Sharing Lois' Blessing



My friend, Lois, who is a phenomenal cook, had us over for dinner Friday night.  She prepared the most incredible dinner using 100% God-made ingredients, and everything was delicious.  She used many fresh ingredients and herbs which have amazing healing powers.  I was refreshed and uplifted by her generosity after a rough week.  Thank you, Lois for blessing me and now those who are reading this post. 

 

Not only did Lois bless us with her dinner, she said I could write a guest post about it.  She graciously let me take photos and she is sharing all of her recipes with you!  Lois has numerous great recipes and has always shared her successes with me, such as her simple roast recipe. 

 

I have mentioned many times how important it is to share what you are doing with others - tell them what you are trying to do (hopefully your goal is to eliminate man-made processed foods from your diet and eat 100% God-made foods).

How fun it is to share a wonderful home-cooked meal with friends.  I think this is becoming a lost art, which is so damaging to our health and relationships.  Perhaps you will be on the receiving end as I was, or you could initiate the time by inviting someone over for dinner.  It is so important to your success with your diet to include others for encouragement and support.

Lois' Dinner

Tomato Soup
Grilled Wild Salmon
Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan
Steamed Broccoli
Great Green Salad
Tapioca Pudding with Strawberries and Almonds

I will be sharing all of Lois' recipes soon! 

Renee's Special Surprise at School



 

I am writing this post about a teacher named Renee:

I want to share what happened on Monday at the home school coop that we joined this year.  The teacher of a class on the Civil War (in which I am an assistance) had come to a class I taught 5 or so years ago about eating God's foods.  Small world isn't it?  She mentioned it the first class and we talked a bit about my teaching FoodsbyGod classes again this year.

 

Then she surprised me with a very special treat this past Monday.  Since the class is about the Civil War, she searched for an authentic Civil War dessert, and found Civil War Ginger Bread.  She brought some to class for all of us to try.



She found the recipe on-line and took it a step further by making it with all healthy FoodsbyGod ingredients; grinding her own soft white wheat berries and using organic butter.  She picked a recipe that contained no sugar and brought a copy of the recipe for me!

 

Wow - thank you, Renee!  It was so fun to enjoy the snack with the class and for the kids to taste a sweet made without sugar.  I was so impressed and so appreciate the thoughtfulness.  It was tasty and very moist.

 

Please be sure to tell others about your FoodsbyGod diet - it is so important to share what you are doing, especially if you are trying to go 100% and eliminate all of the man-made foods that rob us of our health. 

 

This was a double blessing this week for me, since I also learned of four women struggling with various stages of breast cancer.  Hearing about each one and their journey breaks my heart.

 

This doesn't have to be.  Please take your diet seriously and work through the weekly challenges.  Don't wait until you are diagnosed with a serious disease.  Coming down with cancer is not a matter of bad luck - most cancers develop because of diet.  Don't be the next victim of the food industry and man-made medicine.  Take your diet seriously and may God bless you as you break free from the modern American diet.

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him, for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  1 Corinthians 3:16 - 17  

Not Enough Time to Eat Right - Check out Jenn's Amazing Free E-book!



Having enough time to accomplish everything is so important in today's crazy world.  "Not enough time" is the number one reason people mention to me that they don't succeed eating 'FoodsbyGod'.  If this describes you, I suggest you check out Jenn's ebook.   Jennifer is sharing her e-book for free  as daily posts on her blog, starting this Sunday.  Her book is a "Seven Week Guide to a Clutter-Free Home and How to Keep It That Way". 

This summer,  Jennifer has helped me 'gain' more time.   She shared her e-book with me, The Intentional Home, and I loved her day by day guidance.  Room by room my home was transformed.  I love how open and clean everything feels.  While I am not gifted like Jennifer with decorating, I have  learned many things watching her in action.  And I have gained the confidence to experiment, as with my screen porch shown above - I love the feel of my de-cluttered and cleaned porch. 

 

Jennifer's simple, yet fun, method of de-cluttering and cleaning one's home has greatly impacted my life and now you too can be blessed!  Thank you, Jenn, for your cheerful spirit and willingness to help others. 

Does What You Eat Make a Difference? Peggy's Story



I met Peggy (far left) and her daughter this spring at a FoodbyGod class.  Jennifer shared Peggy's recent results from her doctor's appointment on the FoodsbyGod Facebook page.  Oh, my, I was so happy, for Peggy and for her sharing her story of the amazing results that can be had eating a diet of God's foods!!!  After seeing what Jenn wrote, I asked Peggy if she could write up a post for us too.  Don't forget how important it is to include healthy fat in your diet.  Here is what she wrote (thanks, Peggy and congratulations - awesome results):

I have been using coconut oil for over 2 years.  I knew it was good for us, but didn't realize how radically good it was until recently.  My family has a history of heart disease.  My father suffered horribly from its effects.  I have kept an eye on my own health and was diagnosed with a 30% blockage at the top of my heart 4 years ago.  30% - that is almost 1/3! I tried not to worry too much but it was a burden to carry.

On Monday (7-1-13) I had a shooting pain through my shoulder blade into my chest.  It stopped me dead in my tracks.  Although it didn't last long, I was concerned.  So I chewed and swallowed an aspirin and tried to remember the signs of heart attack.  Should I call an ambulance or not?  Should I?  When I began to get dizzy and light headed, I called.

The cardiologist at the hospital said it definitely was not my heart, but scheduled me for a stress test the next day.  It turned out well, but he went further and scheduled an angiogram since I had told them my history.  The results of the angiogram were miraculous to me!  NO blockage at all. A normal healthy heart.  Wow!

As I digested all this, I remembered the results of my bone scan earlier this year. It returned better than the one of 4 years ago.  Without medication (which caused severe pain in my thigh bone). My doctor said that "rarely happens"!

God created our diet to nourish and repair our bodies.  Mankind, in his own wisdom, has altered all that is good and true to the point that our entire nation suffers.  Learn how to eat foods raised and processed by your own hand or by those you trust.  Not only will your health thank you but so will your taste buds!

Psalm 103:1-5 ...satisfies my mouth with good things so my strength is renewed like the eagle's.

 

Peggy

Joanna's Approach to 'Going 100%'

 

Joanna and I went on a grocery shopping trip a few months ago, but having good quality foods in her house was only a temporary fix.  She sent me an email of her thoughts a few days ago that I want to share with you.  I added a bit more that she sent me yesterday morning on how to succeed.  She wrote this part on how to succeed while I was writing yesterday's challenge post.  I praise God that He was telling us the same thing without the other knowing it.  I hope God is speaking to you also - go to Him and He will.

 

Thank you, Joanna, for letting me share this email you sent to me with everyone.  I hope you find Joanna's words an encouragement and that you see the vastly different approach she needs to use compared to me.  You are probably somewhere in between and I pray that you find what works best for you!  Remember as you read Joanna's post, that man-made foods are MADE to make you crave them, making your struggle to eliminate them from your diet even harder.

The email I received from Joanna: 

P.S.  I'm going to  begin with a P.S.!  This may seem like a blur of words!  SORRY, as I finished it, I almost deleted it.  It was so cool today thinking of all this....but now...well ...I might should spare you!  But maybe there is a little something below that could be helpful. 

 

I wrote:

Dear Mary, Julie, Phyllis, and Camary, and....whoever is seeking "100 %" with their eating on the FoodsByGod blog,

 

The question:  what is 100%?  what does it look like, what do you mean!!!????

 

Today I was sharing with Camary on the phone, and I told her all that Phyllis and I have been giving to God and praying for PLUS what Mary and Julie were discussing before God on Friday and it was really great how it was all working together beautifully.

 

I think the victory of 100% will be found in unique ways for each of us because that is the way God will be most glorified.  This area of food for me certainly comes from a wounded past and from an eating disorder, so it is not easy to be free in this area. 

 

As we walk up and look over 100%, it will play out differently for every single person.

 

There just is not going to be some magical list of '1,2,3, yay', or we would not need God.

 

Nothing wrong with the list of 1,2,3....the problem is I don't have the strength to follow that list!  Even though the list is 100% logical and wise and healthy and even yummy. 

 

Background:   

We (Julie and I) had asked Mary last Friday to write a post to explain what 100% means on her FoodsByGod blog.  But I really already see what has brought her into such 100% victory with her weight and health.  She follows the lists!!!!   1,2,3 and it works but  the reason it works so well for her is because of God who has given her a gift of a very analytical, mathematical, scientific mind.  (Why would ANYONE not follow these lists, she must think!)

 

God gets the glory in her amazing strength and victory!!!!  Analyzing labels and all this research motivates her and gives her exact guidelines so she shines in that line of thinking/living. I have never seen anyone so amazing in the kitchen as her.  I appreciate it greatly, it glorifies God and His amazing invention of food, ....

 

.....but honestly every time I try to pick up her victory, I begin to suffocate;  it quickly turns to ...as my friend said concerning how she saw the blog, "It looks like legalism".  It is not legalism for Mary and perhaps for many others, it is freeeeedom and joy!  I admire that and I love that mind and the logic of it all.

 

God gifted Mary to create these lists for His glory and for the blessing of His people. The blog is not legalism, it offers critical information...but for defeated people it is a chasm to cross!

 

I HATE lists!!!  I hate routine and boxes.   I am wildly creative, but put me in a box and I will quickly wilt.  I suffocate under analysis and mathematical logic.  (Ask my friend that I teach with!!!!  I LIVE outside the proverbial "box".) 

 

I am all words, words, words, relationships, exhortations.....in that realm, I begin to float up to the clouds and there in my happy place and in that place I could care a less about overeating or junk food!  I want nothing but healthy simple foods.  In Africa, I ate only healthy foods, craved only healthy, freshly grown foods.  WHY can I not crave that here!!!  What has been missing?????   Perhaps it has been all the to-do lists I'm living under in MISD, so I found a refuge...food.

 

Camary and Phyllis and I have been trying to figure out our missing link, the root of our indulgent spirit in eating, we have stayed in Romans 6-7, "I do what I don't want to do, I know what to do but I cannot carry it out..."

 

We were discussing the whole matter before the LORD today, here is our verse that directed our thinking process:

 

Haggai 1:3-6

"Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while my temple remains in ruins?"  (Our bodies are the temple of God, mine is in ruins because I have created a paneled house of pleasure for myself, eating for pleasure.)  "Now this is what the LORD Almighty says, "Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified," 

 

I haven't given "careful thought to my ways"!!!!  (Mindless eating.) 

 

He said, "go to the mountains"....  ("I will look to the hills, where does my help come from, my help comes from the Maker of Heaven and Earth."  Psalm 121)

 

He said, "His pleasure and His glory!"  That has not been in my little self-made paneled house where I'm focused on my pleasure!

 

We decided to invite the LORD into our "paneled houses".  When I sit down at the table, I will dine with Him, with my Bible and notepad and fellowship with Him for His pleasure and for His glory (yes, while I enjoy healthy foods). 

 

When I call Phyllis or Camary, I will NOT tell them how I did this week by saying, "I ate well, or I overate, or I ate junk!!!!!"  I will not discuss how bad the junk is nor how great the foods by God are, BUT HOW GREAT GOD IS!!!

 

So far, there has been no victory even though I have made many changes to my eating...I bet my cholesterol levels have dropped more points too!  Still no victory.

 

The food is a burden and a dreary list of things to-do. The focus has been on how I did, not on God's pleasure and glory. This is the way to 100% and weight loss and victory. 

 

I will share with others ONLY words that tell about my time with Him, His pleasure and His glory. 

 

For example, "Oh, while I was eating, God showed me this verse, or wow, I saw a connection of how I am a living temple being nourished "not by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD". 

 

Camary reminded me that gratitude and praise brings victory and joy. 

 

My personality can't follow a list, so I will praise God and bring Him into fellowship while eating.

 

I am so curious to see how this plan works this week!  I am so curious to see what Julie's 100% looks like filtered through her unique personality, gifting, processing.  Thanks for praying for "victory of 100%" for ALL of us...and our families!

 

If you are already enjoying 100% in eating, then I pray for 100% freedom for you in clutter-free living, in letting go of control, in WHATEVER is your personal defeat.  Don't let that area be a paneled house, invite Him in for His pleasure and His glory. 

 

Continued from second email...

 

So how do I get to 100%? 

 

I love escaping to my self-indulging paneled house, I've run into these walls for so long that they are fortified and tall.  I've tried quoting verses at this wall...it didn't fall.  I tried yelling at the devil...it didn't fall.  I've confessed to others, I've tried yelling at myself!  Why doesn't it fall?  WHY am I STILL not free? 

 

Answer?

 

Well, let's look at an impossible wall called...Jericho.   How did the walls of Jericho fall? 

 

Every archaeological site around the ancient times in the Middle East shows walls that fell inward...except one, the walls of Jericho.  The walls of Jericho were the ONLY walls ever found that fell outward.  Why is that important?

 

According to www.bibleprobe.com/jericho.htm , the walls of Jericho clearly fell outward, thus creating a flat surface because God was helping His weak, disobedient people to besiege a city that was impossible to fall, remember they were all like giants to them.    

 

"Jericho is a wonderful spiritual lesson for God’s people today. There are times when we find ourselves facing enormous “walls” that are impossible to break down by human strength. If we put our faith in God and follow His commandments, He will perform “great and mighty things” (Jeremiah 33:3) and give us the victory."  http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v21/n2/the-walls-of-Jericho.

 

It was all about faith in God, after the people had marched around them for seven days, it was “by faith the walls of Jericho fell down” (Hebrews 11:30).

 

So to bring down our paneled houses, our personal impossible walls that cannot be broken down on our own, it is God alone, "I will go before you and will level the mountains." (Isaiah 45:2)

 

How?

 

Invite God into our paneled house and fellowship with Him, simple.  No battles.  No rebuking Satan.  No lists.  Matt 11:28-29 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

 

WAIT, you mean the weary can level walls by resting!!!!!!!!  Yes, resting in Him who is great and mighty.

 

I've been practicing this now for 4 days, doing nothing but inviting God into my old paneled house to fellowship with Him, while I enjoy good, healthy foods (okay, foods off the lists, Mary!), and it is gone.  Walls are down, flat, fallen outward as His great big presence certainly didn't fit into my self-created paneled house!  He came in and the walls came tumbling down.

 

How long will my victory last?  As long as when I enter my temptation zone and consider excluding God and rebuilding a little privacy wall from God's eye that I instead, stop and I invite Him in and fellowship with Him and enjoy His presence, seek His "pleasure and His glory."   (Haggai 1:8)

 

Almost every single verse I see today, fits this victory plan!    "The fruit of righteousness will be PEACE; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.  My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest...and the city is leveled completely, how blessed you will be..." Isaiah 32:17-20      

 

Read Psalm 84.

 

Just sharing all these thoughts....

 

Joanna

 

Amy Carmichael said, "When you have decisions to make, don't look around to others to see what they would do, look UP, and light will come to show what our LORD and Master would have you do."      (A Chance to Die, p 345)

Meet Jennifer

 

Since Jennifer helps with this blog in so many ways, I thought you might all love to meet her a little more personally.  Jennifer is on my FoodsbyGod team, and she set up this blog for me.  She also manages the FoodsbyGod Facebook page.  Join it if you want to be part of a support group as you switch to 100% God-made foods. 

 

Jennifer has a blog called SimpleHomeManaging, and is working on an ebook.  Watch her video to learn a bit more about Jenn and her book.  She is precious and so inspiring.  Also be sure to read her FoodsbyGod posts; don't miss her one about going to 100% God-made foods and learn about eating brownies and losing weight!

 

Jennifer and Julie were at my house this past Sunday for a mini FoodsbyGod class, and these two creative ladies worked on decluttering and rearranging my living room after the class.  What a blessing to me!  They opened up the room and made it look so inviting, decluttering and rearranging so that it will be much easier to keep clean.

I am working through Jennifer's ebook, and working on my living area was my task for Monday.  Knowing my lack of confidence with decorating, they offered to help guide me through the process.  It was so fun watching them transform the room using the things I own and love!  Watching them has also given me the confidence to try things myself.



Jennifer's book is a seven week guide to declutter one's home, keep it clean, and create a peaceful haven with daily assignments to help you accomplish this.  I am on week 3 and I am amazed and inspired at the changes in my home already, and the freedom from stressing about house cleaning that she has given me through her book already.  Follow her blog if you wish to know when it is released.

 

I am so thrilled to have more time to devote to other things, like experimenting with new recipes, working outside in my yard and garden, and visiting with friends.    

Having Jennifer and Julie's help with an area that I struggle with has also confirmed the importance of telling others about your 'projects' and getting their support and encouragement.  If you are struggling eating 100% God-made foods, be sure to tell others and build a support group.  It will make what you are doing so much more enjoyable.  I am actually having fun cleaning and decluttering my house!  I wish for you to have fun shopping for excellent quality foods and cooking your meals from scratch.  I hope that through my posts that you are gaining confidence to try new things with food. 

 

Blessings to you,

 

Mary 

You are one meal away from being on track!



I just wanted to encourage those of you who feel like you've gone so far off track from eating Foods By God, you are only your next meal or snack choice away from being right back on track! "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

 

Jennifer posted this yesterday on the Facebook page that she is managing about FoodsbyGod.  Thank you, Jenn.

 

Does this describe you?  Have you fallen so far off track from eating Foods By God, that you feel hopeless and frustrated. Don't remain paralyzed in this pit!  You are just one meal choice away from being back on track!  I love the Isaiah verse that Jenn quoted.  God will help you and be with you if you take your fear, your frustration, your dismay humbly to Him.  Ask Him to lift you up and He will.

 

I will add a few verses from James that I love:  "Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."  James 4: 8, 10. 

If you are struggling, take it to God - you are just one meal choice away from being on track with your foods.  May God lift you up and strengthen you!  

Renee's Healing with God's Food

Thank you, Renee, for sharing your story with us.  As I said in yesterday's post, "What Supplements do I take?", the best supplements for true healing are real foods.  This is not just my perception; I have seen it for so many people.  Please read about Renee's wonderful experiences over the past couple months.  (Please note, though expensive, I do recommend a good quality Probiotic for everyone until you have mastered a diet of eating 100% real foods which includes your own raw kefir and yogurt.)

This has been a new happy road to travel on.  I have really enjoyed learning Foods by God with Mary, because it has been fun and easy, tasteful, and enjoyable for my family.  Whew!  You know that is the hard part, getting the kids and husband on the same eating plan as you are.  My kids are teenagers and young twenties, so no starting out with new baby taste buds, I had to deal with old bad habits that I taught them.

 

When I turned 40 years old, I did not feel good.  I was tired; my digestive tract was not working and in considerable pain. I had joint pain and stiffness. Also, I had acid reflux which later turned into Esophageal muscle spasms. So I went to a gastroenterologist and he told me I had IBS and also needed a colonoscopy. He put me on Prilosec and told me I would have to be on it for life. I did that for a while and not much changed; then I decided that my God has a better solution and I’m going to ask Him about it.

 

I loved to drink coke and I felt that the Lord was saying to get off of it so I prayed and asked for his help and eventually with trial and error I finally stopped drinking coke. But, I still needed to get my sugar cravings under control.

 

Well it turned out that my sister was using a natural dietitian, so I started with her and she put me on vitamins: like Pro-dophilus,  Flora-guard, fiber, green food powders, and many other vitamins.  She started to teach me how to eat healthier foods.  It was like learning to cook all over again.  I did start to feel better, but the vitamins were expensive. Furthermore we were not eating organic foods. I was still having problems, because I was addicted to sugar. By the time I turned 50 I was feeling somewhat better. But if a holiday came around or I had a sugar binge, I was right back to feeling bad again.

 

Then this class came. I felt like this is what I needed to learn to get me over the hump of the back and forth yo yo effect I was on. Before I started the Foods by God class I once again had spots of pain in my intestines and I really didn’t want to go get another colonoscopy. We have been doing this class now for about three months. I noticed the other week that those pains are gone and my joint pain is gone.  The acid reflux has completely cleared up.  It is so nice to not feel that pain, worry about it, or think I need to go get a colonoscopy. Also, I have stopped taking most of the vitamins. Now the only vitamins I take are Probiotics; because they are very good for our digestive systems. 

 

 I do get to enjoy my sweet treats, but made with honey, and or maple syrup. The fresh fruit is also a great treat. I don’t miss sugar because I notice now that I get a headache and feel terrible when I eat it, so it is not even worth it for me. I’m very glad and relieved to start my 50s feeling much better, I was concerned in my 40s that if I felt this bad, how would I feel in my 60s.  It is so worth it to make the changes.

 

Thanks, Mary, for your generosity and giving spirit.

 

Shalom,

Renee

 

Karen's Story of Success

Wow - I love hearing from each of you about the blessings you are receiving from your efforts and how God is opening your eyes to the truth about foods.  I hope you are as encouraged and inspired as I am reading Karen's story!

 

When Mary asked me to share my story,  I honestly did not know where to begin but I knew I wanted to share.  So, I am starting our story from the beginning.  I say our story because this involves my son, Josh.   Josh is 23 years old and is down syndrome.  He has had problems with eczema ever since he was a child.  Over the past several years he has developed boils on his body.  I  took him to our family Dr.  He prescribed 'Clindamycin'.  Once Josh took all the medication the boils would return.  So I then took him to two different dermatologists who prescribed the same medication.

 

After realizing the Dr.'s solution is a medication that keeps my son's stomach upset all the time,  I asked everyone at church  to pray for him  during our Wednesday night prayer service.  The very next day all the boils were gone.  Josh went about a year without any boils.  In the  past three months the boils had returned.  I asked God , "Why is this happening?"  God told me it was what we were eating.

 

So I started doing some research and read that boils are caused by a lack of zinc in your body.  So, I started doing more research and found foods that contain zinc.  About this same time, Jennifer invited me to attend a 'Foods by God' class.  I was  amazed at what Mary was telling us.  This was exactly the information I needed.  I immediately started my family on eating Foods by God.  I cleaned the pantry and took the processed foods and donated them to Anna's House.  It  has been four weeks since we began our journey only eating Foods by God.  I am happy to say Josh is boil free.  He came to me the other day and said,  "Mom, look.  I am myself again."

 

I let Josh make as many of the foods himself that he can.  If he makes it, he will eat it.  He made the brownie recipe the other day and they were delicious.  He also made chocolate chip cookies.  All of the ingredients were organic and the cookies were sweetened with honey.  However, his favorite food is the baked chicken.  I cooked and shredded the chicken and put it in the refrigerator.  I was going to make chicken enchilada's the next day but I came home to find he had eaten the chicken.  Every last bite of it.  He told me it was the best chicken ever.

 

Foods by God are just that 'foods made by God'.  Over the past four weeks,  God has taught me so much about the foods he has given us.  I've been married for 27 years.  Last week, my husband said, "I did not know you could cook like this."  I did not know I could cook like this either.  I use fresh herbs and organic foods.

 

My favorite bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 , "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy path."  God directed our path to Foods by God.

 

Sincerely, 

 

Karen

Jenn's Cleaning Products

 

Jennifer demonstrated her cleaning products that she has been making at the February class.  She shared her recipes and discussed how to make each one.  You can find recipes for the following cleaning products and beauty products on her blog:

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

Homemade Liquid Dishwasher Detergent

Homemade Counter Spray/Cleaner

Homemade Cleaner

Homemade Glass Cleaner

Homemade Floor Cleaner

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

Homemade Liquid Eye Make-up Remover

Homemade Face Wash

Homemade Lip Balm 

 

 

Jennifer Update: Going 100%

I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to continue my story here at Foods By God. This time I want to update you and explain why I feel like I am having the success I am this time around at eating foods created by God. 

You might wonder why I wrote “this time around” ? This actually isn’t my first time to take a class led by Mary. In fact, a little over five years ago I gained so much knowledge from a class I took taught by Mary. Perhaps, many of you are currently “gaining a lot of knowledge”, but maybe not putting everything you’re learning into practice in your life.

Last time, I did get very excited about changing my ways and I spent a fortune replacing “bad processed” food with what I thought was “good processed” food. It was expensive and it was a compromise. I did loose weight but I was also hitting the gym a lot. I thought the exercise would make up for where my diet fell short.

At that time, I also never really got rid of the migraines that I’ve had since I was a kid. I thought that I had done a lot to get healthy and I would just have to live with these migraines for the rest of my life. I wasn’t seeing huge results and what I was doing was not financially sustainable at the time for our now one-income family. Needless to say, I veered off course and went back to fast food, quick fixes of sugar, and so on.

Fast forward to December of 2012. Mary, who I've remained friends with over the five years, contacted me to help her start this blog, and I wasn’t in good health. I knew things needed to change. I have to admit, I had gone the medicine route to “fix” my ailments and I was a little skeptical that eating foods by God could really help. But, at the same time, the side effects from the medicine were awful and my brain was foggy. I was lacking energy, so much so that the thought of baking and cooking from scratch was exhausting to think about. With Mary’s wonderful encouragement, I started my journey back to health.

This time, I made a commitment to myself that I was going to go “all out” and I wasn’t going to compromise. I had to for myself and my family. I still felt skeptical about getting rid of my headaches. Fortunately, one winter I had decided to really learn to bake, so I had a lot more skills in the kitchen than the last time around. I also have a much deeper relationship with God. I’ve seem him work in every other areas of my life, so why should I not ask for His help in this area? So, I began praying for His help.

After about two months of really changing our ways, I decided to try on a pair of jeans that had been hanging in my closet for at least a year unworn. See, they had been too tight, but I really liked these jeans so I hung onto them anyway. To my amazement, they fit! So, I jumped on the scale to find that I had lost 18 pounds! Wow! I need to mention that I hadn’t exercised at all during this time. I dropped the weight so easily and you might think I was eating boring “rabbit food”. On the contrary, I was eating brownies, banana bread, and well, pretty much anything we wanted as long as it didn’t have any ingredients on Mary's list to avoid or minimize. 

Jennifer wearing the jeans that she could fit back into.

Through Mary and one of her friend’s amazing healing testimony, I started to see how I needed to commit 100% to a God made diet, so my body can stop working so hard to get the toxicity out and work on healing my headaches and my back. Oh, I didn’t mention, that I had also gone in for several rounds of steroid injections last fall for severe back and hip pain. I was with Mary early February and she asked how my back and hips were doing. I said, “Now that you mention it, they really haven’t been bothering me as much!”. She said even that can be food related. I’m starting to see the connection more and more. I am also at my longest stretch of headache free days. My body now tells me when I’ve eaten something that I shouldn’t, and I will get a headache. I’m learning to listen to my body, and since it is functioning better, I am getting the proper clues.

Mary has given us a wonderful guide to incorporate a God made diet into our lives with this blog. Don’t just read it, put this knowledge into practice.

Here’s a few things that are really contributing to our success as a family:

-I’ve made Mary’s banana bread recipe just about every week and sometimes a double batch. I make it in a glass square or rectangle cake pan to make nice small pieces for the kids. We have it when we want a quick snack, for breakfast and it’s been great in kids’ lunches. Find something to bake every week that you enjoy.

-I know the “eliminate list” and I do my best to avoid buying anything on it.

-I try not to put myself in vulnerable situations where I’ll want to grab fast food. Either by planning to eat at a place that I can trust the food, or carrying food with me.

-I always have a couple of easy meals each week that don’t require much time in the kitchen, like pinto beans and rice, breakfast for dinner, even nitrate free hotdogs and whole wheat buns with veggies.

-I stock lots of fresh in-season fruit, carrots, cheese and other easy snacks for us to grab.

-I completely cut sugar from our diet. I didn’t realize how addicted my son was to sugar. It was nice to just get it out of the house and not have to fight the battle.

-I’ve made Mary’s brownies and other “treats” for us to enjoy on occasion. That way we never really feel like we’re missing out on anything.

-The biggie: plan, plan, plan! Don’t just wing it, you will put yourself in vulnerable positions, I know, I’ve been there. Plan your meals, even have good lunch and breakfast options.

Jennifer blogs at Simple Home Managing.  If you want to meet her 'in person', click here to see her video.

A Foods by God Testimoney: Joanna

My friend, Joanna, who is a very gifted and creative teacher, shared with me this past weekend her cookie jar 'victory'.  I asked her if she would write up her experience to share with you.  I know just how severe sugar addiction is and I praise God for her victory over the cookie jar last week.  Don't let Satan overwhelm you with lies so that you think you cannot succeed.  Focus on today and focus on God.  Take small steps, day-by-day, with lots of prayer - with God all things ARE possible!  Don't ever doubt that. 

 

 

An old eating disorder, no matter how long ago it was in the past, still lingers and can cause the formation of cloudy disordered thinking when it comes to food.  I want to be free from that old bondage.

 

I have been thin but I don’t know that I have ever been truly free in the area of my eating.  What I am learning is that I sure have spent a great deal of time condemning myself, but I’m awakening to the idea that my love of “bad foods” is actually all tangled in chemicals and additive substances in the foods I called “yummy”.  I thought I was bad.  Is the food the bad guy here, not me?  Now there is a novel idea?

What a gift to give a child, to teach her just to eat right.  Eat good foods.  Eat the right amount.  Be the ideal weight.  No thought to the matter at all.  Makes me sigh; it wasn’t that way for me.  I grew up eating wrongly, over eating, emotional eating, under eating, all out binging, and starving, every which way but right.

Now at age 53, I look over at the “Foods By God” blog.  What is this?  I look over at “Foods By Joanna” and I see chaos; I see disordered thinking.  I wonder, “How can I get from here to over there?”

I think about Nehemiah.  He took a survey around the broken down walls of Jerusalem.  He saw rubble, broken down walls, and more rubble.  It is harder to rebuild than it is to build, almost impossible really, but then I guess I shouldn’t mention Nehemiah and his broken down walls, because he actually did rebuild the new walls in 52 days, didn’t he?

I too have crossed many a personal “Red Seas” in my life.  How amazing has been the crossing of impossible waters.  To mention only one, my son should have died in Africa, but we made it out in a medical evacuation and the miraculous story still causes my heart to sing.

At this point, here is what I know: “Foods by Joanna” isn’t working so well!  This way of eating “Foods by God” way seems impossible.  But I do so love the story of Nehemiah, so I take a step towards the impossible crossing.

This week I came upon a cookie jar filled with fairly stale cookies.  I decided to taste one, then another, then another.  I left so that I wouldn’t get another.  I went home, went to bed, and guess what woke up on my mind?  Yes, the jar of cookies at school.  The closer I drove to school, the more I wanted those cookies!  I knew I should pray, but …I could pray later…after I had a few cookies.  I opened the door of the school and God whispered across my heart, “What if I had something else for you?”

 

I stopped in my tracks and looked heavenward.  I wondered what that could mean.  I threw all the stale cookies in the trashcan, and I began looking for the “something else”.  In my mind grew the most delicious idea for my students.  I could take my cute little first graders and we could write our own play, gather props, build a set, and have a wonderful time doing it!  By the end of the week, instead of having more white sugar flowing in my veins, I had ideas flowing wildly.

Simultaneously as I let go of the yucky foods (formerly named 'yummy foods), I'm finding less of a drive for them and a new question arises, "Did I really love them or was I really just addicted to them."  What will I do with my hands, mouth, and feet if I'm not running after those foods?  I know the answer; they will serve the LORD instead of my fleshly passions.

 

Nehemiah’s walls weren’t built in one day, but they were built one day at a time.  May God have mercy and teach me His ways.  “With man it is impossible, but not with God, with God all things are possible.”  Mark 10:27 

A Foods By God Testimony: Jennifer

My friend and team helper, Jennifer, wrote up this guest post.  Thank you, Jenn, for sharing.  I hope she inspires you.  My prayer is that each of you will have the same success! 

When Mary contacted me about two months ago to help her start her blog and be a participant in her new “Foods By God” class, I can best describe this as God’s perfect timing. Although, I had taken Mary’s classes about five years ago and at that time had seen the benefits of eating a God-made diet, my family and I had seriously fallen away from that diet. We were eating a diet that consisted of too many man-made foods and our health was suffering. 

I was having frequent migraines that were at times debilitating and I had even started taking a preventive medicine that was really impairing my thinking. My seven-year-old daughter, Haley, was complaining of headaches and frequent stomachaches. I’d been dealing with back problems for two years, thus my ability to exercise had pretty much diminished. So, I attributed my lack of energy to the fact that I wasn’t exercising like I used to, not my diet.

While helping Mary with her blog, I really felt like God opened my eyes to what our problems were most likely caused by: food. So, I began changing what our family eats rapidly. Since I had the knowledge that Mary had graciously given me five years ago and by just being her friend since, I had the tools to make the changes. I immediately stopped taking the migraine prevention medicine that really wasn’t even working and set to move our family to a God-made diet.

We’ve only been at this for a month and a half at best and the results are astounding. My headaches are almost gone and my energy has improved dramatically. Probably one of the most fun results I can best describe are my tastebuds coming alive! God’s foods taste amazing when you remove all of the artificial man-made foods. An orange really can and will taste better than candy! Now, that I have way more energy, I have the energy to bake and prepare meals for my family. 

Haley’s stomachaches and headaches have disappeared. We have cut all added sugar from her diet. She attended a friend’s birthday party the other day and I explained to her that she could eat the cake if she wanted to but she might end up with a stomachache later. She did eat the cake and did have a stomachache. I think it was a good lesson. The next day we made Mary’s brownie recipe and she said, “these are the best brownies I’ve ever had!”. I explained to her that we can still eat wonderful treats, they just need to be made with good ingredients. She had another birthday party just two days later and chose not to eat the cake, point well taken!

I’ve also noticed while eating God-made foods that the kids and I are not craving bedtime snacks like we used to. That is making some of the “bedtime battles” a lot easier!

I have only been back on track of eating what my body needs for a little while and my health and my family’s health has improved dramatically. I have even lost weight without exercising! I am so thankful for Mary and what I believe to be the mission that God has given her:  teaching people to eat the wonderful food that He always intended for us to eat.

God bless you on your journey to health!

Jennifer
www.simplehomemanaging.blogspot.com