Just as a man would want all the parts of his automobile to be in good working order to take him on a long journey, so are we to keep our bodies in a healthy condition, so that all parts of our living machinery can work harmoniously through many years. Health is the most precious of all temporal possessions and God has given us laws of nature – which are the laws of God – to promote our well-being and happiness, and to do fitful service for Him.
God knows what foods are best for us and in His original plan, grains, fruits and nuts constituted the diet chosen for us by Him. He said “I have given you every herb yielding seed,… and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.” After the curse of sin, man received permission to eat also the “herb of the field”, or vegetables.
How, what and when we eat are all of particular importance to God. One of the most terrible abuses of the stomach is eating irregularly and between meals because the stomach is a muscle organ that must have its regular periods for labor and rest. It is a habit for most people to eat a very sparing breakfast and a large dinner later in the evening, not to mention snacks in between. The very opposite would be the most beneficial to people’s health. Breakfast should be the heartiest meal of the day. It would not be logical to get into your automobile to start a long journey and fill it with fuel at the journey’s end - it needs to be serviced and “fed with fuel” at the beginning. Just so is this compared to the human body.
At breakfast time the stomach is in a better condition to digest more food than at the second or third meal of the day because it is literally breaking a fast – an overnight fast, hence “breakfast”. Various scientific studies show conclusively that eating an adequate breakfast better sustains the body to do more work during the entire day with less tiredness and more energy, less fatigue and better mental attainments. So make breakfast your heartiest meal, supplying at least 1/3 of the day’s calories and nutrients. This may be done by eating whole grain cereals, healthy waffles, and breads; soy or nut milk products, nuts or nut butters and delicious fresh or dried fruits.
A good way to eat grains is to cook them “whole” – that is, using the whole unadulterated grain.
Whole Grain Cereal
1 cup rinsed grain (combination of wheat, oats, millet, rye, barley, etc)
3 ½ cups water
salt to taste (approx ¼ tsp)
Place all ingredients in a crock pot in the evening and plug in.
Cook on low and cereal will be ready to eat at breakfast!
Here is a wonderful, full-proof recipe for healthy waffles:
Oat Waffles
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup walnuts
4 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
1 scant tsp salt
3 tbsp apple juice concentrate (or fruit juice)
Blend all ingredients well in a blender.
Preheat waffle iron and spray with cooking spray (if required).
When hot, you may sprinkle the grill with sesame seeds.
Pour in batter and sprinkle with more seeds.
Bake approximately 10 minutes (depending on your waffle iron.
The sesame seeds add a nice crunch as well as help the waffles release from the iron.
The apple juice will help them brown. Serve with fresh fruits or fruit sauce.
A hearty breakfast, taken early in the morning, can give you the energy for brain and muscle tissue required for the day. It will guard against the bad habit of snacking in between meals and will amply sustain mental and physical labor until the next meal, which should be at least five hours later. This will allow time for the stomach to perform its work completely and be in a condition to receive more food. Remember, the old adage “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a pauper, is the best advice for a healthy daily routine of eating. We are to be workers together with God for the restoration of health to the body as well as to the soul. “Whatsoever ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”.
by Connie Kiefiuk