{"id":3861,"date":"2015-04-15T07:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-04-15T11:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/?p=3861"},"modified":"2015-04-17T14:26:39","modified_gmt":"2015-04-17T18:26:39","slug":"choose-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/2015\/04\/15\/choose-well\/","title":{"rendered":"Choose Well"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>They were calling out to me. In all their hot, oily, salty splendor, those spuds hollered my name. Such was the case when I walked past that Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint. Yield not to temptation. Score one for team healthy!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I was chatting with some ladies in my Women\u2019s Group and one asked how I stay so disciplined when it comes to my eating. As I described to her what I do when faced with a food choice, she summed it up quite well. She said, \u201cSo you do a lot of self-talk\u201d. And that\u2019s correct.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Honoring your temple is a choice. And when faced with options, I constantly have to weigh and choose.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.\u201d Joshua 24:15<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Because my body is the temple where the Holy Spirit resides, I have to choose to honor my temple. And choosing well is not always easy. I\u2019ve shared previously how I\u2019ve devised a system that supports honoring my temple through proper nourishment. You can read more about how I choose well with:<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Healthy Eating On The Go\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/healthy-eating-go\/\">Eating Right<\/a>\u00a0on the go<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"How to Get Them to Eat Right\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/get-eat-right\/\">Getting Kids to Eat Right<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I like to keep it interesting in the kitchen so I\u2019m always concocting something that tantalizes the taste buds. But on the real, truth be told I love a few foods that do the opposite of honoring the temple. I LOVE coffee, pizza, macaroni and cheese and two of my absolute favorites are tiramisu and The Cheesecake Factory\u2019s Banana Cream Cheesecake. One slice of that cheesecake has a whopping 930 calories, 36 grams of fat and 60 grams of sugar.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, on away from that cheesecake!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When I walk into my local Wegman\u2019s grocery store to pick up a few items and haven\u2019t eaten lunch yet, my eyes spot the mac and cheese. One whole hot bar station is full with different types of mac and cheese: traditional, blue cheese, chicken mac and cheese and more. Can I also mention here that the bakery is right near the hot food bar replete with pastries, cakes and cookies? The struggle is real folks! Nonetheless, I begin a dialogue with myself. It sounds a little something like this:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Mmm that mac and cheese smells so good<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Don\u2019t even look in that direction<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Hot cheesy melty goodness<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Seek out the vegetables<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~A little won\u2019t hurt<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Honor your temple and choose well<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Ch-a (that\u2019s me sucking my teeth)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~Brown Rice veggie sushi roll w\/ small side of Sichuan green beans<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~You\u2019ve chosen well daughter.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m sure you are confronted with similar choices every day all day. From the moment you wake up you have to decide, will you have:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~McDonald\u2019s Medium McCafe Carmel Mocha 390 calories 14 grams of fat and 50 grams of sugar. That one drink has your recommended sugar intake for 2 days!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>~McDonald\u2019s Bacon Egg and Cheese Bagel with egg whites because hey, you\u2019re trying to save on some grams of cholesterol by choosing well with the egg whites yet it has 530 calories, one fourth of your total caloric intake for the day, 23 grams of fat, more than one-third of your daily value of fat and 1340 mg of sodium, more than half of your recommended value of salt for the day.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So with those two breakfast choices, one\u2019s health account is overdrawn and checks are bouncing.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While you may not know or have readily available these nutritional facts before you consume food (though it is posted in McDonald\u2019s) you should ask yourself, \u201cIs this contributing to or detracting from my health?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/McDonalds-Choices.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/McDonalds-Choices-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"McDonald's Choices\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m sharing here not to point fingers or to make you feel bad. I\u2019m sharing because I know from my personal experiences that it IS difficult to choose well. I do have one area where I am NOT so disciplined and that is with popcorn. See I had rationalized it was healthy so I could indulge but that indulgence went too far and I had to really examine myself. You can read more about that here. But I\u2019m happy to report; I\u2019m getting that under control. I will not be a slave to my urges. Yes, by the power of the Spirit at work in me I am a spirit-controlled self-disciplined individual.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A spirit-controlled individual is self-disciplined. As Believers we can discipline ourselves to attend worship service regularly, to serve regularly, to dial in to prayer calls regularly, to have daily quiet time, but when it comes to eating right and exercise\u2026well, it can be challenging.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I know it\u2019s difficult. But I also know that we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength. Just like He strengthens me at this very moment to not go downstairs and get something sweet. I used to like to have a sweet little bite before going to bed but I had to end my attachment with that. Eating before bed interrupts your ability to fast overnight. That\u2019s why the first meal of the day is called Breakfast because you are breaking your overnight fast. Eating before sleeping can cause insomnia, restless sleep, weight gain, and heartburn among other issues. I have eaten before bed and literally awoke feeling like I had a hangover. And I thought to myself, \u201cDid that food ferment in my stomach?\u201d I\u2019m no doctor but that was my immediate thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So be empowered friends to choose well.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cToday I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!\u201d Deuteronomy 30:19<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Having the right information is just one step in helping you make better choices. When it comes to what you eat, some decisions may be clearly apparent, while others may be murky. To assist you when making better choices at the grocery store and at restaurants there is a fun quick read called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Eat-This-Not-That-2013\/dp\/1609618246\/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429090964&sr=8-1&keywords=eat+this+not+that\">Eat This Not That<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Coupled with the right information is then exercising our will and making the right choices. Will we choose to add to or to detract from our health? Every food decision we make is either a deposit or a withdrawal. There is no food shade of gray, just black or white, an investment or a loss, an advancement of health or a reversal.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>\u201cEvery person has free choice. Free to obey or disobey the Natural Laws. Your choice determines the consequences. Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Alfred A. Montepert<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I stand here, cheering you on as you choose well!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>As always, it is my prayer that you\u2019ve been <em>Inspired to Live Fully<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/brianpdx\/7315275760\/in\/photolist-c9qGC9-7oGkwM-6BBHZT-9cdWUL-8Rgezm-bjMbKc-sMsxA-aZEpWv-4xeKNT-ivFvBa-5cbBxW-aeMcff-nRvDms-fY7Akr-bsaG7W-EotaM-4PgMbp-8TvyMS-6K6rkU-2PWcHF-Q5E8f-fPo3Z3-8jZBix-4PwtKy-5VzYTb-fVo2jH-9ZEvpy-6r7MwV-8u5Fnq-pR8Uxc-fDFmdn-3fk9vQ-9wSipm-5YNPcV-7EoXZW-s84bdV-8pnPqo-6gnTEQ-giRo6-b2mbTv-osRT3f-6SEoEM-dP4MXN-e1Tvs9-aaGSRb-bknGgB-r9NfoF-b6hbGB-8pCGvj-dBy8F3\">Feature Image Photo Credit<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Happy to connect with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.susanbmead.com\">Dance With Jesus\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.equippinggodlywomen.com\">Fellowship Friday<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.arabahjoy.com\">Grace and Truth<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They were calling out to me. In all their hot, oily, salty splendor, those spuds hollered my name. Such was the case when I walked past that Five Guys Burgers and Fries joint. Yield not to temptation. Score one for team healthy! \u00a0 I was chatting with some ladies in my Women\u2019s Group and one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1],"tags":[411,412,276,413,414,122,416,241,417,415,98],"class_list":["post-3861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nourishing-life","category-real-life","tag-choice","tag-choices","tag-choose","tag-choose-well","tag-decisions","tag-discipline","tag-eat-healthy","tag-eat-right","tag-eat-this-not-that","tag-moderation","tag-self-control"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3861"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3868,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3861\/revisions\/3868"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inspiredtolivefully.com\/staging\/4119\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}