Hi there from day two of the Daniel Plan from Well Within!
I'm eager to share some thoughts with you about food today. I got going this morning with a nice walk with my dog Rosie. She keeps me motivated to get some early exercise. When I got home I threw a little olive oil, then some onions, mushrooms and broccoli into the iron skillet. Dropped in a couple of tablespoons of water and put a lid on it, let it steam for about three minutes and added a half cup of cooked red rice (found it at Produce Place of Suntree. love that place!).
I beat two eggs (get them from Rockledge gardens farmers market) and turned down the heat and poured them over the veggies. A couple of turns and voila! A quick and easy Daniel Plan breakfast, in just the proportions we talked about yesterday.
Really try to get in the habit of thinking in terms of the four quadrants. It will keep you from overeating in any one group and will leave you full and satisfied. More importantly, you will be properly fueled to avoid blood sugar spikes.
Blood sugar levels are a crucial factor in maintaining health. The standard American diet, acronym SAD, is high in foods or more accurately "food-like substances" which send blood sugar levels on a roller coaster throughout the day. Each time your body has to process high sugar content foods it has to produce insulin to deliver the sugar to the cells (where it is used for fuel). As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas has to produce more insulin to try to get the cells to receive the sugar in the blood. The cells already have all the fuel they need so they reject the sugar. The body then produces more insulin. Eventually the body can develop insulin resistance, which is commonly known as adult onset or type 2 diabetes.
It is estimated that 10 percent of the population currently has this problem and the number is expected to double in the next ten years, creating a monumental health crisis.
Another fact to consider about insulin is that, in the presence of insulin, the body will NEVER burn fat. Fat is potential energy in the body and it has to be converted to sugar for fuel. Think about it, if there is already enough fuel (sugar) that is trying to be delivered via insulin, why would the body ever try to tap its fat reserves for fuel?
With all that in mind, can you see how eating a lot of high glycemic foods such as bread, cakes, pizza, pasta, muffins, juice, sweet tea, soda and Gatorade will sabotage any and all attempts to get into real fat burning?
The way to get your body back on track is to consume large amounts of vegetables with small amounts of quality proteins and complex starchy carbs.
Today's Bible verse
“So whether you eat or drink whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”
See you tomorrow.
-Noel