In recent Health Tips we have learned that in order to properly digest food, the food must contain fiber. The foods most consume today are lacking in fiber, and when we consume foods lacking in fiber, physical problems manifest.
Fiber — An Absolute Necessity For Proper Digestion
Garden source foods are the only foods on planet earth that contain FIBER! This means that any food that comes from any source outside of the garden is a food devoid of FIBER. Animal source foods are completely devoid of fiber. This, along with other factors, makes animal source foods a major cause of the digestive and colon problems so many people suffer with today. For years there has been a number of writers promoting a “low carb, high protein" diet. This type of diet is high in animal flesh (which is totally devoid of fiber) and low in carbohydrates (which are high in fiber). A major reason why these diets are so dangerous is because they are seriously lacking in fiber.
Refined Carbohydrates Contain No Fiber
Another “food” consumed by most people in very large quantities today is refined carbohydrates — which are also devoid of fiber. Refined carbohydrates, because they are devoid of fiber, are more than just another cause of constipation. They are a burden on the liver and intestines and increase the risk of chronic disease. God’s plan for the proper digestion of foods requires fiber, but both refined carbohydrates and animal source foods are devoid of fiber. Once a person understands this fact, it helps them understand what foods they must consume to promote good health and what foods cause their health to decline. It is interesting to note that low carb diets cite carbohydrates for today's obesity epidemic. Yet when we look at the history of mankind, we learn that for almost 6,000 years people have thrived on a high carbohydrate, low protein diet — and most were NOT overweight! Here’s why: Until recently most people in the world nourished their bodies with UNREFINED carbohydrates – not with refined carbohydrates. What has changed? Why are 60% of Americans overweight and an ever increasing number of our youth diagnosed as “obese”? The problem is NOT naturally occurring, unrefined carbohydrates (which contain loads of plant fiber), but rather REFINED carbohydrates — which contain virtually NO fiber. For example, a grain of wheat is an unrefined carbohydrate, while "enriched" flour made from that grain of wheat (which has had its fiber removed) is a refined carbohydrate. What's the difference?- Unrefined carbohydrates are vitally important in meeting the nutritional and fiber needs of our bodies.
- Refined carbohydrates are devastating to our body, causing myriad physical breakdowns.
Over 60% Of Americans Are Overweight
Today, what is one of the primary concerns people have regarding their physical bodies? Is it not concern over being overweight? And what products are constantly being advertised to combat this problem? Are they not weight loss products claiming to help a person lose that excess weight? Overweight and obese people are vulnerable targets for health care fraud because a high percentage of the people in our country are desperate to lose weight. So when "low carb, high protein" diets came on the scene telling Americans that they could eat all the protein and cholesterol they wanted and lose weight, many jumped on the bandwagon. Sadly, these weight loss plans trashed an entire food group. But of even greater importance, they trashed the diet God told man he should consume in Genesis 1:29, the blueprint for The Hallelujah Diet. That fact alone should have triggered a huge red flag because the Genesis 1:29 diet is high in carbohydrates and low in protein. Ask yourself... does God know best with regard to how man should nourish his body? Or is it man's job to know best?
Low Carbohydrate Diets And Science
Science reveals that a high fiber diet of complex, unrefined carbohydrates and low protein is the safest choice for long-term health. By contrast, The World Health Organization, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and American Dietetic Association, all warn of the long-term risks of a low-carb, high protein diet. Those who promote a low-carb diet claim that carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels and thus insulin levels. They then go on to claim that elevated insulin levels trigger the storage of fat. Thus they conclude that it is carbohydrates that make people fat. What they fail to reveal is that it is the REFINED carbohydrates that are the culprit here and not the unrefined. The results of many years of well documented research reveal the huge benefits of a plant-based diet of unrefined carbohydrates that is low saturated fat diet. In addition, scientists have abundant evidence showing that the time proven, plant-based diets of large population groups also prevent disease while increasing life span.
Ever Since Adam And Eve
Ever since God gave Adam and Eve the original high carbohydrate/low protein, plant-based diet in Genesis 1:29, most of the world’s population has relied primarily on plant foods for the bulk of their diet. Carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, and legumes have formed the foundation of the traditional diets for most regions of the world. Sadly, over the past couple of decades, due to the strong influence of the United States on the world, many who once consumed these traditional diets have adopted our standard American diet (SAD) of highly refined carbohydrates and high protein. Doing so has resulted in a serious erosion of health around the world. Today we see a dramatic increase in obesity and death rates due to heart disease and cancer in many countries of the world, just as it has and continues to produce in the United States. Here's the truth of the matter... If the body does not receive sufficient carbohydrates, it will convert protein and/or fat into glucose (a carbohydrate), to meet its carbohydrate needs. So why not get your carbs from the plant?! Especially when getting them from animal source foods comes with a lot of negative baggage.
Not All Carbohydrates Are Created Equal
A good example of a good carb and a bad carb would be a potato and a French fry. Here, food processors have turned a heart healthy unrefined carbohydrate (the unprocessed potato) into an artery clogging French fry. Research scientists at Harvard University have discovered that individuals who eat a diet high in unrefined carbohydrates significantly decrease their risk of diabetes and heart disease – while individuals who eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates more than double their risk of heart disease.
How To Tell A Good Carb From A Bad One
If a carbohydrate comes packaged as nature produced it – it is a good carbohydrate. You can be assured it is safe and good for you! All plant source foods in their natural state are good carbohydrates. If a carbohydrate is packaged by man, it is a bad carb. Bad carbohydrates include those foods that are refined, fried in fat, dipped in sugar, or have had refined sugar or other artificial ingredients added.
Sickness Is Not God's Will For His People
The world’s diet is a dangerous diet because it is lacking in fiber and the nutrients the body needs to build and protect our health, while GOD’s diet is loaded with fiber and provides the nutrients the body needs to produce optimal health and protect it from disease. Sickness is not “God’s will” for his people. (3 John 2) By consuming the world’s diet we not only destroy our health, but spend huge amounts of money in an effort to restore the health that was destroyed by consuming the world’s diet. There is a better way than the world’s way of nourishing our God created physical bodies. That way is God’s way as clearly outlined in Genesis 1:29. AMEN!
Next week, the good Lord willing and if the creeks don’t rise too high, we will explore another item that is consumed in large quantities by the average person on the world’s diet that is also devoid of fiber. Trust you will join us next week!
