Food to avoid

This section would not be complete without a list of foods to avoid. Health professionals caution us to avoid all these, or at least greatly limit them.

• Refined white flour and sugar and everything made from them: bread, pastry, packaged cereals, pies, doughnuts, ice cream, cookies, candy bars, and so much more.
• Processed meats (even all-beef or poultry): hot dogs, bacon, sausages, bologna and luncheon meats. Most all these items contain nitrates and/or nitrites—known carcinogens to be avoided!
• Cream cheese, margarine, and mayonnaise (these items contain undesirable chemicals; mayonnaise found in the health food section is better, but beware of rancid foods).
• Carbonated beverages. Also avoid excessive alcohol, coffee or tea.

PHYSICAL FASTING
There are two types of physical fasts:
(1) Water fasting, which now has relatively fewer advocates. This was popular prior to the mid-1900s.
(2) Juice fasting, which produces the same successful results, with additional key benefits.

Limiting toxins around the home includes some of these guidelines: Avoid using air freshener sprays, certain cleaning sprays, bug killers and even hair sprays. If using hair spray, consider spraying it outside the house. Also, when bringing clothes home from the dry cleaners, it is best to remove the plastic covers and let the clothes air out (while outdoors) for a time before bringing them into the home. Volatile chemicals are used in the cleaning process.

The principle of rest applies to both the physical and spiritual planes. Notice what occurred at the end of the creation week: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made” (Gen. 2:2).

God set the standard by which man was to rest from all his physical labors and dedicate the time to spiritual matters. (Though He did not literally need to rest.) Aside from being a time of spiritual renewal, the Sabbath day is an opportunity to physically and mentally recuperate after six days of work. Notice: “Six days shall you labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord your God: in it you shall not do any work…” (Ex. 20:9-10).

The land Sabbath, in which the land lies idle and “rests” every seven years, is an extension of the same principle. The Creator revealed that even the land must be allowed time to recharge: “Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall neither sow your field, nor prune your vineyard” (Lev. 25:3- 4). Unless the land is allowed to achieve chemical equilibrium, which comes through periodically lying dormant, the produce grown on it diminishes in quality. However, men continue to defy this law!

Just as the land Sabbath recharges the soil, resting on the weekly Sabbath invigorates man. Of course, to function properly, the daily cycle of sleep is necessary. This vital time is not wasted. Without sufficient sleep, biological systems break down.

The amount of required sleep varies with individuals. Some can function with as little as five hours. Others require nine or so. Eight hours is normal for most. When circumstances dictate, one can function with much less sleep for a time. This shows how the body adapts to meet life’s demands. Exercise and fasting increase one’s need for sleep. They also promote deeper, sounder sleep.

Sufficient sleep pays wonderful dividends. It allows one to operate at greater capacity the next day. One is better prepared, physically and mentally, to face the challenges of the new day. Sometimes, circumstances require one to work later and sacrifice sleep. Students often skip needed sleep to study for tests or complete assignments at the last moment. Advance preparation is always better than last minute sacrifices. At any rate, lost sleep is rarely ever redeemed.

Of all the body’s critical needs, sleep and rest are the most crucial. The body can survive longer without water than it can without the bare minimum of sleep and rest. Just as land denied its Sabbath rest becomes depleted, the body becomes depleted when pushed to exhaustion without rest. Therefore, allow your body ample time to rest. Too much is at stake!

The practice of hygiene is closely related to order and organization. Notice the following scripture: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (I Cor. 14:33). Verse 40 continues, “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

These verses primarily apply to how people should conduct themselves in the Church. But they extend to all areas of life.

In every arena, an absence of conscious effort to maintain order results in confusion and disorder. Pertaining to the human body, the neglect of personal hygiene is demonstrated by the image of the 1960s hippie. Filth, confusion, and disorder are only natural when one defers to laziness, making no effort to promote cleanliness and order. Consider. Without man’s intervention, a natural equilibrium results between the plant and animal kingdoms. This environmental balance is another way the creation regulates itself.

Within man’s environment—his living quarters, personal hygiene, and anywhere that man is present—the “laissez faire” (leave it alone or hands off) principle that works within the ecosystem no longer applies. Man is supposed to put forth effort and work to keep his immediate environment clean and in order. Notice: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it” (Gen. 2:15). To dress and keep the garden meant much sustained effort and work. God wants us to produce and accomplish.

Give careful attention to the basic requirements of personal hygiene. Make a conscious effort to keep your living quarters clean and orderly. Garbage must be continually collected and disposed of. Do not allow it to accumulate wherever it falls. The condition inside and outside a home reflects whether a family practices these godly principles.

Certain hygienic practices acceptable in the 1800s and early 1900s are unacceptable today. Allowing body odor is an example. This could cost a promotion at work, or sometimes determine whether one is even retained.

Cleanliness of the hair, nails, teeth and breath should be maintained for personal health. It also demonstrates self-refinement. When one puts forth the effort of personal grooming and neatness, an acceptable self-respect is maintained. Personal hygiene, cleanliness and appropriate dress for every occasion help set the mind on a higher plane.

Accidents pose their own often overlooked threat to good health. Most accidents happen to people who are preoccupied. More often, they occur when one is in a hurry to meet a deadline. Sometimes just getting the job done seems to take precedence over doing it safely.