First section Daily requirements of food items for optimal health
- Eat plenty of Vegetables and Fruit
For our physical bodies nutritionists recommend that we have 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables per day to provide vitamins and minerals and photo nutrients to fight the free radicals that build up in our bodies. Paul gives some insight into the fruits and vegetables that a Christian should eat. “Brothers and sisters, think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected” (Philippians 4:8)
In Galatians 5:22, 23 Paul outlines further the fruit of the Spirit “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” as another important aspect of our desire to obtain and turn away from our selfish past.
Another important aspect of this is prayer. Prayer can be likened to the vitamins and minerals that we need every day in small amounts, but all essential for the chemical reactions and development of an individual’s body. Prayers are needed for all sorts of things in a Christian’s daily journey.
- Eat plenty of Cereals
Cereals are the energy or power house and the staples in a person’s diet. This food sustains the energy level of a person throughout the day. In applying spiritual emphasis to this section the main source of energy and uplift in a Christian’s life is the study of the word.
Christians are encouraged to read it daily like the Bereans who studied it carefully. The Jews studied the scriptures carefully as they thought had eternal life. The Law and the Prophets also testified of Jesus. Remember the bible study that the 2 disciples had on the road to Emmaus after Jesus had risen (Bible text _______). John also states “happy is the one who reads the words of God’s message, and happy are the people who hear this message and do what is written in it.” (Rev 1:3)
- Include lean Meat, Fish, Poultry and Protein alternatives
Protein is considered to be the building blocks of the body. They provide the amino acids that the individual’s body uses to reproduce it’s self in the form of DNA. In the spiritual sense these are the beliefs (the frame works) which a Christian bases their understanding of doctrine and behaviours on (the principles.)
Another way to view this is cited by Vamosh (2002).
“The Roman-era Jewish philosopher Philo saw this as a symbolic meaning in the permission granted by God to eat certain foods and to refrain from eating other kinds. People increased in wisdom only if they had to consider carefully all aspects of life that would lead them to be more moral by chewing them over. A way of remembering to do these would be to only eat those animals that chew their cud” (p.11).
- Include Milk, Yoghurts, Cheese and alternatives reduced fat varieties.
If you remember the Dairy corporations’ advertisement for this is all you need is a piece of cheese, a tub of yoghurt and a glass of milk a day to get your calcium requirement. Calcium is required for healthy bones and body functions. In this context Peter explains that “As new born babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching. By it you can grow up and be saved, because you have already examined and seen how good the Lord is.” (1 Peter 2: 1-3)
- Drink plenty of Water
A human being’s physical bodies are least at 70% water. A person needs water to regulate their body temperature and also cleanse the cells and maintain the chemical processes. The main example of spiritual emphasis of how water is important to us is found in Jesus discussion with the woman at the well. Right at the end of the Bible in Rev 22: 17 the Angel says to John “Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may have the water of life as a free gift.”
How much water does a person need for their spiritual body? The physical body needs around at least 2 litres of water to be kept in balanced and sometimes more depending on the individual’s exercise or activity levels. Thus the Christian needs to drink from the well of living water also so he or she won’t go spiritually thirsty.
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