Eat to Live! Don’t Live to Eat!

The older I get, the more difficult it becomes to maintain a healthy weight. It appears I’m not the only one! According to Healthline, more than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Overweight people are at higher risk of illness including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and many other diseases. No wonder the diet industry is so popular, US weight-loss market revenues totaled nearly $61 billion in 2010. There are many psychological reasons why people eat too much, but there is only one physical reason why we gain weight. A calorie is a measure of energy found in food products that run the body's engine. If we don’t use all the calories we consume we store them in fat. There are a few things every person can do to help themselves maintain healthy body weight. 1) Adopt an active lifestyle and 2) avoid rich foods loaded with calories.  The formula to lose weight is simple, eat fewer calories than you burn and your body metabolism will begin to feed off the stored fat. This lifestyle is a lot less expensive than fad diets and a lot more rewarding. If you are thinking I've tried that and it doesn’t work, then you haven’t really tried it because It’s a metabolic law! There is no magic in processed drinks or overpriced pills, the key ingredient in weight loss is desire.

Daniel was a young Jewish boy who believed God had an answer for every issue. Diet was not an exception. While being held captive in Babylon, Daniel faced a diet dilemma. The king wanted only the brightest, healthiest young captives to work in his government, so he issued an order. “Pick strong, healthy, good-looking lads,” he said; “those who have read widely in many fields, are well informed, alert and sensible, and have enough poise to look good around the palace. The king assigned them the best of food and wine from his own kitchen during their three-year training period, planning to make them his counselors when they graduated.”(Dan.1:4,5) The King's kitchen boasted of the finest cuisine found anywhere in the world. Daniel was very bright so he was selected to train in the King's palace but refused to eat the King’s unhealthy food. “But Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to him by the king.”(Dan. 1:8) The King’s assistant was upset at Daniel’s suggestion but agreed on a ten-day test to see if Daniel’s preferred diet worked better. “Daniel talked it over with the steward who was appointed by the superintendent to look after Daniel,  and suggested a ten-day diet of only vegetables and water;  then, at the end of this trial period the steward could see how he looked in comparison with the other fellows who ate the king’s rich food and decide whether or not to let him continue his diet.”(Dan. 1:11-13)  At the end of ten days, Daniel was the healthiest of all the young men considered. “The steward finally agreed to the test.  “Well, at the end of the ten days, Daniel looked healthier and better nourished than the youths who had been eating the food supplied by the king!  So after that, the steward fed them all only vegetables and water, without the rich foods and wines!”(Dan. 1:15,16)

Daniel ate only food that God planted in the original Garden of Eden. In today's modern society, only vegetables and grain are not for everyone, but self-control can be practiced by anyone who desires to lose or maintain their weight. To be a happier, healthier person eat only what is nutritionally required. Eat to live! Don’t live to eat! For more about living a more complete lifestyle read “Beam me up Commander” it's free.