Addition and Subtraction

My journey has opened my eyes to a few realities. One reality is that most of us will not change our eating habits short of a life-threatening illness that demands that we do. Another reality is that if we choose to change our eating habits, its not only what we stop eating but it's what we begin to eat that makes a profound difference in our health.

Life is an ebb and flow of giving and receiving and our very own cells flow in concert with this very concept.

It is profound to me that life at all levels reflects this principle of giving and receiving. Just as our lives are enriched when we give freely of ourselves, so to some of our own cells freely give of themselves to preserve our health. And the volume of cells that are capable of giving of themselves are increased when we give our bodies the right nutrients by consuming the right foods. This choice of giving to ourselves reflect God's selfless love for us in a very personal way. When we eat the right foods and sacrifice our desire for sugar-laden deserts or harmful refined foods like regular pasta or white rice, we multiply within ourselves cells that seek out dangerous cells described as free-radicals.

Free radicals are a by-product of our bodies constant generation of heat and our environment, which includes indulging in eating the wrong things or harmful habits like smoking. Free radicals are basically damaged cells that are missing an electron. These free radicals rage through our system seeking to destroy other cells, tissue and organs in order to steal from them the electron they are missing. Selfishness at the molecular level. Isn't that interesting?

Even more so, what I find interesting is the role of anti-oxidants which are cells that our bodies produce, in part as a result of our sharing with our bodies healthy foods from diverse fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts. You see, anti-oxidants have an extra electron. Their role is to seek out free radicals and to stabilize them by freely giving up their extra electron. So the more we share with our bodies true life-giving foods we empower our bodies to produce cells that exist to stabilize and heal damaged cells.

Is this not an amazing example. at a most minute and intrinsic level, what we learn about the importance of giving and receiving? It is something that I find worth some deep contemplation and I don't know about you but it is something that draws me closer to God.

So it's not just what we add to our diet that matters; it's also what we subtract from it. The more we give our bodies the right foods and the more we subtract unhealthy foods, the more we create life-giving cells who accept as their mission in life to seek out and heal cells gone astray that otherwise steal and cripple us from within.

May your life be filled with treasures both from giving to yourself and others, and receiving blessings in return!

Coop