TAKING CARE OF OUR HEARTS

How are things going with your heart?

Are you taking care of it?

Last week we discussed that the heart is the holy place of the temple of our bodies.

We noticed that the patterns God gave for the wilderness tabernacle can also relate to places in our bodies; and the heart relates to The Holy Place.

Today we are going to talk about some specific ways to take better care of this holy place within us where our heart resides.

Just like the priests of old had chores to do to take care of the functions of the wilderness tabernacle; we have tasks to do to take care of the health of our hearts.  Those priests had things they did daily, and daily is the key word to use about the things we can do for our heart health.

THE ALTAR THAT BURNS FOOD

When you think of the heart as a working altar, and you realize that your food intake is actually comparable to a daily sacrifice that you bring to your temporary temple where God dwells; you also realize you need to know exactly what to eat.

All sacrifices are not the same.

Some are not suitable for certain uses.

Many offerings might be blemished and/or defiled.

The offerings at the temple have to be clean.

Our bodies need clean and sustainable foods.

Scientists recommend that we should get into the habit of eating at least five fruits and vegetables each day.  A lot of people describe this as “eating the rainbow” which means they try to vary the colors of their food intake; getting different nutrients from different colors of foods.

REDUCING INFLAMMATION

Did you know that reducing inflammation in your body can reduce the chances of heart attacks or stroke by fifteen percent?

In order to take care of your heart you must be careful to reduce inflammation.  This happens by being careful about the foods we eat.

So why not eat those vegetables and fruits that are known for reducing inflammation?

Those would be:

1. Berries
2. Leafy Greens
3. Salmon (wild caught)
4. Avocados
5. Broccoli (and others in this family including cauliflower, chad, and Brussels’ sprouts)
6. Garlic
7. Ginger
8. Chia Seeds

Are these the foods that you are bringing to the altar of your heart?

UNSUITABLE SACRIFICES

Also you should watch out for foods that are not suitable for this offering.

These would be:

Salt

Sugar

Saturated fats – bacon (full of fats, salt, sodium and preservatives – plus Jesus didn’t eat bacon!)

Refined carbs

Red meat. (Look for lean cuts and only take red meat occasionally – not daily.)

Soda (full of sugar)

Baked Goods – these should only be very rare treats. Cookies, cakes and muffins are typically loaded with extra sugar and are linked to higher triglyceride levels which lead to heart disease.  They contain flour, which may spike your blood sugar and make you stay hungry all the time.  Trim the sugar – only use whole wheat flour and use liquid plant oils instead of butter or shortening.

Deli meats – these are high in fats, sodium and preservatives. Use natural meats for making lunches, meats that have not been processed.  The best choice would be cooked-at-home turkey.

Rice, Bread, Pasta – these are all usually made from white flour. They all turn into sugar eventually.  The healthy things like fiber, vitamins and minerals are missing.  They cause belly fat that links to type 2 diabetes and heart disease; plus they make you gain weight in the worse of all possible places.

You can substitute brown rice, whole wheat flour and oats.  Look for the words “100% whole grain” when you are shopping for bread or other grain products.

Pizza – unless it is homemade or from cauliflower and whole grain thin crust with limited amounts of cheese and large amounts of vegetables, it is going to be full of flour and saturated fats. Avoid the pizza parlors.

Alcohol – a moderate amount will not hurt some people; but if you have high blood pressure or high triglycerides heavy drinking can make matters much worse. Always drink only on special occasions and in moderation.  (That is what Jesus did.  He used high content alcohol only as a celebratory drink; where the rest of the culture seemed to be taking it daily. )

Butter: It is high in saturated fat and can raise your bad cholesterol.  Replace butter with olive oil which contains heart-healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats.  Use a spread called “stanol” to help lower your LDL cholesterol levels.

Flavored Yogurt – It can contain heavy amounts of sugar and artificial flavorings made from bad chemicals. Instead; buy plain, low-fat yogurt and add fresh fruit yourself.  Artificially flavored yogurt is very fattening and will cause you to gain weight.  Leaving out the flavors though and adding the natural ingredients will help reduce inflammation and weight gain.

French Fries and Hash Browns – these are full of fat and salt. The potatoes turn to sugar later.  Instead bake sweet-potato sticks drizzled in olive oil.

Fried foods – They are always a bad choice. All fried foods are linked to heart problems.  Try baking, while leaving off the flour instead.  Most fried foods contain lots of salt, which is on the “no” list.

Canned Soup – These products look healthy enough; but they are full of high-sodium, saturated fats, extra preservatives and salt. This is bad for your heart.  Try making fresh soups at home using low-sodium broths.

Ranch Dressing: It is made from buttermilk, salt and sugar.  Sorry – but those are not good for your heart!  Ranch dressing is high in fat, sodium and calories.  You can substitute low-fat sour cream mixed with herbs or chives.

Ice Cream. This one is so hard to resist; but ice cream is full of sugar and saturated fats.  Save it for a very special occasion.  Ice Cream can drive up your triglycerides in a hurry.  Substitute frozen yogurt, sorbet and frozen fruit bars; but be sure to check the labels for these to be sure they contain only healthy ingredients.

Potato Chips – they are fattening and contain lots of salt. Leave off the chips!

SO WHAT CAN WE EAT?

This isn’t as hard or as complicated as it sounds.

There are many available guides.  One of the most popular and best cookbooks for planning heart healthy meals is the Mayo Clinic Diet book and cookbook,  I will try to link it to our products topics soon and post in our next Community Store posts.   I’m working on 30 days of heart-healthy menus for my own home and use; and I will include those in a later post too, along with some great recipes you might want to try.

Many people are now using the Keto diet and its recipes for maintaining good heart health.  I’m not going to recommend it to you today though.

There is a reason for that decision; because only certain individuals can use the Keto diet effectively.  Some people should not do it.  If you are young, not pregnant, have no other known health problems (besides needing to lose weight) and can come up with enough money each week to follow the menus they recommend; it would probably be a fine thing for you to do.  I’m not totally against it; but on the other hand, it doesn’t work for everyone.

I do know many who have used it successfully and have now lost weight and feel healthier; I also know some who tried it with health problems who experienced increased symptoms and even one person who had their blood pressure to drop so low that they had to be hospitalized.  If you decide to go this route; please clear it with your medical doctor first.

This blog may tackle the ins and outs of the Keto diet on another day.  For now;  we simply want to learn the basics for maintaining heart health, and I don’t think Keto is the answer for maintaining good heart health.  (Remember I am not a doctor; this is my own personal opinion.)

Why not try making up your own meals and menus first (based on the above information); before thinking about a Keto diet, simply because the Keto diet is harder to implement.  Some of the methods are the same as the general rules in maintaining good heart health; and we will look at those things and methods together and begin to learn them.

Today we are only concerned with the basics for healthy heart health.  If you follow what I have mapped out above you will be stepping toward improvements in your diet.

It always helps to implement things into baby steps that become cumulative daily habits.  We have already established the practice of sitting quietly in meditation and prayer before God each day for at least fifteen minutes without interruptions.  Heart health requires reductions in stress levels and this is the best technique available for reducing stress (in my opinion.)  This should be a habit by now; so please continue to use the method for better health each day.  Take your journal and ask God what else you need to be doing for a healthier life.  Write down the answers so that you remember.

The next baby step is to eliminate all sugar from your diet.  This is probably the one thing that you could do that would improve your health the most.  Every time you want to consume sugar stop and remind yourself that your heart is an altar in the temple of your body.  God has said through science that sugar is not an acceptable sacrifice for this altar.  Make a different choice.  Choose a healthy food instead, or even divert your attention from this craving by doing a satisfying activity such as listening to soothing music or taking a walk.

Mark down your weight in your journal the next time you meditate.  Date it.  Know that this was the day you gave up sugar.  Ask God to help you have the strength to keep this commitment.

I am with you and I am praying for you as we go on this journey together.

There is so much more heart information to cover before we move on – let’s talk more next week.

 

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