Not long ago I was inundated with squash. I was thinking “What am I gonna do with all of this squash!!” It was squash overload. Besides being a fun word to say, it turns out squash is pretty good for you. That is why I am writing to you write now, I mean right now. Chill out. As you know, or should know, I like to ask myself: “Why are you eating this?” and “Is this good for me?” and “What nutrients are in this food?” and again “Why am I eating this?”

You might first like to know that I am no longer inundated with squash. The squash heydays have come and gone, but, it may be that I just ate three squash chocolate chip cookies out of the freezer. Yes, yes, of course, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies sound so much better, but the difference in taste is minimal and when one is inundated with squash it makes an excellent use of the squash.

I used different types of winter squash for my cookies and once cooked and pureed and added to recipes that would use pumpkin, I couldn’t tell the difference (of course, pumpkin is a winter squash as well). I had so many different types, so I ended up cooking all of the acorn, butternut, delicata, fairytale, and others together and pur√©eing them. Just make sure to add enough unrefined cane sugar or honey… ok, you could also use maple syrup, sorghum, stevia, or xylitol, but let’s stop there.

What I like so much about winter squash is that it is very high in vitamins and minerals. It has oodles of vitamin A as well as nice amounts of vitamin C, B1, B3, B5, B6 and minerals like potassium, manganese, folate, and copper. It also has the amino acid tryptophan, you know, like in turkey. And omega-3′s! And fiber to keep you regular! Now we are just getting out of hand… or, squash is getting out of hand. Before you leave thinking that it is too good to be true, just ask yourself, “How else could the pilgrims have survived if the Indians hadn’t shown them the secrets of winter squash and squash pies??”

I’m gonna go grab a couple more squash chocolate chip cookies… good thing that winter squash is still serving me in the winter.

Just like life as a whole is a journey, so the individual parts of life are a journey… like food and eating. Sometimes I elevate food and eating while admiring its ability to bring people together and to enjoy the enjoyment it brings. Other times I lower it in my estimation and want to have little esteem as I view it as ‘just food’, mere fuel that is elevated to a place in people’s mind that is detrimental to a healthy mind, will, and emotions. Some days I just want to “stick it” to food and say “none of you” and others I want to enjoy it and use it. And I do. Both. And I enjoy both, strangely enough. I have had some strange journeys with food (vague I know) and I am sure you have as well. I think balance in life (and thereby food) is important. It is as if you do not want to undervalue, under-appreciate, or even be in less awe at food… and at the same time you do not want to overvalue, over-estimate, or be in too much awe over food.

Another random thought I have been thinking is how we get used to buying or eating certain things and do not even question them anymore. Do you do that? For example, do you always go into the grocery or market and have your ‘go to’ things that you just pick up and go without even thinking. I do that. Naturally, things we are less familiar with, we take more time to get acquainted with. Every now and then the thought runs through my head “But what if they changed the ingredients since you last looked and now they process it with or add something you don’t want to eat”… so I better read. For some reason this attention has caused me to enjoy my food more. Strange, I know. I think it is partly because when I have a better idea of what things truly are, I appreciate them more.

Sometimes I just want to keep eating a certain food or spice over and over in order to gain all of the sense of what it is and what it tastes like, so that I can really know it. Sometimes I want to do that with people too. There are certain people that I never get tired of hanging out with and they make you just want to keep experiencing them over and over again. But how would you know that about the food or the person unless you have a really good sense of what it is (or they are).?.? Hmmm?

What was this post about? I don’t know, I was just thinking out loud to you… and to me.. obviously… you see.

A lot of times I end up talking to people about all sorts of ‘amazing and exciting new health drinks’. Drinks like MonaVie, Zrii, Frutaiga, Goji juice, Noni Juice, Genesis, Xango, Mandura, Vemma, and the list goes on and on.

First, let me say that I think a lot of these products are good, and there are some good manufacturers of them, and some are done well and can be beneficial for people. Buuuuuut, I’m gonna go with my gut on this one…

I do not care for the spirit of all of these companies and drinks. Let me explain. Far too many people are looking for a quick fix or a miracle drug or one thing that they can do so they do not have to change their life. The mindset, whether spoken or not, is ‘let me do whatever I want and just take this drink to keep me healthy’ or ‘taking this product is going to cure my ills’ or ‘I am going to use this combined with whatever to help me stay young forever’ or… whatever else is here it bothers me. It’s like the mindset that says, ‘I can eat this terrible thing, I will just exercise a little more to work it off’.

When you are eating well, there is no need to even be concerned with all of the peripheral latest and greatest things that are coming out. There are numerous beneficial products being produced, but the majority of people, who these products are marketed to, need to look in the mirror and change themselves and their every day habits of diet or way of life. Sure, keep an eye on the ‘modern food’ coming out, but keep perspective with food that has nourished people for thousands of years, like olive oil, perhaps.

The $20-$40 per bottle that this stuff costs is ridiculous. They should go drink some raw goat milk or colostrum, buy some coconut oil, and eat fresh vegetables and it would do the exact same thing for less money.

Besides, MLM always comes across as distasteful. It’s kind of like the taste of sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sulfur dioxide… pun intended.

So. It is January 2, 2010. I usually take time to review my year in my head and think through what I am doing and where I am going. I have not really done that yet. I have thought through this blog a bit though. That last sentence seems funny to me cause I said “thought’, ‘through’, and ‘though’. Do not get tripped up.

As I have said many times, I like food. I like to eat. I am sure you do too. That reason is most likely why you are here reading this post. I must say though, I do not want to idolize food in any way. I know I do that sometimes. Maybe we all do. Maybe in some ways we idolize all of our desires, whatever they may be. That is a lot of maybe’s.

After thinking it through, I have decided that I will keep this blog. Ha. I think it is good to grow in all areas of life and I enjoy food and learning about it. Also, I think the wisdom of being able to share healthy, nourishing food with other people, especially our families is good and important. It is good and important for life, community, fellowship, together-ness, yada yada yada.

For most of my blogs, I have asked myself if I would be the only one reading them, or knowing about them, would I still write on them.?. That is kind of my test to see if it is worth it to me. Maybe that is because I like to talk to myself, but the answer is yes. So, I like that answer because then, regardless of who reads it, I still write it. Of course, there are several other factors that play into it, but that was enough for now.

So, in 2010 I hope to be posting on a more consistent basis (not necessarily more frequently). With that said, I hope you are having a nice start to the new year and that you can find some useful information here for the year to come. Happy New Year!

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I do not live to eat.

It’s time to talk about food and common sense again. Well, I am not sure how much I will actually talk about common sense but that’s what I want to call it. So buck up! Gear up! Get ready to pay attention!

What’s the point of writing about food? What’s the point about caring about what we eat?

Some people say “we are all going to die anyway” (which I agree, of course) and others say “let’s not make too big a deal with what we eat” or “it doesn’t really matter”… all to which I say fooey! And I rarely say fooey… so there!

You are not going to spend one day more than what God has appointed for you on this earth. Also, you are free to eat what you want and have the consequences of those actions.

The purpose of this site, EAT TODAY TO LIVE TOMORROW, is to join in with me and you on the journey to make wise decisions with the food that we eat so that we can better fulfill the purpose of life, and that is namely to glorify God. I believe God will give each person the strength and resources they need to accomplish His will in their lives.

So when a person has understanding about eating correctly… or eating wisely (a better description), then that is a gift from God. Not everyone’s eyes will be opened to the benefits or even the desire to eat wisely. That is fine. But wisdom is worth pursuing… in all areas of life whether it is finances, food, family, friends, or faith. f f f f and f.

Eating wisely also has practical everyday benefits for which people do not normally connect the dots. Like being able to enjoy each day better because your body has the energy for the day, it has the strength for the day, ¬†it is able to meet physical demands, it is not inhibited from doing things because of unhealthy weight issues, it doesn’t have a sore throat, it is free from headaches, it doesn’t have stomach aches, it doesn’t have toxic metals and chemicals, it doesn’t have cancer ravaging it, it isn’t overwhelmed trying to prevent diseases from taking over, and on and on.

God has created the body with the ability to continually fight off disease and infection. If the body is strong it has the ability to do its job, but if the body is weak then the disease and infection take over. Most people fail to realize that they are all infected with something. It’s like when you go to a different country and they say “don’t eat the street food”… all the while the locals eat the street food and are fine. The reason is because the foreigner (typically U.S. traveller does not have enough healthy bacteria to keep the ‘scavenger’ bacteria at bay, while the locals do.

Many times there are people who are ‘carriers’ of germs and microbes who do not get sick. We all have pounds of bacteria in us. There are ‘scavenger’ bacteria that feed on decay or harmful substances just like flies on… yeah. If you don’t “clean house” then you are just swatting at flies but the poop is still there. Get it? The people who do not get sick from such bad bacteria have a “clean house” (or prepared defenses) and their body is able to quickly deal with threats that come to the body and eliminate them.

So we are all infected and the body is continually working to maintain a state of stability and equilibrium (homeostasis if you will). The body works to prevent free radical damage from oxidation with anti-oxidants… yes we have all heard that word.

So there is a wisdom in the choices that you make with what you put in your body. AND it takes reading and learning what is good and what is not. So for example, which of the ingredient lists will be the wiser choice for helping bring stability to your body:

A. Frosted Devil’s Food Donuts: Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed), Water, Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid], Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Egg Yolks, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Glycerine, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Dextrose, Corn Syrup, Wheat Starch, Soy Flour, Nonfat Milk, Modified Food Starch (Corn, Tapioca), Soy Lecithin, Sorbitan Monostearate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Guar Gum, Cellulose Gum, Karaya Gum, Xanthan Gum, Tapioca Dextrin, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Sulfate, Agar, Carob Bean Gum, Sodium Phosphate, Caramel Color.

B. Blueberries (or pick any berry that you like)

I am not even going to tell you that B is the correct answer! Oh. Well. If you don’t want to take the time to learn, then a quick way to go about it is to not buy or eat it if you don’t know what it is or what is in it! That should help you a ton! Most likely you will be staying away from packaged and processed foods because they have plenty of things which you have no idea what they are… and for good reason.

I do not mean to come across too harsh by any means. I grew up eating lots of typical American fare. Heck, after band practice when I was a teenager we used to go to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and down a dozen. I had a major sweet tooth growing up… I know all about Entenmanns and Chips Ahoy and Oreo and little elf dude. BUT that was when I was a child, when I was uninformed, ignorant, stupid, and unhealthy. So were my parents. Most people are. BUT now I have more understanding. (There are much better ways to aid your sweet tooth: it’s called make it from scratch, at home, with good ingredients)

To my knowledge I have never had a serious illness or disease (as I said we never know what may be in our bodies). My mom did though and passed away from it. That is one of the things that awakened me to the choices I make with my body… and that awakening is a gift from God. Maybe this will be your gift.

After changing my diet over 4 1/2 years ago so many things have changed. It is strange because on the outside, by all appearances, not much has changed at all, but on the inside I feel different and I am different. It is in the little things. I used to always be able to predict when I would get sick and I did about 4-6 times a year no matter what I did. Now I rarely do and if I do, I know how to make it easy for my body to get over it. Also, my digestion is way better.

Digestion is a good indicator of overall health (your gut is a good indicator). It doesn’t entirely matter if you never get sick or if you are “regular”… it matters how the process takes place. Are you able to assimilate (use or integrate) the food you eat? Are you getting value from it? Do you not get sick because your immune system is so weak that you do not show any symptoms when infected? Things are not always as they seem.

Things take time for most of us though. Years of ‘garbage in’ may produce ‘garbage out’ for some time to come. However, eating today to live tomorrow will help with the process as you will put ‘good in’ and get ‘good out’… that is, you will reap what you sow.

So don’t ‘live to eat’… but eat today to live tomorrow and eat wisely with good food. “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)

Yes it takes time, money, and work, because fake and processed food is more convenient, cheaper, and readily available. Real food costs more than fake food and takes time to prepare (as it always has for thousands of years). I guess to sum it all up: When it comes to food most people have sacrificed understanding and health for ignorance and convenience.

Fast food is out, slow food is in.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like to chat. Tim (at) ettlt.com

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Food and Common Sense (numero uno, the first, volume 1, in the beginning)

Here it is. I said I was gonna write it and I finally have. Food and Common Sense.

In an earlier post I mentioned how I thought so much of eating well is just common sense. Unfortunately, I think many people today lack common sense. I really think that it is a gift from God. I know that I do not always have it in all things and sometimes more than others.

First, I would say that things God has blessed us with in nature are to be our sustenance. When we take something God made as good and twist it, corrupt it, adulterate it… then our minds, our conscience, dare I say, our common sense should instruct us that it will not promote the same life and fuel in the body that God’s untampered sustenance would.

Naturally then, one can see that if we, in addition to ruining good food, also presume to eat or ingest things that are man-made, artificial, and/or manufactured then our God-made bodies will not function appropriately on the artificial (read fake) food.

Since we all approach life and learning with different presuppositions, let me tell you where I am coming from. I am not a vegetarian, vegan, or all raw food advocate. I strive to eat the diet of the Bible while recognizing, as I mentioned in my ‘About Me’ section, that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

In Genesis 1:29 it says “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 seed; to you it shall be for food.” From the beginning God gave us good food from that which He created.

Later, after the fall of man, God instructed Noah saying “Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” This was a change in that God gave man freedom to eat meat.

Later, when giving the law to Moses in Leviticus 11, God instructed the Israelites on foods they could eat by the cleanliness. While we are not under the law of Moses today the wisdom that God gave then still applies today. There are foods that are more excellent than others. There are meats that are better than others. There are clean and unclean things.

So common sense looks at what God has made. It looks at what God has revealed in creation and revealed to people throughout the ages. Wisdom with regard to food has been passed down such that we can know with common sense that cooking food is ok, eating meat is ok, and enjoying God’s creation is good.

There are new things to consider though. Governments and corporations try to tell us what is good when they have no clue. Don’t buy it. If you don’t know what something is on an ingredient list don’t just eat it thinking it will be ok. Go learn about it. So how does this play out in a practical way? Let’s say you pick up that can of diet soda and see ‘high fructose corn syrup’ and ‘aspartame’ on there. Do you know what that is? Really? Go look it up and read about them. After learning I hope that you will not drink that anymore.

In our day and age many great foods are not the same. Take the example of fish. So much fish is contaminated with mercury that one must be careful in choosing (and not to choose farmed fish either… ha). Also, the soil of many industrial farms is not the quality of a small private organic farm. Also, one farm may let their animals out on pasture eating greens as God intended while another farm may never let their animals outside of a barn. The quality in the food from these animals is drastically different.

Life gives life. Eat food that promotes life and you will be giving life to your body… you will be eating today to live tomorrow. Remember though, we are body, soul, and spirit. I believe our bodies are the weakest of the three. If you ask God, the Giver of Life, to give life to your spirit then He will and you will never die.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Food and Common Sense.

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Food and Common Sense… numero dos