STOP DESTROYING YOURSELF
Can you imagine anyone deliberately going out to their car, beating it with a baseball bat, breaking all the windows, then slashing their own tires? Or someone adding water every day to their gas tank trying to make the gas last longer? Who in their right mind would do such a thing? Who in their right mind would intentionally destroy their own car?
This is precisely what millions of people are doing to themselves everyday by the food they eat, things they drink, and their deliberate choice not to exercise. They are intentionally destroying their own health. Eating ultra processed food, restaurant/fast food, and choosing not to exercise is killing you. This is not extremism or fanaticism, it is reality! It’s absolutely imperative we face this truth.
Bobby Jindal, a former principal adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and governor of Louisiana, said Sunday on Newsmax that he agrees with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the growth of chronic disease in the United States can be linked with the extreme consumption of ultra-processed foods.
“Let’s look at the rise of chronic diseases in America,” Jindal said, “We have an epidemic! You see the rise in autism, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. It is 90% of our healthcare spending. It is eight of the ten leading causes of death. Two million lives in America are lost every year due to these chronic diseases.”
These are mind blowing statistics! If this is not a wake up call, nothing is! As Christains, we have a responsibility to faithfully take care of what God has given us. We have a responsibility to walk in true wisdom and sound judgement. We have a calling from God to live wisely, not foolishly. We have been called by God to live a disciplined life. Yet, in my experience, few Christians take this responsibility seriously.
I implore you, take this advice seriously. It is life-saving, life-giving wisdom.
You can change the way you eat. You can change your daily routines and implement some simple, accessible forms of exercise right from your own home. Instead of slowly destroying your life, you can actually increase the quality and length of your life. You’ll be far more productive, and a much better witness for Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.
In my effort to help you and give you some ideas, I will share with you the foods I eat every day, and have for many years. Some have asked me for this information, so here it is. It is simple, accessible, easy to make, tastes delicious, it’s economical and is all extremely healthy for you. None of it is ultra-processed, or has any harmful additives.
I am going to be very specific and precise, as I know men want their information this way. All of these things have helped me stay healthy and strong.
Here are the simple things I eat every day:
I eat canned, organic black beans.
I eat a scrambled egg every day, cooked in organic extra virgin olive oil.
I buy plain greek, low-fat yogurt in large containers, and add frozen wild blueberries to them, mix in a little raw honey, and eat a cup twice a day. Great for protein and overall health.
I eat 2–3 organic Pink Lady apples every day.
I eat a banana every day.
I eat frozen blueberries as a snack every day.
I eat some walnuts every day, organic pumpkin seeds, and almond butter with a spoon. I eat my almonds this way, instead of almond nuts, as the nuts are very hard on my old teeth.
I buy organic chicken bone broth, and add some black beans in a cup of chicken broth. Add a few pumpkin seeds, with a little salt and Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning, and heat it up in a pan for my own soup every day.
I eat a little salmon 3–4 times per week. On Sundays we pan fry the salmon in olive oil with 21 Salute seasoning, eat some, and save the rest. I eat a little bit each morning for several more days.
I eat one can of Skipjack tuna, which I mix with mustard, every week.
I eat guacamole with cut up organic baby carrots. I use them to dip into my guacamole.
For a snack once or twice a week, I make popcorn in coconut oil with a little sea salt. I use bulk yellow popcorn from Walmart (their store brand).
I eat sprouted organic oats every morning with walnuts, making my own oatmeal.
I eat a mixed organic green salad with homemade salad dressing of mustard, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar, almost every day.
I drink only filtered water from our Berkey, a cup of coffee, and green tea, every day.
I buy my plain greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, organic guacamole, Kirkland coffee, organic baby carrots, bags of walnuts, organic pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, organic sprouted oats for my oatmeal, raw honey, extra virgin olive oil, almond butter, and organic chicken bone broth from Costco.
I get my Norwegian farmed salmon, organic Pink Lady apples, eggs, 21 Salute seasoning, and sea salt from Trader Joes.
I get my organic black beans, organic mixed green salad, bananas, apple cider vinegar, tuna, and green tea from Aldi.
The supplements I take each day are an electrolyte packet in water, a mens multivitamin, a zinc tablet, 2 cal/mag tablets, extra magnesium, a turmeric tablet, a probiotic, and cod liver oil for vitamin D. I get my supplements at Vitacost.com and men’s multivitamin at Trader Joes.
My daily exercise routine is simple. I walk as I pray, every single morning. I do 50 pushups every day. I do 25 minutes of stretching, and 50 seconds of planks every day. I do my Total Gym three times per week. I ride my bike inside, twice a day for 6 minutes, using HIIT to keep my heart fit and in good shape.
The result: At almost 69 years old my resting heart rate is 60 to 70 bpm. My blood pressure is 118/78. My BMI is 21. I’ve maintained the same weight for decades.
No matter who you are, you can succeed in these matters. You just have to want it, make your plan, implement your plan, and stick with your plan. Over time you will see wonderful results. It’s never too late to make these powerful changes.
Proverbs 1:32 NLT—Their own complacency will destroy them.
1 Corinthians 9:27 AMP—But, like a boxer, I strictly discipline my body.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
