Steve Reynolds's Blog

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1532502190834{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1532501807522{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1564440037532{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 25px !important;}”]In addition to making healthy nutritional choices and exercising daily, drinking adequate amounts of water is extremely beneficial for weight loss. Avoiding dehydration is crucial if you are trying to lose weight. This is true for several reasons, but one of the most pertinent factors has to do with water’s effect on the body’s vital organs. Studies have shown that a low consumption of water allows more fat to be deposited instead of being metabolized into energy. Water helps our kidneys flush out toxins. The kidneys cannot properly perform their function without water, and this forces the liver to assist with water filtration. The result is interference in the liver’s primary function, which is to burn fat. So drink a sufficient amount of water! EVERY DAY![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Not only did Jesus talk about food in the Bible, as a member of the Trinity, HE also CREATED FOOD FOR US TO ENJOY. In Genesis 1:11, God the Father said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to it’s kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth.” In Genesis 1:29, He told Adam, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seeds; to you it shall be for food.” These verses show that God wants us to enjoy the food we eat. He created us with an average of 10,000 taste buds and placed them along the path our food travels when we are eating it. Think about this for a moment. God chose to put those taste receptors-called papillae-in that location so we could enjoy the tastes of the wonderful foods He created for us to enjoy.God’s plan has always been for the bulk of our diet to come from “living food”- foods such as fruits and vegetables that are uncooked, unrefined and unprocessed. Hamburger Helper does not fit into this category, nor do chips, soda, cookies and candy. Many of these “dead foods” can last several years without going bad. If you don’t believe me, just check out the “use by” date on a box of macaroni and cheese and see how long it can last. Manufacturers load up on preservatives and additives to keep it edible for an extended period of time.It’s time to clean house. Start by taking stock of the food you currently have. Survey how much of it is living food and how much of it is dead food. Get a garbage can, open the doors to your cupboards and pantry, and start tossing out the junk food. Get it out of your kitchen. Start eating living food to live.

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I began looking for godly examples on how to live a healthy and productive life. I found that there are 2,930 characters in the Bible, and surely one of them could give me some insight into how I was to begin and how I should proceed. I needed a case study–a real person who could show me how it’s done. Then it hit me. What better example could I find to show me how to take care of my body than Daniel? I started to read his story found in Daniel 1:8-16, and it suddenly had new meaning for me.

But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet. The head of the palace staff, by God’s grace, liked Daniel, but he warned him, “I’m afraid of what my master the king will do. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as healthy as the rest, he’ll have my head!”

But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: “Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see.”

The steward agreed to do it and fed them vegetables and water for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked better and more robust then all the others who had been eating from the royal menu. So the steward continued to exempt them form the royal menu of food and drink and served them only vegetables.

After studying the story in depth, I came to the realization that healthy habits produce a healthy body. If I didn’t get a handle on becoming more disciplined and managing my daily habits and routines, I was never going to live a healthy life. Daniel became my model. He taught me how to manage my habits with his response to the difficult situation in which he found himself.