IN SEARCH OF A SALT FREE WORLD

In Search of a Salt Free World

I feel like an explorer when I am in the marketplace. Sodium lurks in every aisle and around every corner. Gone are the days when you could just walk into a market, wander up and down the aisles picking up whatever you desire. Well, it is gone once you choose to be healthy. I have heard that health is wealth and I truly believe that. Without our health we have nothing. Sure money can buy you quality healthcare and all the best doctors, but they can only do so much.

Bad foods equal bad health. Your bones become brittle, your muscles weak, your teeth decay, your eyesight becomes dimmer, you have digestion problems, heartburn, your skin become dry and dull, and your hair and nails become brittle. This can and often is a sign of what we refer to as “old age” but many older people who have taken great care of their bodies look great. Even more importantly they feel great.

Sodium, commonly called salt, is essential to our bodies. We need salt to live. Our sweat is salty, our tears are salty and even our blood consists of some sodium content. The problem is a little goes a long way. Less is more. Years ago when salt became an additive it was a wonderful thing. Our ancestors did not consume nor did that have as many food choices as we have today. Vegetables were harvested from the garden, bread was baked in the kitchen, and butter was churned. In most cultures, especially in America, this is a life that does not exist except in the history books. Why go through all that trouble when you can just pluck these items and more off supermarket shelves.

So salt is not evil, it is the excess of salt that does our bodies harm and raises our blood pressure to abnormal levels. There really is no need for salt shakers…they are obsolete. The salt is already there, waiting. Everything from soda (pop), to cereal contains sodium and much of it is disproportionate to our daily needs. This is multiplied if your idea of cooking dinner is boxed pasta or those helper meals, salty snacks, and fast food. As a nation we are addicted to sugary, salty, and processed foods, an unhealthy and often deadly combination.

So as I continue my exploration for excessive amounts of added salt, I do adhere to the guidelines of daily salt requirements recommended for a healthy balanced diet. According to The Salt Institute the healthy range of salt intake is between 1,150- 5,750 mg/day which is termed the “hygienic safety range” of sodium intake by renowned Swedish hypertension expert Dr. Bjorn Folkow This varies per individual so consult your doctor before cutting salt too much. If like me, you have hypertension, stick closer to the lower part of the scale.

Remember…while we need to be conscious of our salt consumption, if we really did have a SALT FREE WORLD…we would all die.

To read more about the health benefits of salt and the recommended requirements http://www.saltinstitute.org/Issues-in-focus/Food-salt-health/Human-salt-requirements and http://www.saltinstitute.org/Uses-benefits/Salt-in-Food/Essential-nutrient

© Amira Richardson 2012

Funny how I wrote this blog today and then a 11 Alive news was talking about salt intake. Kodos for Boston Market for cutting back on some of the salt that they add to their food!

Tea Is Definitely Not Like Coffee

Every morning I used to look forward to my morning cup of coffee…lots of sugar and even more powdered creamer. It couldn’t get any better. All that rich smooth, sweet mocha taste. What a great way to start a morning. I have even indulged in drinking it at night. If I went to bed as soon as I finished it I would be good and relaxed and slept like a baby. It was all about timing…if I stayed awake afterwards too long, it woke me up when the caffeine kicked in and I would not be able to sleep.

Back to the topic…I decided all that sugar and creamer and yes the caffeine was not good for me…so I gave up coffee and switched to herbal tea. Now if you have ever stood in front of the tea selection and tried to figure out what tea to buy, you know it’s a challenge. There are way too many. I decided it was best, since there are herb based herbal teas and fruit based herbal teas, to start out by illuminating all the herb based ones and to choose a fruit I love, oh did I mention I really don’t like fruit except bananas and I did not see banana tea which sounds gross anyway. Back to selecting…I do occasionally like strawberries, mangos, and blue berries…and rather than have to choose between them I grabbed the VARIETY PACK SAMPLER. Tah Dah! Problem solved or so I thought anyway. Then I couldn’t decide what flavor to start with. Hmmm…now here is what usually happens…you choose your favourite thing and end up with what you aren’t sure if you like it stuff. Therefore the best thing to do is reverse it and choose something you are not sure of and then you are “saving the best for last!”  Ahhh Haaa that’s where that saying came from!

I can’t stand sugar in tea, which is why I chose the tea in the first place, so I added Splenda and sat down with my raspberry tea. I used to really hate raspberry by the way but have learned to tolerate and even halfway like it over the past couple years…but still it ended up being on the bottom of the heap, which is why it was first…smiles.

I took a sip and it was good, even half-way to great…but it wasn’t coffee. It wasn't exciting. I don’t look forward to my next cup. It doesn’t have that aroma that draws you in. Who ever walked past a tea shop and had to stop and detour to buy some…no it’s not the same. Pass a coffee shop and you feel the need to buy some right then and there. Tea is definitely not coffee and I am so temped to switch back but it takes 30 or 31 days to break a habit and its only been 2 weeks. So even though tea is definitely not coffee I will trudge on for at least 17 more days and while I am sipping my tea I will close my eyes and daydream about the aroma of coffee. 

The Nicest Man I Never Met

Michael was not yet officially part of my family...but he was family. I knew he was funny, compassionate, loving, and caring. He would have made a wonderful husband and anything else that was not to be. He had found his soulmate and she had found hers in him. I cried for him, I cried for her, I cried for what was never to be. The glimmer of hope is that love can be tangible, you can touch it, hold it, nurture it. Even though he is not here his love lives on. That is what is important now...that and the memories. R.I.P Officer Michael.

My Spiritual Journey {Part 2 Day 7}

“Blessed be the pure in heart…for they shall see God.” What better way to become pure in heart than to line your spirit up with God’s word and forsake the ways of the world.

God commands that we be separate from the things in this world, that we be in the world, but not of the world. This we cannot do under our own power but by leaning on Jesus we are counted strong and not weak.

Fasting purifies the body and when the body is purified, so is the mind, and if the mind is purified so then is the soul. My blood sugar has not dropped one time since this fast because not only did I step out on faith and put my trust in God, but neither did I defeat my journey before I began with negative thoughts. Instead I believe I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. Not some things, not a few things, but All things. God’s word says it and so I must believe it.

The Bible says, “Should a man gain the whole world and lose his soul?” God wants us to lean not to our own understanding but to trust, have faith, and believe that He is just and will do what He said He would do. As children are with their natural parents, so are we to be with our Heavenly Father. When we are in tune with God’s spirit and His ways are our ways, no GOOD thing shall be withheld from us. The Bible says, “Seek yea first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things shall be added unto you who are called according to His purpose.”

To do this we must bring our flesh under submission which brings us back to fasting and abstinence. Your soul always seeks our Creator and His ways, but the flesh seeks after the things that make it feel good, the pleasures of the world, even if it is only temporary. Our flesh is never happy, never satisfied, and always, always willing to try something new to obtain gratification. This oft times leads to perversions, greed, and down a path to destruction of oneself and others.

So you see by telling your flesh a simple thing like, “No we are not eating right now, or doing this or that right now,” you are reigning it in and gaining your spiritual control back once again.

However Fasting is not about just giving up a meal or two. When you fast, READ God’s word, MEDITATE on His word, and above all, Pray. Your prayers should not be self-centered, for God already knows what you have need of as well as the desires of your heart. Pray selflessly for others, pray for the unsaved not just in your own households and families, but also for those in this world. Above all pray prayers of GRATITUDE and be thankful for the things God has already done for you. Even our waking up every morning and going out and returning home safely are things we should be grateful for. There was a book written called “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” and although we should not worry about the small stuff we should always be grateful no matter how small or insignificant we think something is.

IN ALL THINGS…GIVE THANKS!

My Spiritual Journey

They say that fasting is a personal endeavor, something performed predominately in solitude. The Bible says when you are fasting to keep it to yourself…to not be boastful or puffed up about the fact that you are abstaining from food. To partake in such things is to already have received your reward. I believe that whole-heartedly.

Today is August 6, 2011, day 6 of Ramadan, the sixth of my fast. In case you are wondering or you are just plain curious, no, I am not Muslim. I do however believe in fasting and prayer and supplication. What better time to take a pilgrimage, not towards Mecca, but towards The Almighty God, The Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior.

Fasting is not about just giving up a meal or two for a few hours as most people perceive. Fasting is about focusing your Mind, Body, and Soul. When you abstain from food for a certain period of time you are telling your body, your flesh, “You are not the boss of me, you have no power over me and you must do as I say and not do the things that you want to do when you want to do them.”

Ramadan in and of itself is a time of reflection, a time of repentance, a time of rededication, and a time of abstinence. There are very few humans on this earth that cannot benefit from this practice. That is why Ramadan is the time I choose to partake of my heavenly voyage. The Bible says “Where two or three are gathered, He is in the midst of them.” Millions all over the world, Muslim and Christian alike have joined on one accord to think of nothing but God and all things Holy.

I have always said if all men could have the Faith of a Christian to believe that Jesus died so that we may live and that He washed away all our sins and forgave us…and if we could Pray five times a day and give Alms to the poor as a Muslim, and Meditate on Our Heavenly Father like the Hindu people do to their god…and Witness like the Jehovah’s…and Praise God like the Holiness Churches….and Worship Jesus and be baptized like the Baptists…and Confess our sins and Repent to Jesus like the Catholics do with their priest, this world would be filled with God’s chosen people who would be More Than Conquerors!

By Reason of Insanity

By Reason of Insanity…

The whole reason why people jump off bridges, put guns to their heads and suck up carbon monoxide is plain and simple…loneliness. When you are lonely the whole world turns without you. You don’t even feel like a small blip…an atom…or a micro organism. People just plain don’t know you even exist.

I wonder statistically how many people just never leave their homes. Their whole lives exist within the contents of 4 walls. No matter how many floors, 1 or 2, or how many amenities you may or may not have…you are, we are, still alone. God forbid you have limited windows and only one door, or that you can’t open your blinds for fear, or just plain because you have nosey neighbours. Then, there is no world, there is only our involvement with ourselves.

We, the lonely and deprived of this world who are alone with our TV’s, our computers, and our thoughts, should get together…is that why there was a “Lonely Hearts Club?”

Even if we leave the confines of our self imposed prisons and venture out into the world…everyone is in twos, threes…groups…laughing, talking, even sometimes arguing.

The lonely is still there…lurking…waiting…watching, and when we return to our solitude it is even there to greet us at the door. Some feel there is no escape, which is the whole reason why people jump off bridges, put guns to their heads, and suck up carbon monoxide…isn’t that insane?

                                  ~This blog does not promote or condone suicide~

                                              Cast ALL your cares upon Jesus!

Pleasing People

It’s funny how some people will NEVER really know you. They won’t know that you are funny, that you are smart, what your favourite food or you favourite colour is. One reason may be because they are so self-centered, only wanting you to know who THEY are. Mostly it’s because with some people you can NEVER truly just be yourself.

There is a quote that reads “you can please some of the people, some of the time, all of the people, some of the time but not all of the people, all of the time.” The original quote by Abraham Lincoln reads as thus…”You can fool some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” Maybe we shouldn’t fool people. Maybe we should remember…”To thine OWN heart…be true.”

I am sensual….you don’t know me

I am pleasure….you don’t know me

I am wise…you don’t know me

I am love…you don’t know me

I am hope…you don’t me

I am dance…you don’t know me

I am childlike…you don’t know me

I am ambitious…you don’t know me

I am sensitive…you don’t know me

I… am… a…dreamer…you…don’t…know…me!

I am giving…you don’t know me

I am loving…you don’t know me

I am kind hearted…you don’t know me

I am passionate…you don’t know me

I am complete…you don’t know me

I...love…the…me…that…I…am…BUT you don’t know me

I am joy…but…you…don’t …know…me

I am sadness…but you don’t know me

I am creative…but you don’t know me

I am faith…do…you…know…me?

I am prayer….do you know me?

I am a collection of all that God made me….I am BEAUTIFUL…KNOW…ME!