Photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash (Colorful Salad)
Today we complete the discussion of the 15 helpful hints from the pure food chapter in Stormie Omartian’s book “Greater Health God’s Way”. Today’s hints 11-15. See below for the full list.
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SIMPLE FOOD CHOICES (Show Notes)
Helpful hints and tips: (Items discussed today are in bold text.)
- Always ask yourself, “Is this man-made or God-made?” and “How pure can I get this food?”
- The fewer items in a meal, the less you are tempted to overeat and the easier it is to digest.
- The more natural the food, the more healthful it is, and the harder it is for you to overeat.
- The less active your life or work, the less you need to eat.
- Space your eating to put five or six hours between each meal. A possible schedule could be: breakfast at 7 am, lunch at 12 pm, and dinner at 6/7 pm.
- Eliminate one or two foods from the foods-to-avoid list every week and add from the foods-to-include list.
- Don’t eat overcooked or processed foods.
- Eat foods ripe and in season.
- Drink water, herbal teas, and freshly squeezed juices.
- Don’t eat fried food.
- Eat simply and plainly.
- Don’t overeat.
- Chew well.
- Read labels.
- Fifty percent of every meal should consist of raw or properly cooked fruits and vegetables.
Foods to Include:
- Natural sweeteners such as honey, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup (or at least unrefined sugar) – used sparingly
- Foods sweetened with natural sweeteners
- Whole-grains/flours: oats, millet, buckwheat, brown rice, etc.
- Whole-grain products: such as pasta or bread
- Natural fruit juices, substitute sparkling water/drinks for sodas (or even fermented drinks)
- Natural nut butter made without added oils and unsalted is best
- Fresh and/or frozen fruits and vegetables
- Beans and legumes
- Fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, etc.
- Springwater, herbal teas, and freshly squeezed juices
Foods to Avoid:
- White and refined flours
- White and refined sugars
- Refined food products: cakes, candies, cookies, pies, cereals, fruits canned in sugar
- White rice and white pasta
- Soft drinks/sodas
- Highly salted foods: potato chips, nuts, pretzels, crackers, etc.
- Hydrogenated oils and saturated fats (such as margarine and those found in many fried chip products)
- Processed meats (and try to remove overeating meats if you are a meat-eater)
- Most processed foods
Adding more raw foods to your diet: Smoothies & Salads
Adding more properly cooked foods (that are not processed): Soups
“Greater Health God’s Way” by Stormie Omartian
Stormie’s book is a great overview of how to live in a healthful way. The last copy of the book was published in 1996, yet the information is still very relevant to today. She explains 7 steps to greater health: 1. Peaceful LIving 2. Pure Food 3. Proper Exercise 4. Plenty of Water 5. Prayer and Fasting 6. Periods of Fresh Air and Sunlight and 7. Perfect Rest.
We will definitely be discussing more areas of this book in addition to completing the 15 helpful hints/tips for making food choices in upcoming podcasts.
See Stormie Omartian’s Book Greater Health God’s Way: Seven Steps to Inner and Outer Beauty (on AMAZON).
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Shonda: Welcome to episode 23, making simple food choices. Part three of three. Today, we complete the discussion of the 15 helpful hints from the pure food chapter in stormy. Oh, Martin's book greater health. God's way. Today's hints are numbers 11 through 15.
[00:00:30]Shonda and Patryce: Hi, and hello. Welcome to the real food and drinks, lifestyle podcast. We're building a community to talk about nutrition, lifestyle choices, and just feeling better. This is Shonda and this is Patryce. Let's just be real.
[00:00:56] Here's our disclaimer. We do not professionally practice in any of the various subjects that we discuss. We are only sharing our personal experiences with you to a healthier lifestyle. Please do your own research before taking part in any of these practices.
[00:01:16] Shonda: So we're back to discuss part three, which is the final part of making simple food choices. And today we're going to be discussing items, ten through 15.
[00:01:28] Patryce: I'm excited about this list because like the ones we've already discussed, there are some additional good tips here, starting with number 11, eat simply and plainly. Shonda you can comment on that. I'm sure.
[00:01:43] Shonda: Okay. So we were discussing this earlier and I have a lot of other things to do and preparing food is not on my agenda at that moment. I mean, even sometimes. I have to make a meal out of fruit, nuts and some water. No, I mean, really it can be that simple or a meal without the sauce., But you were talking about brag seasoning?
[00:02:08] I mean, something like that. I still consider that simple, you know, if I were having rice and beans and I wanted to put a little brags on it, I mean, I think that's still a simple food choice ... beans and rice.
[00:02:19]Patryce: I hear you. Okay. Well, and also just to piggyback off of what you're saying, I think it goes back to do we live to eat or do we eat to live?
[00:02:34] And as simple as that may sound, I definitely can attest to being more in the camp of. Living to eat especially in my twenties and, and just, just having such a, just liking the taste of food and liking to eat. And not that I don't like to taste food now or eat food now. I do see though, that it's more important to eat to live. My meals not the be-all end-all and you know, I have to have it just so and all this it's, it's, it's more of a mindset now for me, and I think it's been more that way for you for a long time to eat, to live versus to live, to eat.
[00:03:18]Shonda: Yeah. And I think that it's, it was easier for me, of course, because I had the reactions immediately after eating, I would know did that food do anything for me or does it make me feel horrible? So having a simple food especially during those earlier times, allowed me to know what was working for me and what was not working for me.
[00:03:41] So that's one benefit of eating simply and plainly. Is this food good for you? Is it giving you energy? Or is it taking away from you and pulling energy away from you?
[00:03:55] Patryce: So true being intentional about what we're eating and also just to observe how we feel after we eat. I think that's a great point, great point that you brought up.
[00:04:06]But I don't know if this is going into too many details or just going on a rabbit rabbit trail, but my husband and I . We were just looking at commercials the other day and the commercials definitely are not advocating eating simply and plainly when you see not only pizza commercials like usual, but now it's not only cheese on top of the pizzait's in the crust. Right?
[00:04:35] All these other things that just seem a little over the top. Yeah. So anyway, I don't know how much that plays into our selection of food, but I wonder how much people are impacted by advertising.
[00:04:51] Shonda: Yeah. I think when we aim to eat simply and plainly it's more like it's more on purpose.
[00:04:58]Patryce: Intentional, purposeful. That's right. That's good point. Okay. What's the next one?
[00:05:05] Shonda: The next one number 12 is never overeat. So yeah, I mean, do we know when we're overeating?
[00:05:15] I mean, I do personally. I think everyone has the same result, right? When you overeat there's a little ache in the tummy, or feeling tired again, the food is overwhelming. I don't know?. What do you think ? Or time for a nap?
[00:05:34] Patryce: I think I am more sensitive to the fact that I'm overeating, whereas in the past, I either didn't realize it or flat out ignored it because I liked what I was eating and there was still more there, so I was able to just eat it. So yeah. That's an interesting question.
[00:05:52]Shonda: If we're not eating real food, we could be eating food that has chemicals in it that are drawing us to the food, you know, more so than we're being drawn to the nutrients and things that are provided in the foods.
[00:06:07] So. Yeah, commercially prepared foods could easily cause us to overeat.
[00:06:15] Patryce: Such a great point because I believe there have been studies about the french fries at some of the most popular, fast food joints and how they have such high sodium content on purpose so that people keep wanting more. And same with sugar.
[00:06:33] Hm, these types of additional sugar and, and fake sugar and artificial sugar they lend themselves to people becoming even borderline addicted, right?
[00:06:44] Shonda: Yeah. So go back to eating simply and plainly because sugar, fat and salt may cause you to over eat for sure.
[00:06:53] Patryce: Great points.
[00:06:56] Shonda: All right. Let's move on to number 13. And it says to chew well.
[00:07:03] Patryce: Wow. That's very important. And I, just feel like I'm a perfect example of before and after, because I'm still working on it, but I definitely did not chew well in the past. And I remember the kids even being in a track club. Where the coach during say a celebration and he would observe the kids eating and he would start explaining to them chew at least so many chews before you swallow.
[00:07:32] He was very adamant that we need to slow down when we're chewing so that we can process our food better, digest it better.
[00:07:42] Shonda: Wow. Yeah, I think you've mentioned him before. What a good coach. Yeah, I think so. I mean, there are times when I too, have maybe waited too long to eat and I finally get a plate of food and I just start eating without even pausing before eating.
[00:07:59] I mean, taking a pause is a good thing to remind ourselves, you know, the purpose of eating... to be thankful for eating. And then, I think if we slow down in that process, we will chew well. And it's important to chew well, because we can savor the food . So yeah, that's all, that's, that's a very good tip. Enjoy your food. And you can do so by chewing well.
[00:08:27] Patryce: I love how you said, enjoy your food. And you also mentioned the thankfulness. I think, as we're chewing and being more intentional to chew well, we are able to reflect on, you know, I am thankful for this food.
[00:08:41] I'm thankful for how it was provided and how it was sourced. There, there is a farmer somewhere helping to grow this food. Yeah.
[00:08:50] Shonda: And I'm thankful for the way it tastes and for the nutrients given to my body.
[00:08:55] Oh, okay. So here's number 14 is something that we stress too. Read labels.
[00:09:01] Patryce: Definitely definitely . We need to read the labels. That will lend itself to not over eating, because if you read some labels, you're like, oh, I can't eat much of that. And reading labels lends itself to eating more simply and plainly and yeah, reading labels is so important.
[00:09:21]Shonda: Yeah. Yeah. It's very important. And of course, Ideally, we want to eat foods that don't really have labels. We want to get most of our food out of the produce department. But let's say in the frozen food section, there's a package of vegetables.
[00:09:38] Are those vegetables plain? Or are they loaded with salt? And perhaps butter, other seasonings, hydrogenated oils? We have to go for the plain packages.
[00:09:52] Patryce: So true because you're right. The more we can just stick to the produce the better, but it's not a bad idea to get the frozen fruits, especially for your smoothie making, but make sure you're not getting, for example, the Acai packs. We like to add those to our smoothie. But there are different ones. There are some that are truly just the acai, but there are others that have Acai with additional sugars added. Where you want to be able to monitor your sugars by adding your own, like a banana or whatever it is. So again, the labels are, are key. Key to knowing what we are putting into our bodies.
[00:10:28] Shonda: Yeah, definitely. Even though we're going for plain fruit or plain vegetables, make sure they're plain read those labels because they can be deceiving.
[00:10:41] Patryce: Great tip.
[00:10:45] Shonda: Okay. So we've come to item number 15, which is 50% of every meal should consist of raw or properly cooked fruits and vegetables.
[00:10:59]Patryce: Wow. Wow. That's an easy one for those who are plant-based heaters or vegetarians, vegans. And but this is a great tip for you. If that's not the lifestyle you've chosen and you, you do incorporate meats and seafoods. Being intentional about 50% of that meal consisting of fruits and vegetables and even raw fruits and vegetables is something to remind ourselves of.,
[00:11:29] I think this is a great tip as well, and this can help people who are in the process of wanting to maybe go more plant based or wanting to become vegan.
[00:11:42] Shonda: Yeah for example, for breakfast, you know, you may have cooked oatmeal, but on the side you can have fruits, you can do a fruit smoothie . If you're going for the breakfast foods or just go for vegetables in the morning,. I like greens and polenta for breakfast. And just make sure that those are in 50/50 portions.
[00:12:04] Patryce: And I'm reminded of say, you're, you're still incorporating meat in your foods, but maybe you want to start with having at least one or two meals a day without meat at all. And so one substitute for breakfast, I've noticed in other countries it's very popular to have beans. Beans for breakfast. Yeah.
[00:12:27] Shonda: There's no reason why we shouldn't. So as we move on to a lunch or a dinner meal that can easily be done through the use of salad, either a side salad or making the entire meal your salad. Most of my salads do contain raw and cook foods. Cooked foods, such as a rice or quinoa added to the vegetables.
[00:12:54] And even some, some fruits such as raisins or slices of apple and things like that. And of course, we know that avocados are fruits and they make the show a good dressing. Yeah.
[00:13:07]Patryce: And the more I think about it, it's a great way to maybe transition to a different type of eating... different way of eating.
[00:13:16] Shonda: Yeah. I think these can be great guidelines. Great guidelines for healthy eating.
[00:13:28]Patryce: I do notice I that in Stormy's book here, she does end this particular chapter with God's way... a way of life. And so these 15 tips or hints that we've gone through the last three podcasts, it really does go back to God's way. Because God ultimately is the one who's provided all that we have to start with.
[00:13:59]Shonda: Be secure in what you know of the way God made food. And she says, don't jump on any food-fad bandwagon. There always be one. Mm.
[00:14:13] Just make sure we're eating basic simple foods and prepare them in simple ways. And she's not saying without flavor, but simply prepared. Natural seasoning, spices, herbs. Those all can be used to wake up a dish. Or wake up your taste buds.
[00:14:37] Patryce: You know, we've gone through these excellent tips, but we do not want to forget the importance of also minimizing stress because even if you're doing all these things, but you're living a highly stressed life constantly, perpetually. That's not going to be good.
[00:14:56]And we've talked about stress before. We're just saying these things are important, we also want to be mindful. Always trying to minimize our stress, be aware of our stress levels and we can ask God to help us with that.
[00:15:09]Just like he made the vegetables, he made all these things. He made it, I think so that we wouldn't be stressed out, but we do that to ourselves.
[00:15:16]I just hear more and more people you know, more and more opportunities to allow ourselves to get stressed. Maybe I'm speaking only from my own experience, but and yeah.
[00:15:26]Shonda: I'm glad that Patrice brought up this point about stress. We can do all of these 15 tips properly. Yet. If we are stressed, they just may not benefit us as well until we get stress under control. It just so happens that it was our first episode in which we discussed stress. So I invite you to go back and take a lesson.
[00:15:49] Also. We will definitely be revisiting this book by stormy sometime in the near future. And if you're looking for help in experiencing greater health, why not try God's way.
[00:16:02]Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy today's podcast. Remember you can catch show notes and additional details at RealFoodAndDrinks.com under the podcast menu.
[00:16:16] Also subscribe to our podcast if you aren't already a member of our community. And if listening through Anchor [Anchor.fm], please send us a message of topics you would like to hear us have conversations about. Until next time... let's just be real.
[00:16:41]
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