"Give us this day..." Part 2

     After reading up on the benefits of daily bread, I think I could have titled this blog "Foods that Heal : Bread".  I am finding some interesting (and convicting!) information!  Psalm 104 is praising the acts of our Creator in taking special care of His creation, and in verses 14 and 15, it mentions the many things that God has given to take care of our needs: "He causeth grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart."  Wow, did you know that daily bread will strengthen your heart?  It says it right there in the Scripture!
    The premise of the last discussion on bread emphasized the fact that bread is something that should be worked for.  Even praying for your "daily bread" really means that you are praying for work!  In working for our daily bread we are made more grateful for the abilities that God has given us to work for what we need.  How different our society would be if people realized the gratification that comes from a hard day's work and the rewards that come from laboring for your needs. 
       The emphasis of this blog is primarily on the health benefits of eating fresh, made-daily bread.  If we were to go back in history and study the progression of bread making throughout time, we would see an interesting path.  God originally designed grain as one of the most complete foods, and the balance within the grain is vital for the health of those who eat it.  When the whole grain is ground into flour and baked, it brings about the results that God intended it to. However, when one part of the grain is left out, the balance is destroyed and the benefits are wasted.  We find throughout history the desire to eliminate the "healthy look" of  whole grain flour.  Man has succeeded in eliminating the dark color, and continues to seek ways of making a softer, whiter bread.  Did you know that even the ancient Egyptians succeeded in producing a whiter, softer bread?  Even the Romans were onto this scheme.  They found a process to condition the grain with salt water to make it more refined.  It was in Rome that the color of one's bread took on a cultural significance.  Refined flour was reserved for only the wealthiest people.  You could tell one's social status by the color of their bread!  The drive for whiter bread came to head in Rome, when the government initiated a program of milling the grain for people.  In their pursuit of ever whiter bread, they even added chalk and alum to the flour, which caused many health disorders.  When the demand became so great, the government was soon providing flour to every household, taking away the need for working for the bread!  Sound familiar? Since then, wheat flour has been bleached to achieve the white effect.  For years, grain mills used nitrogen trichloride, but this chemical was banned by the FDA several years ago.  Now, flour is bleached with chlorine dioxide (approved by the FDA), which is an even more potent bleaching agent
     Whole grain spoils and becomes moldy in a very short time.  This caused problems for those who were trying to store bread and sell it to the masses.  By taking away the germ of the wheat, which contains the oil, and the outer covering, which contains the fiber, the wheat flour can be stored for much longer periods of time.  This process removes about 25 vital vitamins and minerals and the proteins.  Vitamins and minerals work together in your body to help your body use them. When one is taken away, the remaining vitamins are useless.  The germ of the wheat is a rich source of Vitamin E.   Studies have shown that a diet that lacks Vitamin E can lead to heart disease.  Hmmm, so real bread does strengthen man's heart!
      Because grain begins to deteriorate immediately after the grain is cracked, then fresh ground flour is the best choice for daily bread.  God instructed us to pray for daily bread, not weekly or monthly.  If you were to place a piece of store bought bread on the counter in a plastic bag and also place a piece of homemade bread in a similar bag and watch them for a few days, which one do you think would get moldy sooner?  The homemade bread, of course.  The absence of preservatives and the presence of the whole grain will make it go rancid much sooner.  It is the best choice for your daily intake of bread.
     So, as a result of this reading, I am currently praying for a grain mill.  I purchase whole wheat flour to make my bread, but even that is not the best.  Grinding the wheat and using it immediately is the best choice for daily bread. Yes, it is more work, but in the end the benefits will far outweigh the work put out to make it.  After all, that was God's intention in the first place. "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread....' Genesis 3:19
*More to come on the health benefits of daily bread...........

"Give us this day......"

    

      I have been doing more reading lately on the benefits of homemade, real bread.  I found an interesting article that was rather lengthy, but gave a lot of sound advice.  So, the next few blogs will be based on this.

     When contemplating any issue, we should always start at the Source of all Life.  I was amazed to look in my Strong's concordance and see the word "bread" mentioned hundreds of times in Scripture.  We often picture God as a big vending machine, handing things out when we pray for them.  When we pray "Give us this day our daily bread,..", without even realizing it, we are asking for so much more than just a loaf of bread to be handed to us.  The Lord made that very clear in His Word, and we need to understand His meaning of this passage.

     Those who are scholars in the area of the study of Scripture and the proper interpretation of it have a special way of finding the importance and meaning of a certain topic.  It is referred to as the law of first mention.  The first time that a word/topic is mentioned in Scripture often gives valuable insight into how God wants us to understand and apply that topic. Even in the simple area of our daily sustenance.  The first time that the word bread is mentioned in Scripture is found in the book of all firsts, Genesis.  As Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden of Eden, God is telling them the consequences of their sin.  "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 3:17-19    
     The last time that bread is mentioned in scripture is also significant.  In II Thessalonians 3:11-13 Paul is exhorting the believers and tells them "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all but are busybodies.  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread."   Isn't it interesting that the word "work" is in the same phrase as "bread" in both passages?  It is obvious from these passages that bread is not to be received without labor.  When we pray for our daily bread, we are really praying for the work that should accompany that!
     Think about Jesus, after He fasted for 40 days and was tempted of the Devil.  Remember how Satan told Him to turn the stones into bread?  Jesus knew that the act of making bread in that way would go against the basic laws that God had laid down at the beginning for bread!  Think of the children of Israel in the wilderness.  Even the manna from heaven required work before it could be eaten.  God equates daily bread with work so that we will appreciate and thank Him for the abilities that He has given us to acquire it.
      When you give thanks for your food, think of all the work that went into it.  Not just the "hands that prepared" the meal, but what about the one who brought in the paycheck so you could buy it?  What about the laborers who picked the grain, or the trucker who drove it to the store?  Did you put a lot of work into your bread today?  True daily bread should be made and eaten on the same day. How long has that loaf from the store been on the shelf?  True satisfaction of any food comes with the amount of work put into it.  Which would taste better to you, a frozen factory-made lasagna or a homemade one made with home grown tomatoes, hand rolled noodles, fresh from the farm mozzarella and farm raised beef?  My mouth is watering just thinking of that second one!  Our society is suffering from the lack of satisfaction that comes from working for what we consume. 
     So, how hard did you work for that loaf of bread today?  Try putting some elbow grease into a ball of dough and then bake it and enjoy the satisfaction of a hard earned loaf of bread!

*Just had a thought, it seems unusual to me that the word we use to describe sitting around doing nothing is "loaf".  Hmm, wonder where that came from?  I'll have to research that one!

    

Breakfast

   

      Yes, moms all across the ages have been saying it for years: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  And they are right.  Let's take a look at the first meal of the day.
     First of all, the very name can teach us a lot.  Breakfast comes from "break the fast".  You have been ( or should have been) sleeping all night.  Your body has been on a fast (unless you are a midnight snacker!).  Your metabolism has slowed down significantly.  When you get up, your body is hungry and needs some nourishment.  Breakfast is the fuel that your body needs to get going and make it through the day.  It awakens your brain as well!  Breakfast helps to curb your hunger and keeps you from binge eating throughout the day.  It has been proven that kids do better in school when they have eaten a good breakfast. 
     The key word in the above paragraph is "good".  Let's investigate some of the common breakfast foods that we often eat.  Walk down your local grocery store's cereal aisle and you are overwhelmed with colors and kinds and flavors.  Have you ever noticed that the junkiest cereals are the cheapest?  As a health conscious and budget conscious shopper, that fact alone drives me nuts.  Why are the cereals that go through the most processing and have the most ingredients in them and are advertised the most have the lowest price?  Supply and demand  my dear, supply and demand.  There is more demand for the colorful, sugar infested foods and so the ones that are the healthiest cost the most.  Argh.  And then there are the pop tarts.  These have become staple in the American diet.  A dry chunk of goo and cardboard, supposedly loaded with 11 essential vitamins and minerals, that you just pop into your toaster and you are ready to go!?!?  Sugar has become the staple ingredient of breakfast foods.  We all think sweet when we want breakfast.  Yet, sugar is the worst thing you can put in a body that has been fasting.

     Do you know how to read sugar content in foods?  It's pretty easy.  Look at the nutrition facts on a package.  Near the bottom you will see "sugars" and an amount in grams.  Divide that number by 5 and that will tell you how many teaspoons of sugar are in one serving of that particular item.  Notice the following picture:

     19 grams of sugar calculates to about 4 teaspoons of sugar.  Have you guessed what these "nutrition" facts are for??  Yes, pop tarts.  My husband is addicted.  I can tell my kids what to eat, but I can't tell him!  So, for each  pastry, there are 4 teaspoons of sugar.  Of course, Kellogg's puts them 2 in a package so you think that 2 is a serving.  So in reality you are getting more like 10 teaspoons of sugar!!  Wow.  Pay attention next time you buy something to the serving size on a common food you eat.  Usually they give a small portion size so the nutrition facts look better.  Deceptive!
     Eating sugar for breakfast makes you feel energetic at first and then drops your energy level quickly.  Sugar is one of the foods that digests the fastest, so you feel its effects quickly and then feel empty sooner.    A better choice for breakfast foods would be to choose something with more protein that takes longer to digest and stays with you longer. You will feel fuller longer, you won't get that sinking feeling at 10 a.m. and go looking for more sugar to fill you up.  Did you know that white, processed flour and corn and rice also turn to sugar in your system?  Isn't interesting that most popular cereals are  made of these ingredients.   If you must eat something sweet, balance it with an egg or bacon or some REAL whole grain bread.
     Eggs are a perfect breakfast food.  They are full of super protein.  When I eat eggs for breakfast I don't feel hungry again until lunch time.  I fact, I have read of a diet that consists of eating 30 grams of protein for breakfast (about 6 eggs!!), and starting your day full and giving you the boost of energy and fuel that you need.   Many people would lose weight quickly if they followed this plan.
     One of the complaints about breakfast is that you don't feel hungry at that time of the day.  Yes, stress about your day can complicate the feeling of needing food.  You also can stifle the hunger pangs after a certain length of fasting.  Find something you do like.  Change the breakfast menu and eat meat and potatoes, or soup, or a sandwich for breakfast!
     One of my favorite breakfast recipes is the following pancake recipe.  Yes, is has some sugar in it, but the balance comes from the whole wheat, oil and eggs.  No, I don't get up at 5 a.m. to make these. I make them during the day and freeze them (Eggo had the right idea!) and then just pop them in the toaster or microwave for a happy kid's breakfast.  My kids like maple syrup, apple butter, powdered sugar (slight amount! ) and even honey or just butter.  They are super easy to make and a very flexible recipe to shape to your family's needs.

Whole Grain Pancakes
 *Makes approx. a dozen medium sized pancakes.  I cook them in coconut oil  (or butter, or olive oil) on my griddle set at 300.

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (or milk, cream, canned milk, water, juice, yogurt...)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil (hint: use the same measuring spoon for the honey and it will slide right out!)
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour ( I often add half oat flour, or ground flax for added nutrition)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. baking powder

     Combine all ingredients.  If you like thin pancakes, add more liquid;  add more flour if you like thick pancakes.  Fry in oil or butter (coconut oil seems the best!).   Cool on a cooling rack if you are planning to freeze them.  I freeze them in bags of a dozen (yes, I triple the recipe).


     So, let me encourage you to start your day with a good foundation.  Nothing for breakfast is not good, but a junky breakfast is not good either.  Take the time to think about what you are ingesting and make choices that will help you get through your day feeling more energetic and better about yourself!

The Bread of Idleness

     I did a study in Proverbs 31 several years ago.  I came to verse 27 that states "She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness".  We all have read that verse before and thought that  Solomon's mother was drawing a picture to help get her point across: this woman is so industrious that she will not partake in idleness.  But, what if the writer literally meant a kind of bread?  I looked up "bread" in my concordance and each time it is used in the Old Testament it refers to literal bread!  So, what is the "bread of idleness"?
     Let's think about the times that this woman was living in.  They didn't have a local Walmart. Obviously most things were handmade in the home kitchen.  But, I can imagine the market place did have baked items for sale.  It would have been easy to let someone else take care of making the bread for  her household everyday. Those of you that make your own bread know that it is a time-consuming task. So, the "bread of idleness" is store-bought bread!!  The woman spoken of here in Proverbs 31 was so committed to giving her time to her family and was against anything that would take away from what is best for them, that she refused to even eat of that bread!! 
      Think about the foods that are available to us today.  We have become a nation of convenience!  Anything that advertises that it will save us time is a real temptation.  Store shelves are packed with foods that are ready to serve, or "just add water" or "heat and eat".  So, are we guilty of eating the food of idleness?
     Our next simple step to eating healthier is to make something homemade.   Ready-prepared foods contain so many preservatives and chemicals to keep them from spoiling, and often they have been so processed that most of the good nutrients are gone.  So, try something homemade.  There are hundreds of recipes out there for homemade salad dressings, seasonings, breads, sauces and condiments that are so much better than what you get off the shelf.   If you don't know how to cook something "real", ask someone who does. You most likely know an older lady who is a great cook and would be thrilled to teach you.  Learn the lost art of making pie crust (you will NEVER buy a premade one again!) or gravy.  Forget the dried potato flakes and surprise your family with real mashed potatoes. Ignore the cheap mac and cheese and try a homemade version.  If you feel brave, try some homemade bread.  Your family will never be the same!
     Here is one of my favorite homemade recipes that is so much better than the store-bought version.
Homemade Taco Seasoning:
 3 Tbsp. chili powder                2 Tbsp cumin                  2 Tbsp seasoning salt (Lawry's)
2 Tbsp. oregano                       1 Tbsp garlic powder      1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp. paprika                           2 tsp cayenne pepper      6 Tbsp cornmeal
Combine all and store in a jar in the refrigerator.  Use approximately 2 Tbsp per pound of hamburger. 
I  just sprinkle it over the top of my meat after it is browned, add a little water and let it simmer a few minutes.  It makes it great to adjust a recipe, too. If you like it spicy add more mix, etc.

P.S. I noticed in the concordance that Proverbs also mentions the "bread of wickedness".........hmmm.  'Might have to look into that one.
    

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!