Foods that Bring Life & Foods that Disrupt It

Part 2 of a 3-Part Series on Essential Nutrition by Katy Gillis, Certified Natural Health Professional, Amen University Brain Health Licensed Trainer, and Certified Biblical Coach.

Foods that bring life, and foods that disrupt it.

Watch the video lesson:

Here are the foods to eat that bring life-giving health: 

1. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs, animal proteins, fish and shellfish.

2. These are good options, too: oats, rice, pasta, beans, lentils, high-protein yogurt, olive oil, butter, honey, old-world cheeses, maple syrup, herbs and seasonings.

What not to eat (or to enjoy in moderation): 

Anything that isn’t on that list.

Try to choose organic or all-natural versions of anything you buy and eat. You'll find many choices at high-quality grocery stores, farm-to-table restaurants, and farms that use healthy livestock and pesticide-free produce practices.

The following foods are high in pesticides try to choose organic/pesticide-free:

1. Produce, herbs, grains, dairy, canned, packaged, and dry goods (flours, etc).

2. COFFEE is especially high in pesticides, mold inhibitors, and other toxins. Always choose organic coffee and, depending on your brain type, decaf might be your best option (brain video series coming up subscribe to see it first!)

3. Try to find free-range or organic meats and eggs (dark orange yolks) and wild-caught fish.

Foods that truly are evil (please watch the video lesson for an explanation):

1. Artificial flavors (artificial flavor)

2. Artificial colors (Red 40, #2 yellow, etc)

3. Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, etc)

4. High-fructose corn syrup 5. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils.

These "5 foods" are not foods really, but products and all of them have been proven to cause a disruption in our brain and body in some way, all of them raise inflammation (and can cause chronic inflammation) and can also be hormone disruptors, cause cancer cell growth and even damage our brain tissue that leads to ADD, anxiety, and early onset dementia (more on mental health coming in a video series soon). This is a small part of an exhaustive list of reasons not to eat them or feed them to those you love and care for. Inflammation is enough to replace them with healthier foods.

REQUEST: It is my sincerest prayer that, whatever you do with this information, you attempt to eliminate the 5 items above and most pesticides from your and your family's diets and see how your body responds in a few weeks. Sometimes REMOVING KNOWN BARRIERS to healing is all the body needs to recalibrate, restore, and renew - which is a part of the Lord's plan for everyone that we see repeated in scripture and in His healing ministry.

I personally believe that satan uses unhealthy food to distract, dis-ease, and destroy us. So let us remove this weapon from his arsenal.

At our coaching practice, we put everyone who enters any of our programs on this elimination strategy and have seen miracles from it alone. We also create a plan that supports their unique brain type and body systems with targeted nutrition and healthy lifestyle strategies that allow incredible results that truly last. Read more about our approach at the Renew Christian Coaching website.

Be sure to catch the first video in this series to gain a firm foundation for why eating this way matters (titled "Nutrition Essentials from a Biblical Perspective").

COMING UP in the Essential Nutrition series: a simple strategy for meal planning and grocery shopping that keeps you on track and on budget!

PS - a note on sweets: Life is sweet! Because cane sugar and unbleached flour are packaged foods, we buy organic versions and monitor the sugar closely. If we splurge on a dessert, we try to make sure it is all-natural (organic would be best). The guideline is to try to stay below 6 grams of added sugar per serving and to balance blood sugar levels with protein and clean-burning fats like butter and egg yolks. Moderation, balance, and inviting the counsel of the Holy Spirit - it has been my experience that He will guide His beloved (us) to wisdom in anything we ask of Him. He has promised to be faithful, even in the "little things."

Watch the other videos in this series:

Part 1: Nutrition from a Biblical Perspective

Part 3: Menu Planning & Grocery Shopping

As promised, here are my websites/your resources:

1. Renew Christian Coaching: for our personal coaching programs

2. Essential Beauty: the blog section contains healthy recipes and other resources for beauty from a biblical perspective

3. Instagram @renewchristiancoaching to stay connected

Disclaimer: We are not medical doctors and this material is not to be used as medical advice or to replace medical advice. We share information from multiple research studies that can be found at the National Institute of Health (www.nih.gov), Amen Clinics, and other leading scientific databases. We try to present our content from a biblical perspective - and at times, personal or professional experience or opinion - never assuming authority over the Holy Spirit's guidance to the individual, and pray it encourages you if you are a fellow Christian seeking to honor the Lord in all that you do.