Reducing the Load

WEEK 4: January 24, 2024 “Reducing the Load…”

I have started 3 new things this month:

What’s your new thing? Healthy habits = healthy YOU!

I’m taking my colon cleanse supplement. Is it working? YES! It is working! Our efforts are not in vain… We are giving our bodies what they need for the natural process of healing that we are designed for. We can see important clues from the waste that comes out, but let’s go a little deeper and visualize what’s happening inside the body where we cannot see. 

Picture healthy digestion… The digestive tract is a long tube that starts at the food entrance and ends at the waste exit. It’s packed in, changing in size, shape, and function as it curves around other organs in the body. Digestion begins in the mouth, where food is broken down into tiny particles by the teeth so that the nutrients can be used. In the mouth, the food is mixed with saliva containing enzymes to attack bacteria and break down simple sugars, staches, and even fats. The simple act of chewing also flips the on-switch for the rest of the digestive organs to get to work.

This magical saliva formula then carries all these teensy tiny particles of food (hopefully you chewed well!) through the esophagus where a valve opens and releases it into the stomach. In this safe space, the good old stomach acids break down the proteins even while the enzymes in the saliva continue to break down carbohydrates.

Several hours later, another valve opens and we get a gradual release of this partially digested food, called “chyme,” into the small intestine, where it the stomach acids are now neutralized and absorption of nutrients begins to take place. 

Now another valve opens and the chyme is passed into the first section of the colon, or large intestine. Here the chyme is processed by the body – literally squeezed by the peristaltic muscles – to extract its water, electrolytes, and bile salts. The intricate system of blood vessels in the large intestine carry the nutrients, as well as the body’s own production of vitamins and water away. 

Finally, we say bye-bye to the waste that is leftover from this amazing miraculous process. When you really think about it, the word “digestion” just doesn’t seem magical enough!

But what if you ate so much that the system got backed up? 

What if you didn’t chew well and the particles were too big?

What if you eat midnight snacks and a big breakfast every day?

It would be crazy to think about never washing the leftover food from the pots and pans and dishes we use. If we see a dirty spot on our plate, we clean it! But what about all those leftover particles of food that are unseen inside the body? Those need to be cleaned out as well. 

80% of the body’s energy is used toward detoxification – it is the major molecule-making activity within the body. The cycle of detoxification is most focused throughout the early morning hours. That midnight snack is not just a problem because it is probably junk food, it’s a problem because now the body has to move into digestion mode, stealing energy away from the all-important detoxification process. That’s why we begin fasting at 8pm, and then we can extend that fast throughout the morning, or at least keep the digestion simple by only eating fruit until noon. 

When the body begins to remove the built-up garbage in our colons, it begins by collecting the unwanted molecules by making them “sticky.” This is a messy process and the body needs to quickly move into the second phase of removal – literally taking out the trash. We want these nasty little buggers to get flushed out of the system completely. So right now, we are doing 3 very important things to support the body in this endeavor:

Now let’s talk about how to reduce the load of toxins entering the body within the context of our diet. I think about digestion and detoxification like a party in my body, and the foods on my plate are the party guests. When I plan a party at my house, I can only invite a limited number of people. I think about my friends from work who always bring a gift and how I would like them to be there. Then there’s the ones who make everyone laugh and feel good about themselves and I definitely want them there. Then I think about my old neighbor, but mainly because at the last party he didn’t use a coaster and left a ring on my antique coffee table. And I would invite my new friend from the gym, but her kids are kind of destructive. Oh, and I’d love to catch up with my old friend from college, but she always ends up overstaying her welcome. 

I really want to think about the reaction of foods in my body and make a decision not to invite foods to my digestive- / detox-party that are destructive or don’t leave in a timely manner. I need to focus on the foods that actually give my body nutrition and ultimately make me feel good. 

Spring cleaning your body means spring cleaning your plate, and your pantry, and your shopping cart… Like a party with friends, it takes some planning and preparation. Let’s look at some specific ways to reduce the toxic load by choosing foods that are more detoxifying, versus foods that have the potential to be congestive in the body.

Here's a list of foods with the least congesting foods on the top, moving to the most congesting foods at the bottom:

Fruits

Greens

Herbs

Water

Squash

Grains

Nuts

Potatoes

Roots

Seeds

Beans

Baked goods

Sweets

Milk

Eggs

Meat

drugs

fried foods

refined flour

damaged fats

Looking at this list, I see that there are a couple of things I could remove from my diet and really make a difference in the toxic load on my system. I already am free from taking prescriptions or over-the-counter medications and I don’t do recreational drugs. But with a gas stove, my light saute does tend toward fried food, so I’m going to work on that. But I think the biggest thing I can change, is to remove all processed foods that seem to find their way into my world under the category of convenience, or quick and easy. It really doesn’t take much time to make a scrumptious salad or satisfying smoothie. And the more I eat those things, the more I want them. I can focus my budget on more interesting vegetables and better quality meats if I forego the bags, cans and boxes of processed foods that leave me feeling unsatisfied and create ongoing problems inside my body. 

So my new thing is… HEALTHY FOOD PREP. Instead of buying convenience foods, I’m setting myself up for success by buying unprocessed natural foods and prepping them so that they are quick and easy to serve. Here are some tips that are helping me:

These ideas may not be original, but I want them to be more than ideas. I want them to be habits. 

I read an interesting statement in a book on cleansing by Cheryl Townsley. She said, “Without a purpose and a reason to be alive, or a vital relationship with the Living God, the price to get healthy is usually too high.” Do you know God made you for a purpose? I don’t have time to be sick and tired. I have important things to do, whether it’s ministry or construction work or just loving on our families… we were all created for a purpose and God wants us to enjoy being who He created us to be – to have the passion and energy to accomplish what He created us to do, and continually praise Him. He gave each one of us a magical miraculous body – and it came with a commandment to be good stewards of our bodies as they are His Temple. 

When I look at it that way, I don’t really think that making healthy choices, planning ahead, and saying no-thank-you to junk food is really that high of a price to pay. It’s so worth it! And I’m worth it!

I’m looking forward to all the benefits that cleansing through the year holds in store for me… and I’m praising God for all of it even now – before I see them manifested in my life. Check out this brief list of some of the benefits of cleansing:

clear skin

younger-looking skin

improved focus

weight loss

productivity

stable moods

strong immune system

more energy

fertility

…and an increased ability to hear God’s voice!

We have completed 23 days in our cleansing through the year journey – what keeps you motivated to move forward? Remembering the goal helps us to stay strong and focused on these daily habits that get us there.

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Let’s pray… Father God, we thank you for creating us for a purpose. Forgive us for taking the easy way out sometimes and giving junk-foods too much play in our daily routines – we thank you for life-giving healthy choices. We are so blessed to have a plethora of good choices available to us. Guide us in the minutia of altering our “normal” routine and adopting healthier habits. Give us favor with our family members and fill them up with a desire to make healthy changes, too. We ask that you to remove all stress and cares and worries. We thank you in advance for removing every toxin from our bodies and for teaching us a better way of living. We give you all the glory and the praise! In Jesus’ name, we pray.