Part 3: What About the South Beach Diet?

Originally designed by cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston to reverse heart disease in his patients, the South Beach Diet quickly became popular as a means to lose weight. The focus of this diet is identifying "bad carbs" and "bad fats" and replacing them with "good carbs" and "good fats," as well as avoiding or limiting foods that have a high "glycemic impact." He recommends the three phases below, and once in Phase 3, you should return to Phase 1 if you start to gain weight again. He also recommends taking statin drugs like he does (cholesterol-lowering drug).



Summary of Diet Recommendations:
The diet is divided into three phases, as pictured above. Though no specific amounts are advised, the list of foods allowed by phase include:

South Beach Diet: Phase 1

Protein:	Beef, chicken, pork, turkey, fish, shellfish, deli meats, and soy-based meat substitutes
Vegetables:	Artichokes, bell peppers, broccoli, eggplant, spinach, tomato, zucchini
Nuts and Seeds:	Almonds, cashews, flaxseeds, peanuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, walnuts
Dairy and Cheese:	Buttermilk, cheese, eggs, milk, soy milk, yogurt
Beans and Legumes:	Black beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), kidney beans, lentils, lima beans
Sweet Treats:	Unsweetened cocoa powder, popsicles, gelatin, jams and jellies, syrups
Fats and Oils:	Avocado, canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil, olives, salad dressing, vegetable oil spread
Seasonings and Condiments:	Extracts, cream cheese (this is dairy by the way), herbs, hot pepper sauce, miso, mustard, salsa, spices
Beverages:	Coffee, seltzer, tea, vegetable juice blends
Missing Categories:	Whole Grains, Fruit, Starchy Vegetables

South Beach Diet: Phase 2

Protein:	No change
Vegetables:	You may now include carrots, in addition to the Phase 1 vegetables.
Whole Grains (new in Phase 2):	Barley, bread, brown rice, buckwheat, farro, oats, whole-wheat pasta, quinoa
Nuts and Seeds:	No change
Dairy and Cheese:	No change
Fruit (new in Phase 2):	Apples, bananas, berries, citrus, grapes, melons, peaches, pears
Beans and Legumes:	No change
Starchy Vegetables (new in Phase 2):	Butternut squash, calabaza, pumpkin, sweet potato, taro
Sweet Treats:	You may now include pudding, in addition to the Phase 1 sweet treats. (NOTE: pudding is often made with dairy.)
Fats and Oils:	No change
Seasonings and Condiments:	No change
Beverages:	You may now consume alcohol, in addition to the Phase 1 beverages.

South Beach Diet: Phase 3
The website says you "can enjoy any food in moderation...If you find yourself getting off track or if cravings return, you can go back to Phase 1 or 2."



What's Good?
This diet is one small step closer to my dietary recommendations when compared to the Atkins diet. They do include a whole grains category, but only after significant weight-loss has occurred. This diet also includes fruits (only last two phases), vegetables, and beans/legumes.

What's Bad?
I find the lack of specifics a little alarming. There are no guidelines on how to prioritize these food categories. If I were looking at potentially starting the South Beach Diet, I would feel very confused and uncertain about how to proceed. I guess that's why they sell pre-packaged food products, so that you don't have to be confused about how to proceed, just buy their packages and you're good to go. To me, that feels more like a food company trying to sell you stuff rather than a diet aiming to improve one's overall health. (FYI, Kraft Foods manufactures the South Beach Diet packaged foods.)

Another important shortcoming of this diet is that the ultimate goal appears to be getting you to a point where you "can enjoy any food in moderation." First, moderation is vague and does not work. A little bacon for breakfast. Soda for mid-morning. A little cheese and butter on your baked potato at lunch. A cookie for the afternoon. A little steak for dinner. You cannot look at each meal in moderation. You have to look at the entirety of what you eat. A little of some bad things adds up to a lot of bad things. Second, this diet seems to be designed to fail. It seems that following this diet will only result in short-term weight-loss, because if (read: when) you gain weight again, just go back and start with Phase 1 again. I don't know about you, but I would like to eat a diet that doesn't result in my weight yo-yo-ing all over the place.

Also alarming is the fact that Agatston recommends cholesterol-lowering medication. If his diet were successful at reversing heart disease as he intended it, medication would not be required. The fact that he himself is not a picture of health is very alarming and should send you running in the other direction if considering this diet.

Fun Facts about Statin Drugs

Only 1.6% of people avoid a heart-attack and only 2.6%
of people avoid a repeat heart-attack taking statin drugs.

10% of statin patients receive muscle damage

Eating a healthy diet can reduce cholesterol as much

or more than statins in one week (up to 80mg/dl)

As you might have guessed, I strongly disagree with several of the food categories all together. High amounts of animal products, like meat and dairy, leads to the over consumption of animal protein, which leads to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, poor bone health, high cholesterol, and obesity.

I also think it's backwards to focus on the glycemic impact of foods. Take the white potato for example. The potato is a wonderful, healthful food. It's a complete food (contains basic nutrient requirements). One potato has 170 calories, 0 g fat, 25 mg sodium, 37 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 2 g sugar, and 5 g protein. It also contains vitamin C, iron, and calcium. That is a wonderful nutrient profile. All of the carbs are great for giving you energy. Where you get into trouble with this food is that you typically encounter it hidden beneath butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits...or just plain fried up and salted. But the potato itself is a very healthy food. Omitting it is absurd. Foods that pose a real threat to diabetics are high-fat, high-protein foods...exactly like the ones promoted in the South Beach and similar diets.

This is definitely a high-fat diet, because they specifically and foolishly think there are such things as "good fats." All oils, yes, even olive oil, are 100% fat (remember from Part 1: What About the Standard American Diet? that 2 Tbsp of olive oil per day adds 24 lbs of body fat per year). There are no nutrients from oils. All oils will do is add empty calories, making it that much more difficult to lose weight and maintain your weight. They are completely unnecessary. Plant-foods that are higher in fat, like nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, and nut butters are nutrient-rich foods that have a higher fat content. These foods are good for you, but can make it difficult to lose or maintain weight if consumed too often.

Bottom Line:
This very vague diet falls short in promoting one's health. It seems to be more of a food manufacturing company's efforts to sell products than a health-promoting entity. High-fat, high-protein, low-carb, and low-fiber diets are one of the worst choices for improving one's health.

Next -- Part 4: What About the Nutrisystem Diet? 
Previous - Part 2: What About the Atkins Diet?
Introduction to the 10-Part Series

Part 2: What About the Atkins Diet?

The Atkins diet was founded in 1963 by Dr. Robert Atkins. There is a huge controversy over this man's lifestyle and associated dietary recommendations. But it remains one of the most popular and widely known diets in the U.S. Atkins himself became overweight and sought a solution to be healthier. He followed the recommendations of a study by Alfred Pennington to remove all starches and sugars from the diet and increase fat and protein consumption. The Atkins diet became very popular in the late 60s and lasts to this day. This is evidenced by looking at food packages in the present time -- you often see "low-carb" as an advertising message. The controversy is that Atkins himself suffered a heart attack in 2002. He claimed that his heart attack was not the result of eating a high-fat, high-protein diet, but was instead the result of a virus. (I'm sorry, but really? Really? A virus?! As Ms. Kay would say...Oh paaalease!) Somehow, Atkins got his doctors to confirm this by saying that Atkins' diet and his cardiomyopathy (heart disease) were unrelated. He died a year later (April 2003) at age 72 after he slipped on some ice and had a severe head trauma. After his death, the popularity of the Atkins diet decreased some, such that the company filed for bankruptcy in 2005. In 2007, the company was bought out and marketed low-carb snack foods. In 2010, it was bought out again by a different company.



Summary of Diet Recommendations:
The diet itself has changed over time in its recommendations. Initially, Atkins recommended freely consuming all meats, dairy, and fats, but to eliminate carbs and sugars, and limit fruits and vegetables. After his death, the company recommended limiting the amount of red meat and saturated fat that you consume, but did not give specifics about how much is okay. The pyramid above is from the current Atkins company. But the main point to make is that the Atkins diet is a low-carb, high-protein, high-fat diet.

What's Good?
Short Answer: Nothing! (Except for those seeking to fulfill the Dr. John McDougall adage "People love to hear good news about their bad habits.")

Longer Answer: The only good thing I can identify is that the current (pictured above) Atkins diet recommends vegetables as the second most important food group, and that they recommend fruit too. They also do not recommend consuming added sugar or trans fats.

What's Bad?
The original Atkins diet (freely eat all meat, dairy, and fat) is extremely misguided and will most certainly lead to poor health, as evidenced by the creator himself. I do not believe for one second that Atkins' heart disease was completely unrelated to his diet. In my opinion, if you are pushing a "healthy diet" to the general public, then you should be the picture of good health yourself. He clearly was not. There have been several examples of individuals following the Atkins diet who ended up being hospitalized for something major going wrong (visit the website linked below).

All the Atkins diet versions are virtually the opposite of what I recommend. By removing whole grains and starches (the main source of good carbohydrates that your body needs for energy), and replacing those foods with high amounts of animal protein, you are asking for trouble. Sure, people may start off losing weight due to the fewer calories consumed by eliminating whole grains and the body is forced to convert protein and fat into energy, but calorie-restriction does not work in the long run and is an unnecessary burden for the consumer. I used to count calories. It's a pain. I was miserable. It doesn't work. I didn't lose weight and keep the weight off.

I would much rather eat healthy, fiber-rich foods to my stomach's content and lose weight (and keep it off) than hassle with counting calories. Several studies have shown that the people following this diet do not end up keeping the weight off in the long-term. You see, "good carbs" are high in fiber, which is what fills you up. By eliminating this food group entirely, you are primarily consuming zero-fiber foods, which cause you to consume more than you would with a high-fiber diet.

Fun Facts about Fiber

Fiber is only found in plant foods!

High-fiber foods fill the stomach and produce a sense of fullness

Soluble fiber lowers cholesterol

Insoluble fiber regulates bowel movements

Animal products contain ZERO fiber!

(that includes meat, fish, eggs, milk, and cheese)

Moving on from weight-loss...Even if you were to follow this diet in the long-term, it would not be healthy for you to do so. High-fat, high-protein diets promote heart disease, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer.

Plus, I repeat again that consuming high amounts of protein puts strain on your liver and kidneys. Humans do not need more protein than 5% of daily caloric intake. Animal sources of protein are the worst way to obtain protein too, because of the high-fat content, cholesterol, and the acid load it puts on the human body (which leads to poor bone health because your body leeches calcium from your OWN bones to neutralize the pH).

If you are interested in reading more details about scientifically-based studies that show the dangers of eating a low-carb, high-protein diet, please visit Atkins Diet Alert.

Bottom Line:
What average American doesn't want to hear that you can eat all the steak and butter you want and lose weight? The problem is that this is simply not the truth. A healthy, plant-based diet that is rich in complex carbohydrates, fiber, and nutrients will lead to optimal health and weight. Low-carb, high-protein diets will only lead to poor health and short-term, temporary weight-loss.

Next -- Part 3: What About the South Beach Diet? 
Previous -- Part 1: What About the Standard American Diet?
Introduction to the 10-Part Series

Part 1: What About the Standard American Diet?

The Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) or Westernized Diet has changed throughout the years. To be as relevant as possible, I will only speak on the present-day S.A.D. that is governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (Although, I may post in the future about how much the USDA guidelines have changed over the years!)

In 2011, the USDA developed a tool to help educate the American public on daily food recommendations: MyPlate. Below is a diagram of the daily food plan for an adult (18 years and older) eating 2,000 calories per day (this amount was chosen because it is the same number of calories per day that nutrition labels report percentages of daily value on).



Summary of Diet Recommendations:
The USDA recommends 6 oz (3/4 cup) of grains per day, with the aim of getting at least 3 oz (3/8 cup) from whole grains. They also recommend 2 1/2 and 2 cups of vegetables and fruit, respectively, and request that the fruit group come mainly from food rather than juices. They recommend 3 cups of dairy per day, especially fat-free or low-fat varieties. For the protein group, they recommend 5.5 oz (almost 3/4 cup) per day, and encourage seafood twice a week, a variety of protein sources including plant sources, and to keep meat and poultry portions small and lean. They also recommend no more than 6 tsp (2 Tbsp) of oil per day, no more than 260 calories per day from solid fats and added sugars, and intake less than 2300 mg of sodium per day. Finally, they recommend getting at least 2.5 hours of physical activity per week.

What's Good?
I'm happy they recommend whole grains, vegetables and fruit. I'm also pleased to see that they include plant-based sources of protein in the Protein group, like beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. (Note that many vegetables and fruits also provide ample amounts of protein.) I like that they recommend limiting the consumption of oil to just 2 Tbsp a day, though I would love it if they recommended NO oil because it's really not a healthy food - oil is 100% fat with zero nutritional content (empty calories as they say).

Fun Fact about Olive Oil

Eating 2 Tbsp of olive oil per day

produces 24 lbs of body fat per year!

I absolutely love how they say, "vary your veggies." This is something that every person should strive for, including myself.

What's Bad?
My first observation? Of all the food groups, dairy is recommended in the largest quantity. In other words, if these daily recommendations were by percentage, it would look like this:

Grains - 8%
Vegetables - 28%
Fruits - 22%
Dairy - 34%
Protein - 8%

As I have previously written about, dairy is a very poor source of calcium because dairy contains very concentrated amounts of animal protein (because animal's milk is meant for the growing baby animal). And what does the consumption of animal protein do to the human body? It increases the acid load on the body, which your body then leeches calcium from your OWN bones in an attempt to neutralize the situation. The result in your body is weakened bone health and an increased likelihood of developing osteoporosis.

The USDA is also recommending much more protein per day than what is actually needed. The World Health Organization recommends that protein comprise 5% of your daily caloric intake. Based on a 2,000 calorie per day example week's menu plan, you can see that the USDA is recommending that protein comprise 20% of your daily caloric intake, most of which comes from animal food sources (meat and dairy). Much more than needed. The over consumption of protein (extremely likely to happen if you consume lots of dairy and meat) can cause several other health conditions, such as cancer and heart disease.

I also find it hazardous that they only recommend 2.5 hours of [moderate] physical activity per week. I placed moderate in brackets because the USDA differentiates between moderate and vigorous physical activity, but the 2.5 hour recommendation is for moderate exercise. If you were to engage in vigorous physical activity, you only need to exercise for about 1.25 hours per week, according to the USDA.

By their definition, brisk walking and general gardening count toward the moderate physical activity requirement. Yes, these activities are better than sitting on the couch all day and night, but 2.5 hours a week of walking is not going to do much good if that's as intense as you get. Most people don't even get 2.5 hours of actual exercise (and by exercise, I mean working out and maintaining your target heart rate -- you know you're in it when you're just out of breath and not desiring to carry on a conversation anymore). I would love to see the USDA recommend at least 5 hours per week of exercise within your target heart rate. It doesn't mean people would follow that recommendation, but what good is a health recommendation if it doesn't lead to improved health?

Bottom Line:
The S.A.D. seems to be written to please everybody: the American-gluttonous palate, the dairy and livestock farmers they advocate for, and the fad dieters. It's pretty vague, has a mixture of units (cups vs. ounces - not so easy to apply in life), and off base in its daily recommendations. It's pretty SAD indeed that a diet plan intended for everyone in America is not healthy for anyone in America.

Next -- Part 2: What About the Atkins Diet?
Introduction for the 10-Part Series

Introducing a New 10-Part Series: What About the ___ Diet?

Over the next 10 weeks, I will focus on one popular diet and explain what the diet entails and recommends. I will then explain why following each of those diets will not improve one's health in the long-run. 

Here is a preview of the 10 different diets I will discuss in the coming weeks:

1. Standard American Diet (S.A.D.)
2. Atkins
3. South Beach
4. Nutrisystem
5. Weight Watchers
6. Vegetarian
7. Vegan
8. Raw Foods
9. Mediterranean
10. Paleo

So What CAN You Eat, Round 2

I'm not only back from Alaska, but I'm back to show you several more yummy and healthy meals that we have had the pleasure of eating. Several of these dishes were created on the fly with ingredients we had on hand - I think all the Masterchef episodes we've been watching have inspired us to be more chef-like at home. :)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Hemp Cups from Vegeria


Veggie Tacos from Vegeria


Chocolate Pecan Pie with Chocolate Banana "Ice Cream"


Homemade Strawberry Sorbet


Vegetable Spaghetti from Taverna


Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (smothered with peanut butter...yeah, that's right)


Vegetable Pasta with Homemade Whole Grain Gluten-free Bread and Strawberry Preserves


Our copy-cat version of Wild Ginger's Squash and Sweet Potato Soup


Mexican Casserole

So What CAN You Eat??

One of the frequent questions we are asked when we tell people that we do not eat dairy, meat, oils, gluten (for Michael), or enriched foods is "So what CAN you eat?!"

I understand where you're coming from...it's a perfectly natural response, and one that I too would have given before we changed our diet and lifestyle.

But being on the "other side," we can't help but chuckle every time someone asks us this question that implies that we are depriving ourselves of so many delicious foods. Why do we chuckle? Because we STILL get to eat a bunch of delicious food! It's just lacking some common and widely accepted ingredients. But with the help of some cook books and creativity, we regularly find ourselves eating delicious, filling, and healthy meals every day.

I thought it would be fun to occasionally post pictures of the dishes we eat, so that you all can see for yourselves that it's really not so bad and that we're not deprived of the pleasure of good tasting food. We previously posted some of our favorite recipes, but these new posts will just be photos with descriptions. Each time I post new pictures, I'll label the post "So What CAN You Eat". But really you should be asking "So What Can YOU Eat?"

Homemade Cinnamon Vanilla "Ice Cream," with crumbled homemade granola on top


Vegetable Medley with Angel Hair Pasta and Creamy Sauce


Vegetable Stir-fry with Quinoa


Cabbage Millet Pilaf, Ethiopian Wild Rice Pilaf, and Steamed Vegetables


Banana Pancakes


Stacked Vegetable Enchiladas with Poblano Corn Brown Rice (rice not pictured)


Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potato "Fries" and Steamed Vegetables

Stewardship, Part 4: Body

Today we will discuss how to be good stewards of our physical bodies. If you are a believer in Christ, then you are already familiar with the infinite amount of love that God has for you. If you just want a refresher, I love this passage that describes God's love and care for us:

Psalm 139:13-16
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

God advises many times in Scripture directly, through prophets, and through His apostles that we are stewards of our bodies and are called to care for them properly. He made hygienic laws to help His people be sanitary, instructed the people how to prepare and eat food, and how to clean up afterwards.

It is clear from Scripture that we are called to honor God, and one of the (many) ways we are called to do that is by honoring our physical bodies and maintaining a certain level of self control over it.

Romans 12:1
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, "The two shall become one flesh." 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

The key idea here is that of stewardship, responsibility, and control. In other words, we have a certain amount of control over our physical bodies, and then there are some things pertaining to our bodies that are out of our control. Being so close to my heart, infertility is a wonderful example of this idea. No matter how "perfectly" I control the process of trying to conceive, there are factors that are simply out of my control. God and only God create life in a woman's womb.

Similarly, there are health factors that are within your control, as well as factors that are outside of your control. You could eat the most perfectly optimal diet and routinely exercise, and still one day find yourself stricken with a disease. But my point is that most people assume that more health conditions are outside of their control than what is actually the case.

Have you heard of your biological age versus your chronological age? If not, your chronological age cannot be changed, unless you have invented a time machine. If that's the case, could you please go back and tell my younger self how to dress fashionably instead of like this:

Your chronological age is literally how many years you've been alive. But your biological age is how old your physical body looks and behaves. It's the difference between these two individuals:

This - your typical looking 71 year old...who just won $10,000 for downloading iTunes' 10 billionth song (Source)

And this - Jack LaLanne, aged 71 in this picture (Source)

Or how about this 91-year-old who ran the Knoxville Half Marathon in just over 3 hours.

I believe that part of being a good steward of your physical body is pursuing health in the ways that you have control over. It's important of course to keep things in the proper perspective: our top commandments are to love the Lord and your neighbor. And God does not want you to be so obsessed about your physical body that you enter the realm of vanity, pride, and idolatry. But let's get one thing straight: allowing yourself to balloon up over your lifetime because you don't place any kind of priority on eating well and exercising is a different kind of idolatry (i.e., food). The standard American diet places an excessive demand for high-fat, highly processed foods. I believe the standard American diet is gluttonous, and I do not think that gluttony is supported by Scripture. (Did you know that type II diabetes used to be called "adult-onset" diabetes, but because children are starting to develop it, they had to generalize it a bit more?)

Proverbs 23:20-21
20 Do not be with heavy drinkers of wine,
Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;
21 For the heavy drinker and the glutton will come to poverty,
And drowsiness will clothe one with rags.

Proverbs 25:16, 27
16 Have you found honey? Eat only what you need,
That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

27 It is not good to eat much honey,
Nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.

Philippians 3:17-19
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

Hebrews 12:15-16
15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.

1 Samuel 16:7
for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart


So please understand that there are two extremes: being vain and letting yourself go. There is a balance in the middle. Some of you may point to 1 Timothy 4:8 that says "for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" and claim this as an excuse to avoid pursuing physical health. I would argue that it is godly to pursue physical health, along with all of the other ways of pursuing godliness like prayer, worship, service, etc. Pursuing physical health is a form of spiritual discipline. It is practicing the fruit of the Spirit, self-control. It is honoring the temple God has given you. Furthermore, being in good physical health allows a person to have more energy, stamina, and mental clarity to pursue the Lord than having mediocre or poor health. You're more likely to live longer - which means more time on this planet to glorify God - if you take proper care of your physical body.

Hebrews 6:11-12
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

Heck, read Proverbs 31 and then ask yourself whether this godly wife worked hard at disciplining her physical body. She makes her arms strong, is physically active, and is not fatigued. 


So How Healthy Are We Really?
The standard American is not healthy. Cancer, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are all on the rise. But that may be obvious. What about you in particular? If you are like I used to be, you may think that as long as you're free of those serious health conditions, then you're a fairly healthy individual. But let me ask you some questions...

Matthew 9:12; Mark 2:17
"It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick."

• Do you suffer from any sort of seasonal allergy?
• Have you experienced symptoms of irritable-bowel or other digestive disorders like diverticulitis or ulcerative colitis?
• Do you have arthritis? Joint pain?
• Have you ever had asthma?
• Have you ever had eczema, keratosis pilaris, or psoriasis?
• Do you frequently experience heartburn or acid reflux?
• Frequent headaches or migraines?
• Do you experience PMS, hormonal imbalances, or have you been diagnosed with infertility?
• Have you (or your child) experienced frequent ear, sinus, or other infections?
• Have you ever struggled with acne?
• Do you feel tired all the time? Chronic or frequent fatigue?

I seriously could go on and on with this list of questions. I hope you are catching on to where I'm headed. Do you still consider yourself healthy after reading that list? All of the above ailments can be reduced, relieved, or eliminated through adopting a better diet and regular exercise.

So when it comes to your body, what you fuel it with and how you treat it can make a huge impact on your overall health. And within the context of Scripture, I'm fully confident that God desires each of His children to take care of the bodies He's blessed us with. I believe that prioritizing your physical health in all the ways you have control over is a godly response and a way of expressing gratitude for His gift of life in you, and it opens yourself up to be even more available to serve the Lord.

It's time to ask yourself and God how you can be a better steward of His creation.