be, and entrusted us with these Divine Love Letters to help us on our journey to the heavenly Canaan?

Oatmeal Pecan Crisps

 

2 c. oat flour

1 c. millet flour

1 c. chopped pecans

1/2 t. sea salt

1/2 c. Fruit Source

Nut milk for proper consistency

 

Spread out on cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 30–35 minutes. If you have no access to the Fruit Source, you may substitute date sugar.

 

Recipe – Oatmeal Cookies

by

5 cups oats

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins and/or carob chips

1 cup water or soy milk

1 cup oil (can decrease or substitute with ½ applesauce)

1 cup honey/maple syrup mixture

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients. Add both mixtures together. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Drop by 1 spoonful onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Health – Instant Oatmeal

by

Everybody knows that oats are oats no matter what form they are in. This is true when it comes to nutrition. Whether the oats are instant, quick, regular or steel cut they all have the same nutrition. But there is something that changes when you choose to use the “instant” oatmeal. So what changes if the nutrition is the same?

In 1999, researchers at Boston’s Children’s Hospital [Boston, Massachusetts] experimented with teenage boys’ breakfasts. They fed them typical instant oatmeal and then tracked their snacking later in the day. As boys do, they dug into snacks a fair amount as the day went on. Then, the researchers repeated the experiment with one change: instead of instant oatmeal, they used the regular variety. Oatmeal is a very healthful food, rich in complex carbohydrates that, during the process of digestion, release natural sugars into the bloodstream for energy. When oatmeal is made “instant” the oats are chopped very finely. This not only makes it cook very quickly, but it also digests a bit too quickly, resulting in a rapid rise and fall of blood sugar and a fast return of appetite. Regular or “old-fashioned” oatmeal leaves the oats more or less intact, causing them to release their sugars into the bloodstream bit by bit, keeping the blood sugar steady and holding hunger at bay.

Researchers claim that oatmeal also makes an excellent breakfast for people who are trying to lose weight. Calorie for calorie, oatmeal wins out over sugary corn flakes by helping them feel more satisfied and full, therefore eating less as the day progresses. Ludwig DS, Majzoub JA, Al-Zahrani A, Dallal GE, Blanco I, Robert SB. High Glycemic Index, Overeating, and Obesity. Pediatrics. 1999; 103:656.

There you have it. A simple change in a simple food can make a big difference in keeping the blood sugar steady and keeping the snacking down. It seems that the more we refine our foods, the more our bodies react in ways that are not really normal. Instead of trying to quickly get breakfast on the table by buying the more refined grains, it would be much healthier for the body to take a few minutes longer and prepare the less refined grains so the body can be satisfied until the next meal.

Just as a side note, in Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss (Back to Eden Books, Lotus Press, P. O. Box 325, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin 53181, 580, 581), a story is told about oats: “The Great Northern Railroad had a very urgent piece of road to make. They hired a big crew of men and worked them fourteen hours a day. Instead of giving them ordinary water to drink, they gave them oatmeal water and the paper stated that not one man was laid off on account of sickness. It stated that never before had there been such a wonderful experience in the history of railroads.

“Oatmeal water should be more frequently used than it is. It is a very good medicine for the sick. To make oatmeal water, use the finely flaked oats and put two heaping teaspoonfuls in a pan with a quart of water. You can make it stronger or weaker to suit your taste. Put it on the stove and let it simmer for half-an-hour. Then beat it with a spoon or eggbeater and strain it through a fine sieve. This makes an excellent drink for anybody, especially the sick. If desired, you can add just a pinch of salt and a little soybean milk.

“Another recipe for making oatmeal water is: take a heaping tablespoonful of oatmeal to a quart of water and let it simmer for two or two and a half hours in a tightly covered pan, and then strain it. This makes a very refreshing, cooling drink after it is cooled off in the icebox.”

Oatmeal is very nourishing for the body whether instant, quick or regular. Just remember there are differences between instant oatmeal and old fashioned oatmeal and you need to choose the one best for your health and fits your lifestyle.