1. Little Stevia Wonder—Sweet and Good for You, Too!

This little herb related to the chrysanthemum family may be the answer to our sugar and artificial sweetener woes. Studies on the dangers of sugar, corn syrup and synthetic sweeteners are alarming.

Weight loss? Well, that's why we buy artificial sweeteners, right? According to some studies, however, artificial sweeteners may actually stimulate the appetite! Everyone shout a collective, "Aaaarrrgh!"

Good News! The leaves of a bushy little plant in Paraguay have been used for over 1,500 years by South Americans to sweeten beverages and other foods.

Stevia comes in packets like sugar or in liquid and are available in health food stores. You should also find stevia cookbooks there. Not all stevia tastes the same, so ask your health food store owner which one they recommend. Some taste like sugar (such as Stevita and SweetLeaf) while others have a slight licorice taste.

Another natural sweetener that's gaining in popularity is agave, from the juice of the agave cactus. It's a slow-releasing carbohydrate sweetener that looks and tastes like honey, but with half the calories of sugar. While honey rates a 75 on the glycemic index (meaning it can really spike blood sugar), agave enters the bloodstream more slowly and registers a low 11, making it more acceptable for diabetics and those of us interested in weight control.

Christian Fitness Expert Laurette Willis is the Director of PraiseMoves Fitness Ministry, offering DVDs and training for those interested in a Christian alternative to yoga, at http://praisemoves.com. To follow Laurette on Twitter visit http://twitter.com/Fit4Christ and on FaceBook: http://facebook.com/praisemoves. For the new "Power PraiseMoves" DVD trailer, the free "Fit Favorites Devotional" and PraiseMoves FitNews, visit http://praisemoves.com.

See "PraiseMoves Kids" TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN's Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org

1. Is it Your Birthday? Okay, Have a Steak

By Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves, LLC

www.PraiseMoves.com <http://www.PraiseMoves.com>

"And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf'" (Luke 15:27).

In Jesus' day as well as in many Mediterranean cultures today, eating meat (beef, lamb, veal) is reserved for special occasions only. As you can imagine, the cattle in biblical times were not subjected to living in overcrowded feedlots, fed moldy grain, or injected with antibiotics, growth hormones and steroids like today's cattle.

There has been much written about the dangers of eating red meat, more than I could possibly cover in this section. If you are interested in learning more, I recommend Dr. Don Colbert's book What Would Jesus Eat? In chapter four "The Meats that Jesus Ate," he discusses the benefits of eating grass-fed free-range cattle, the diseases associated with red meat and the value of the biblical slaughter of animals versus the horrors of today's feedlots and slaughterhouses. It's not for the faint-hearted, nor for those who would prefer to think hamburgers grow on trees.

Following our Mediterranean model, red meat is not eaten every day. Fish, poultry and eggs are the preferred animal food. In Jesus' day killing the fatted calf was done on rare celebratory occasions, not daily. The people of the Bible would be astonished to find we have entire eating establishments dedicated to the eating of red meat-from steak houses to fast food hamburger joints. If you do eat beef, look for grass-fed cattle which have considerably less fat, toxins and growth hormones than grain-fed feedlot cattle.

Pork, being an unclean animal is not recommended. Still waffling on that one? Okay, I know you really like ham and hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats made from pork right? I know there's a part of us that wants to reinterpret that scripture in 1Timothy 4:3,4 about "food which God created" being clean as long as we receive it with thanksgiving and sanctify it "by the word of God and prayer." After all, there was Peter's vision in Acts 10 which mentions clean and unclean meats, and besides we're under a new covenant; we're not living under the old Levitical laws but under grace… Well, apart from the understanding that the Lord used unclean animals in Peter's vision as a metaphor to prompt him to witness to the spiritually "unclean" Gentiles (not to jump up and start eating pigs and rats!), here's some information that may turn your head away from "the other white meat," as the National Pork Board calls it.

See "PraiseMoves Kids" TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN's Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org

2. And this Little Piggie Went Wee-Wee-Wee All the Way Off the Cliff

By Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves, LLC

www.PraiseMoves.com <http://www.PraiseMoves.com>

Jesus, being a devout Jew, did not eat pork. In fact He used pigs as receptacles for the demons within the Gadarene demoniac (Luke 8:22-39). The man was set free when Jesus evicted the demons from him and sent them into a herd of swine. The pigs were destroyed when they plunged off a cliff into the lake and drowned.

God didn't arbitrarily forbid the Jews from eating certain foods. God doesn't operate under the law of "whim." Every meat deemed unclean by God is unfit for human consumption. In 1953 science caught up with that truth when Dr. David Macht of Johns Hopkins University published a study on the toxicity of animals listed as clean and unclean in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. He ran tests to determine their toxic effects on a controlled growth culture in his laboratory ("An Experimental Pharmacological Appreciation of Leviticus XI and Deuteronomy XIV," Bulletin of Historical Medicine, Johns Hopkins University).

Not surprisingly, every animal God calls toxic science finds toxic, too. Unclean animals include: swine, horse, rabbit, squirrel, dog, cat, bear, opossum, groundhog and rat. The clean animals (cloven-hoofed and chew the cud) include cattle, goats, sheep, oxen and deer. Interestingly, the blood of all animals is more toxic than the flesh. God commands us not to eat the blood of animals (Leviticus 19:26).

Many of the animals God calls unclean eat flesh or have parasites that would sicken or kill humans. Pigs, bears and vultures eat decaying flesh. Wolves, lions and other predators often prey on the weakest, sickliest animals in a herd.

Clean birds include poultry (chicken, turkey, geese), ducks, pigeons and quail. Many supermarkets now carry chicken raised without antibiotics or hormones such as the MBA Brand Smart Chicken®. We certainly don't need to be ingesting synthetic estrogen (a hormone typically given to chickens). Pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal and menopausal women need to be especially aware that hormonal imbalances may be linked to synthetic estrogen and estrogen-producing foods.

Instead of pork, how about turkey franks or kosher beef hot dogs once in a while? There are many good soy products available now from soy sausages and burgers to taco "meat" and chili. A stir fry with fresh vegetables, crumbled soy burger, slivered almonds and water chestnuts is a quick and easy dinner your family will love. If you're concerned about estrogen-producing foods, try fermented soy products such as tempeh instead of regular soy.

Archeological Evidence of Benefits of Eating Clean

There is archeological evidence that the ancient Israelites were healthier than their Egyptian counterparts. In 1991 Jane Cahill published an article in the Biblical Archeological Review based on examinations she made of the remains of toilets in ancient Jewish, Roman and Egyptian households. Jane must have a wry sense of humor, because the article is entitled, "It Had to Happen, Scientist Examines Ancient Bathrooms of Romans 568 B.C."

The Egyptian toilet remains showed evidence of eggs from tapeworms, Trichinella, Schistosoma and wire worms (all found in pork). The remains of the Jewish toilets showed no parasites or infectious elements, only pollen from the vegetables, herbs and fruits they had eaten. In short: Eat clean, eat lean and always eat green (lots of veggies!).

See "PraiseMoves Kids" TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN's Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org

3. Tummy Curfew-The Quickest Way to Win at Losing

By Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves, LLC

www.PraiseMoves.com <http://www.PraiseMoves.com>

One of the most effective tools to aid weight loss, improve sleep, digestion and overall well-being is to stop eating three hours before bedtime. If your body is still digesting food while you sleep, you're not getting the rest you need to fully recover and firm up the lean muscle you're building by working out and eating the right foods. You also don't have much of an opportunity to burn off those calories you ate, so guess where they go? Ummm-the Fat Fairy makes it all go away? Nooooo. How about your hips and thighs?

If you're like me, you may have been able to eat a good, healthy diet during the day but heard the refrigerator "calling your name" at night. Have you ever stood in front of the refrigerator and just stared? I'd wake up half a gallon of something later and wonder how I got there.

Night-time Food Cravings

Late night eating is a common problem and a major cause of weight gain. Studies show that overweight people tend to eat most of their calories later in the day, while people at their normal weight tend to eat more calories earlier in the day.

"Fueling the Furnace" (eating smaller amounts every three to four hours) and eating a good breakfast so you won't overeat later on in the day are two physical things you can do now to take control over late night eating. What about when those cravings hit? What else can you do? Remembering this is your "Body And Soul In Christ" plan, let's consider:

Sowing to the Spirit

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Galatians 6:8).

When is your toughest time? After 7:00 p.m.? After 9:00 p.m.? All day? No matter what time is hardest for you, I'd like you to take a 30-60 minute period during that tricky time and sow a seed of discipline to the Spirit.

What does that mean? You can choose to operate in the fruit of the Spirit within you at any time. As the phrase implies, the fruit of the Spirit is of the Spirit; it's a gift from God and not something we have to drum up ourselves. One way to strengthen and cultivate the development of the fruit of self-control, for example, is to choose to accomplish something that requires you to exercise self-control. You yield to the Holy Spirit within you and His ability to operate in self-control. It's His fruit after all, so He knows how to use it. By choosing to do this activity "as unto the Lord," you are sowing a seed to the Spirit, and as we've just read: "he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."

The more seeds of self-control you sow to the Spirit and the more you yield to the ability of the Holy Spirit within you, the stronger the fruit of self-control becomes. By choosing to yield to the other eight fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness), you will walk more and more in the Spirit "and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

Why is the fruit of self-control so important? Self-control, also known as restraint or temperance, protects you from the enemy like the thick walls of a city protected it from invasion. "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control" (Proverbs 25:28 NIV). A life without restraints is not freedom; it's bondage to every whim of the flesh and temptation of the enemy. Like the inhabitants of a fortified city, there is peace in the hearts of those whose lives are fortified by the fruit of self-control.

Here's the Plan:

If your biggest temptation time is after 7:00 p.m., would you be willing to sow a seed of discipline and self-control from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.? If you've already had your dinner, all I'm asking you to do is not to eat from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. We'll start there. Commit this time to the Lord and let Him know you want to develop the fruit of self-control during this time. It would also be helpful for you to choose to operate in the fruit of patience (or patient endurance) and faithfulness-show up and refuse to give up!

Whatever activity you choose, do it "as unto the Lord." The benefits? Supernatural! "Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3: 23-24). That thrills me! You will receive the reward of the inheritance from the Lord! When you sow a seed of the fruit of self-control to the Spirit, you will reap life to that seed from the Spirit. What you sow, you shall reap. When you plant seeds of self-control you will have strength in areas where you had little or no control before. Determine to sow in faith to the Spirit and you shall reap (that means absolutely, definitely, and positively!). Remember that your success is not in some diet, but in the development of the fruit of the Spirit that becomes part of your sanctified lifestyle.

In faith, you can plant seeds of self-control, faithfulness and patient endurance to the Lord and you will be rewarded with increase in that area. And while fruit doesn't ripen overnight, it does develop and mature.

When a farmer plants seeds and waters them, what does he harvest? Seeds? No! Crops-big, beautiful, abundant crops from the teeny-tiny little seeds he planted. So what can you expect to reap from these good seeds you sow? That's right-the good fruit of the seeds you've planted. God is faithful.

See "PraiseMoves Kids" TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN's Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org

4. God's Heavenly Weigh-Garnish Your Plate with Praise

By Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves, LLC

www.PraiseMoves.com <http://www.PraiseMoves.com>

Most of us are accustomed to thanking God for our meal before we start eating. What I propose is encircling our dining experience with praise.

In Isaiah 55:2 the Lord says, "Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul be satisfied with abundance."

Do you see the three parts of that scripture?

1. Listen carefully to Me

2. Eat what is good

3. Let your soul be satisfied with abundance

As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3: 16-17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." While we know that scripture is "spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14) and has great significance for our spiritual lives, it is also immensely practical and relevant to our everyday lives.

As we grow in our walk with the Lord, we realize that He is genuinely interested in everything that concerns us-even what we eat. By being willing to discipline our flesh, we become more sensitive to His leading.

Have you ever had an idea come to you "out of the blue?" That's how this idea came to me. You know when something is so good, you can't possibly take credit for it? That's how I feel about this. Not long ago I was Prayer Journaling. That involves writing prayers to God and recording what you believe He is telling you in the Scriptures and in your heart.

I wrote: "Father, how can I best reach and maintain the healthy ideal weight and size for me?" The idea, or revelation, that occurred to me was so complete and made so much sense. I must have stopped and stared for a full minute in wide-eyed wonder.

The Lord led me to Isaiah 55:2 and this plan: Give the Lord a portion of your food every day. How? Substitute a portion of what you would ordinarily eat and give it to the Lord. Since you can't physically give that food to the Lord, what do you substitute it with? Praise and thanksgiving. Your portion is what you eat. The portion you give to the Lord is your offering of praise and thanksgiving. The physical food you leave on the plate serves as a symbol of the sacrifice of praise you will be offering Him from your heart. After all, praise is called the "fruit of our lips!"

Take a quick look back at the graphic of the Food Circle under SS#1. See how it's surrounded by a ring of praise? That's the ideal.

You know how "full" you feel when you completely throw yourself into praise and worship? Or if that's not your style, recall a time when you were so tremendously thankful for an answered prayer or the Lord's intervention at the exact moment you needed Him most that you thought you'd burst? That's what I mean.

I used to eat way past the point of satisfying my physical hunger to fill a void of a different kind. Have you? If you will eat slowly enough to be sensitive to when your stomach is satisfied, you will recognize when to stop eating-even if there's still food on your plate. Put your fork down and if you're alone, start praising the Lord. Thank Him for who He is in your life. Worship Him for His amazing attributes and His love for you. It will be a time of sweet communion between the two of you. After all, He is the "bread of life" that truly satisfies. You may be amazed at how quickly you feel satisfied.

If you are with the family or out to dinner at a restaurant, when you sense that you have had an "elegant sufficiency," put your fork down and silently praise and worship the Lord. Thank Him in your heart. You don't have to be flaky about it. No need to be rude or hyper-spiritual and shut everyone else out because, "I'm communing with God." Hoo-wee, what a witness!

Instead, why not tell those at table something wonderful the Lord has done for you or someone you know? In the Psalms, David often spoke of telling others about the Lord's marvelous works. That's praising Him! No one has to know what you're doing if you don't want them to know. It's a great opportunity to tell your children why you love and trust in the Lord. Share an experience of what God did for you or someone in your family, or someone in the Bible. You might begin by saying, "I was thinking about how much the Lord loves us." You'll be giving glory to God and "satisfying your soul with abundance" at the same time.

1. Listen carefully to Me

2. Eat what is good

3. Let your soul be satisfied with abundance

What if You Don't Have a "Full Signal?

You may be like I was. I had spent so many years overeating and using food to stuff down emotional pain that I really didn't know when I was hungry or when I had had enough. All I knew was: I could not control myself around food. I saw food and I wanted to eat it, and I would eat it until either my stomach hurt or I drugged myself to sleep. Not a pretty picture.

Once I came to Christ I found out that there was nothing too small to ask Him about. As long as I could find something to confirm my prayers in His Word I could ask. I found 3 John 2: "Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers." Compulsive overeating was not my idea of being "in health," so I asked the Lord to heal me. I asked Him to give me the ability to know when I'd eaten enough food and the desire to stop once I'd had enough.

I will never forget the moment I experienced the "full response" for the first time since I was six years old. I was a newlywed. Paul and I were sitting at our little dining room table at dinner. Toward the end of the meal I felt this "whoomph" feeling, as if something gently dropped and expanded slightly in my stomach. It was the last little bit of food that tipped the scales from "not full" to "full." I felt it! For the first time in more than 20 years I felt I had enough food without feeling stuffed or using tremendous willpower to stop eating.

"I just felt my full signal!" I practically shouted to Paul across the table from me. "Your what?" he asked. How could he know what I was talking about? He patiently listened as I explained it, tears in my eyes. Paul realized I just had a breakthrough even though he didn't fully understand. He is the kind of person who can eat one-third of a piece of candy, wrap up the remaining two-thirds and put it away for another day. Amazing.

Ask God to restore the natural "full signal" response for you again. I'm often reminded, "you have not because you ask not" (James 4:2).

See "PraiseMoves Kids" TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN's Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org

5. Vitamins and Dietary Supplements-Just Nice, or Necessary?

By Laurette Willis, Director of PraiseMoves, LLC

www.PraiseMoves.com <http://www.PraiseMoves.com>

Since we are striving to eat foods as close to the way God made them as possible, why is it necessary to take vitamins and other dietary supplements? Vitamins tablets aren't exactly as God made them, are they? Here we seem to have a dilemma. No, vitamin tablets and capsules do not grow on trees, however, the vast majority of nutritionists, dieticians and many doctors now advocate the use of high quality vitamins and dietary supplements.

It was big news on June 19, 2002 when the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reversed its long-standing decision that taking vitamin supplements was unnecessary. In a scientific review article by R. H. Fletcher, MD, MSc and K. M. Fairfeld, MD, the researchers advised doctors that the use of vitamin supplements is wise in the fight against many chronic degenerative diseases. "It appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements," they stated.

JAMA's pronouncement seems to reflect the adage spoken by America's revered inventor Thomas Edison, "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Nutritional supplementation is now being recognized as an important self-care tactic many are using to reduce their risk of many chronic degenerative diseases. While it may take years before the majority of medical practitioners recommend nutritional supplements to their patients, we can begin today to take proactive steps and supplement our diets with quality vitamins, minerals and herbs. Often Osteopaths, Chiropractors and Naturopathic doctors are more accustomed to recommending dietary supplements to their patients than the family physician. If you have questions, they would most likely be able to advise you.

We want to stress that vitamins, minerals and herbs are called supplements for a reason. They are meant to supplement, or complement, a healthy diet. Nutritional supplements are not a substitute for good, quality foods. It would be ludicrous to live on cokes and French fries, then pop some vitamin pills and expect to be healthy.

Why Nutritional Supplements?

We already know the importance a good diet plays in the quality of our health. Why can't we just get all the nutrition we need from the food we eat?

Over the years the quality of our food supply has changed. Our ancestors ate lots of unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods grown in mineral-rich soil. Cooking and industrialized processing of foods causes nutrients to be lost. That's why I recommend several servings of fresh, raw (uncooked, un-canned) vegetables and fruits every day.

Considering the quality of food has changed, to receive the same amount of nutrients our ancestors received we would have to greatly increase the quantity of foods we eat daily. Here we seem to be in a quandary. Most of us are already eating too much for our sedentary lifestyles. Our ancestors were much more active than the average man or woman in North America today.

Women's lives were difficult and the men's lives were no picnic either. Not surprisingly they were able to eat heaping helpings of food and not gain weight. Everyday life was a prolonged aerobic workout! For example, the 132-pound woman of today who works in an office setting burns about 720 calories of energy during an eight-hour workday. By comparison, our ancestors several thousand years ago burned 2,160 calories working and gathering food for their families over the same period of time.

A Good Multivitamin is Essential

The foundation of any supplementation program should be a good multivitamin containing at least 400 micrograms of the B vitamin folic acid. Folic acid is essential for women of childbearing age. Folic acid taken before pregnancy and during the first trimester can greatly reduce the risk of several birth defects such as spina bifida, according to the March of Dimes and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

See "PraiseMoves Kids" TV Show every Thursday @ 3:30 p.m. EST on TBN's Smile of a Child Network and LIVE @ http://smileofachildtv.org

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