Nutrition is Essential for Proper Health and Well Being

By Rev. Natalie Mitchem

Among the many factors that are essential to proper health and well being, nutrition is at the top of the list.

The next time you are visiting someone in the hospital, you’ll discover that along with the medication, medical procedures and nursing care that nutritional care is essential. For the patient to achieve healing and restored health, the patient must receive proper nutrition. Medication, medical procedures and nursing care alone, cannot provide the cells of our bodies with the nutrients needed for healing, repair and life. Vitamins are “vital” to life and vitamins are nutrients.

Nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water. Each nutrient is essential to life. God placed nutrients in food to promote health and healing throughout our life. The cells of our bodies require nutrients to grow, repair, heal and maintain life or daily life activities. The cells in our bodies need a daily supply of nutrients to help fight disease, prevent disease and maintain life. Nutrients are a wonderful creation of God. Cells have a unique and miraculous way of responding to a daily supply of nutrients. Our body is made up of billions of cells.

God has placed every nutrient our body needs in food. However, our responsibility is to choose and eat nutritious foods and meals.

Quick and easy ways to eat nutritious meals daily:

• Eat vegetables and fruits every day. Do not over cook vegetables in order to preserve nutrients. Fruits and vegetables contain many important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help fight and prevent cancer.

• A colorful plate or meal is a nutritious meal. The 5-A Day Program (see article in this issue) and the National Cancer Society recommend we eat 5-9 servings each day of fruits and vegetables. The color green is mentioned in the Bible and both of these national organizations recommend that we eat green leafy vegetables. I recommend out of three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits as recommend by the 5 A Day Program, two should be green vegetables such as collard greens, kale, mustard green, turnip greens, spinach, green peppers or broccoli.

• Eat whole grain bread and cereals every day. Whole grain foods contain fiber. Fiber helps to clean the digestive tract and keep it healthy. Fiber also reduces cholesterol and helps to fight cancer.

• Replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat, like Extra Virgin Olive and Canola Oil and spread. Olive Oil and Canola are healthy fats that promote heart health.

• Food is the best source of all nutrients.

• Vitamins and mineral supplements should be taken with food for optimal utilization by the body. Vitamin and mineral supplements enable our bodies to obtain nutrients that may be lacking in our daily food choices.

Always seek the advice of your doctor before taking a vitamin and mineral supplement. Some vitamins (i.e. too much vitamin K) can interfere with blood thinning medications (Coumadin or Dicumarol). Read the label of all supplements.

PRAYER AND MEDITATION FOR THE MONTH

God help me to remember that you created my body and the cells of my body to fight disease, prevent disease and to maintain life. Help me to make healthy food choices that promote health and healing.

SCRIPTURE

Ezekiel 47:12
And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees of meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their water they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

NUTRITION AND HEALTH GOAL FOR THE MONTH

Eat vegetables and fruit every day.

Rev. Natalie Mitchem is a Registered Dietitian and is certified in Family and Consumer Sciences. She is also the Assistant Pastor and First Lady at St. James AME Church in Thorofare, New Jersey. Rev. Mitchem is founder and director of Bread of Life Nutrition and Health Ministry™ — John 6:35.