Butter is Better

     I read this today and had to share.  I avoid margarine as much as possible, mostly because I detest the flavor and texture.  I love using butter in all baking and it is perfect slathered on a warm piece of homemade bread.  Remember that balance is the key to healthy living. Yes, butter is fat, but it is good, God-made fat. Wouldn't you rather eat something that was present in the Garden of Eden and specifically made for consumption by mankind than to fill your body with oils and chemicals that taste terrible and have drastic effects on your health?  Read on:

     "Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money back.
It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings....

DO YOU KNOW.. The difference between margarine and butter?
Read on to the end...gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams; compared to5 grams for margarine.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few and only because they are added!
Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

And now, for Margarine..
Very High in Trans fatty acids.
Triples risk of coronary heart disease ...
Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)

Increases the risk of cancers up to five times..

Lowers quality of breast milk

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact... HERE IS THE PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING!

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC... and shares 27 ingredients with PAINT

These facts alone were enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

Open a tub of margarine and leave it open in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will notice a couple of things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no value ; nothing will grow on it. Even those teeny weeny micro-organisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Share This With Your Friends.....(If you want to butter them up')!"

     Yes, there are supposed "good" versions of margarine, but they are still fake versions of the real thing.  Remember, those of you that think that no-fat or low-fat is good, your brain is made of fat.  If your body does not consume enough fat, your brain will suffer.  Have you ever seen a fat alzheimers patient?  Brain scans of those who suffer from alzheimers show that the brain has literally disappeared or disintegrated.  Beware of what you eat.  Balance your life with a little bit of butter, your body and your brain (and your tastebuds) will thank you!

Our Daily Bread?

When Jesus prayed "Give us this day our daily bread", I'm pretty sure this wasn't what He had in mind.  I've often wondered why they named it "Wonder Bread".  Perhaps it's because "it's a wonder it can even be called bread" or "I wonder how they make it" or even, "It's a wonder people can even survive on this".
     When you go down the bread aisle in the grocery store, you are faced with a multitude of choices.  Maybe for those of you who are thrifty, it's not hard at all, just look for the cheapest price.  Or, you may be loyal to a certain brand or a particular flavor/texture.  Perhaps you peruse the ingredient list or the nutrition facts.  Whatever you do, there is always a choice.
     Bread is the main staple to everyday mealtime in most homes. Even in every country there is some form of bread that is the foundation of every meal.  Flour is made from many different grains or plants and formed into some kind of flour to make a loaf, or patty, or tortilla, or biscuit.  So, it is appropriate that Jesus included this in His prayer.
     My simple challenge to you who are desiring to make simple changes in your diet, is to look at the bread you are eating.  We will talk about homemade bread in the future, but today, just look at the ingredients on your loaf of bread.  If the list of ingredients is a mile long, then there are too many additives and preservatives in it. What is the expiration date on it?  How long does it sit on your counter before it goes bad?  Homemade bread only lasts a few days. How much fiber is listed on the nutrition facts?  A good loaf of bread will have at least 3 grams per slice.  Be wary when reading the nutrition facts. Often, it lists the serving size as 2 pieces, so the fiber would be less per slice.
     Now, look at the piece of bread itself.  What color is it? If it is white, then it's not the best thing for you.  The flour in it has been processed and bleached so much that it can't even be called wheat anymore. Remember this old adage "The whiter the bread, the sooner you're dead"!  You need the whole grain bread that includes the fiber from the wheat in order to keep you running smoothly and keeping healthy!  Just because a bread looks brown, does not mean that it is whole wheat.  They often add coloring to the dough to give it a "healthy" look!  So, the next time you buy bread, look for bread that looks natural, includes whole grains and has at least 3 grams of fiber per slice. It may cost a bit more, but in the long run it will be worth the extra time and money knowing that your family is healthier.
     A side note to my missionary friends, I would highly recommend finding out what the local people you minister to eat for bread.  I believe that God has given everything people need in a certain area for complete nutrition.  Now, if you are in the city, follow the guidelines above.  If you are in a tribal situation, seek help from the people.  Eat how they eat.  Ask them to teach you how to make their bread, and in turn you may have an opportunity to introduce them to the Bread of Life!
     We will discuss homemade bread in an upcoming blog, but for now, try something a little healthier!

The Raw Truth

Beginning a meal with something real, You won't believe how much better you feel!

We've all heard it before: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."  Some may scoff at this "old wive's" tale, but it holds a simple truth: raw fruits and veggies keep you healthy!  Our second simple step to improving your general health is to add something green or raw to every meal.  Now, when I say "raw", I mean fruit or veggies, not meat, or cookie dough, or anything undercooked.  This simple habit was instilled into me by my mom when I was very young.  Every sack lunch I ever took to school had an apple or carrot sticks in it.  But, why raw?  Aren't cooked vegetable just as healthy?  Let's look at the advantages of raw fruits and vegetables:

#1 Raw fruits and vegetables have digestive enzymes in them.  So, in other words, it's like they are already partially digested for you and they assist your stomach in digesting the other food you have consumed.  Anyone who suffers from regular stomach pain could help themselves by starting every meal with some raw apple or pineapple.

#2 They help build strong and healthy teeth.  Ever noticed pictures of tribal people in other countries?  They have never even heard of a tooth brush, let alone the thought of using one, yet they usually have beautiful white, straight teeth.  How does that happen?  Their main diet consists of natural, unprocessed foods that require more chewing and contain good nutrients for strong teeth and jaws.  As a child, I had extremely crooked teeth coming in after I lost my baby teeth, but I believe that all those apples in my lunches every day helped to realign my teeth and make them straight again-- without the aid of braces! As Ogden Nash so poignantly put it "Celery raw develops the jaw...".

#3  They help to keep you happy.  Seriously!  Leafy green vegetables contain a lot of b vitamins.  A lack of these essential vitamins can make you nervous, irritable and often depressed!  So, forget the Zoloft, just add some fresh spinach and romaine lettuce to your diet!

#4 They help keep you young looking.  Here's another crazy idea, forget Botox, just keep eating those leafy greens!  They are full of compounds that help prevent wear and tear on  your skin.  They help repair your cells as you get older.  Studies have shown that men and women who ate the most green leafy vegetables had the least wrinkles!

#5 Many, many other benefits: We all know that veggies contain plenty of fiber to keep things moving, lots of vitamin C to keep us from getting sick and lots of brain power to keep us smart!

So, try it today.  Just simply adding a small amount of raw fruits and vegetables to every meal, will make a big difference in how you feel!