Feeling pain is horrible. I’m pretty sure you’d agree with me. Nobody likes to live in pain. But many of us still choose to do so. Headache, cramps, stomach ache, sore throat, etc, are just a few types of physical pain that most people experience frequently and think it’s just part of life.
Seen by many as minor issues that can be easily “fixed” with some quick over-the-counter medicine, they are signals from your body that something is wrong. And often, that “something” is connected to lifestyle choices. The food we eat, how much sleep we get each night, physical activity and stress management directly impact our health.
Just a few years ago, I was living with all sorts of minor pain. With a stressful routine and a nutrient-poor inflammatory diet, visiting the doctor and the chemist almost every week was what I thought was normal. Unfortunately, many people do. It’s not a coincidence that gastroenterologist and Fiber Fueled author Dr Will Bulsiewicz describes 21st century life as “overfed, undernourished and hyper-medicated”.
I shared my story last year in a Signs article on how a complete change of lifestyle and mostly diet transformed my health. Today, looking back to my past lifestyle, it’s sad that I grew up as a Seventh-day Adventist who completely ignored our own health message for most of my life.
In the October 29 issue of Adventist Record, our cover story talks about Food Farmacy, an incredible initiative in the North NSW Conference that is transforming lives in the community through the Adventist health message.
Just like them, there are many Adventist health initiatives spread throughout the South Pacific Division: Juice bars, plant-based cafes and even the 10,000 Toes campaign, which is turning the tide on the concerning numbers of chronic diseases in the Pacific Islands
God gave us instructions on how to live as healthy and happy as possible in this broken world. It’s beautiful seeing His instructions being taken by many to their communities. But what about ourselves? Are we taking advantage of our own health message?
This piece was originally written for Record eNews—the Adventist Record weekly eNewsletter. Subscribe for free for more exclusive content.
