What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? — 1 Corinthians 6:19 King James
“Sound Physical Health” is this week’s principle. It is self-evident and should be number one on our list of priorities. Without health, you cannot create anything. You will not have the strength to be of service to mankind. Health is the ultimate gift because with it, everything else is possible. We can be a blessing to our Heavenly Father. Each and every day, we can fulfill your mission by helping yourself and others.
Let’s look at my own health. I learned I had Type 2 diabetes several years ago. With no health insurance at the time, I didn’t even know my health had spiraled out of control. But I knew there was something going on because I wasn’t my usual, energetic self. I could hardly walk and felt very weak; my energy and enthusiasm for living was no longer.
My breakthrough came when I finally got health insurance and went to a marvelous female doctor. My A1C, or average blood sugar level, was 7.5, well beyond the normal range. It hit me like a ton of bricks!
Heartbroken because of how my own mother’s health suffered before her death — both legs amputated, kidney failure, seven strokes and high blood pressure — I felt a determination within myself to change my life immediately. The first order of business was to throw out those foods that would continue to bring my health down.
During Mother’s illness, I studied causes and effects of diabetes and learned that a change of diet and exercise would make a difference. In fact, Mother died on Christmas Day in 2000, and immediately after her death, I began to learn how to live my life with knowledge of how we contract Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, in 2005, in keeping with my growing knowledge base, while completing my communications program for my master’s degree at Trinity University, my public relations campaign was “Stop Fanning the Flames of the Diabetes Epidemic,” in memory of my mother.
Information from NIH, from the American Diabetes Association and other medical journals had been included in my research, so when my own life became affected by this horrific disease, I knew immediately what must be done.
It worked! Within 90 days, my A1C had gone down to 6.2, and within eight months, I lost more than 40 pounds. My doctor said, “You’re like my poster child, I’m so proud of your progress!”
She didn’t understand how strongly I felt about the topic of diabetes! The Lord knew I would share my story and He knew I would share my mother’s story with others so they, too, would know what to do.
Let us begin with the foods we are purchasing in most of our grocery stores. Avoid non-organic meats, i.e., meats from animals that became fully grown in a matter of weeks or months, as they are filled with hormones. Some of those chicken legs are almost as large as a turkey!
Jeff Gillman, associate professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota and author of “The Truth about Organic Gardening,” said, “Many of these chemicals have the potential to be very damaging to humans if they are exposed to high concentrations, or to low concentrations over an extended period of time.”
Folks, let’s be willing to search for healthier foods for ourselves and our families. Buy organic foods, especially meats and vegetables. The unwanted ingredients in non-organic foods are causing cancers, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and more. Let us stop wasting money on fast foods and in nail salons. Use that hard-earned money to feed your body the nutrition it needs to function properly.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.