The Heavens Declare… get Outside!

It makes sense that God wants us to spend some time outside in nature. I mean, if the heavens are declaring something – we should be out there to listen.

I have to be honest. I live in Texas, and while I love it here, I HATE the summer. I can’t stand it when it is anywhere above 80 degrees and I break a sweat. This has made getting vitamin D next to impossible for me, unless I was on a long drive in short sleeves. And so, I’m hoping for an early cool down this year as I try to start some new habits – walking with the boys OUTSIDE.

Low vitamin D levels are linked to advanced stage cancers. That ought to make you want to take a walk. In addition to sunshine, though, you can take vitamin A and D together in nature’s perfect combination with one Cod Liver oil supplement each day. Just make sure to get a fresh, non-rancid source – there are not many good choices out there. I take Standard Process, but there is one other that I have heard really good reviews on. Too bad I wasn’t taking Cod Liver oil for most of my life. You live and learn!

As a side note, I have had people wonder how someone who eats healthy like we do get cancer. First off, I want to let everyone know up front that my healthy diet only came about after 41 of my 43 years was spent eating fast food, Oreos, and white bread nacho-cheese Dorito sandwiches with mayo. I ate a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup and a Coke every SINGLE day in high school so I could pocket my lunch money. I stashed Milano cookies where the kids couldn’t find them. I was a chocolate milk Nesquik junkie in my formative years. Root beer floats and salt water taffy. I was an Oatmeal Cream Pie and Twinkie heart-attack waiting to happen. I literally had fast food 4 times a week. It’s amazing I made it to 40. After getting on a more Weston A. Price diet (basically a diet to eat the way God intended – the foods He made for us, the way they are created), I lost 25 pounds and my husband lost 45. We stopped getting sick as often. We spent the past 2 years wondering what took us so long to come to our senses.

But my new healthy diet was too little, too late, apparently… and in my case, a prolonged period (nearly 4 years worth) of stress added to that, and it was the straw that broke my immune system’s back. I can’t ignore the possibility that I had genetic predisposition, either: my grandma died of stage 4 colon cancer at age 67 (on her birthday). Other factors of cancer can also include environmental toxins – which none of us are really in control of. All we can do is try to drink distilled or filtered water, eat right, buy organic, and pray that we’ve covered all the bases.

Truth be known, I was not eating enough vegetables or taking vitamins, even though I cut out wheat and sugar – which was a good start. Vegetables, seeds, nuts, and supplements to provide what some of our foods just don’t have anymore – THAT is where it’s at. Oh, and this is going to step on some toes, but coffee is not good for you. Green tea is healing. It wasn’t easy for me to switch over, but when you get told you may die if you don’t change your diet, it becomes a heck of a lot easier to give up the Joe.

When I get a coffee craving now, I reach for some Dandy Blend. It really isn’t that bad. Bonus points: chicory and dandelion are alkalizing and make your body hostile to cancer cells… and no heartburn or ulcers for those of us who are sensitive to that sort of thing (ME). Plus, no caffeine, so you can have a cup day or night.

Here’s my cup of Dandy Blend with a little heavy cream and 4 drops of liquid organic Stevia with toffee flavor. Seriously, it isn’t the end of the world… and I love keeping 5$ in my pocket instead of wasting it at Starbucks.

This week will be the first week of our new outdoor adventure. Maybe I won’t be as much of a Charlotte Mason flunkie anymore. For those of you who don’t know who she is… she’s an 1800’s educator who believed kids should spend time outdoors every day in creation, learning about nature. Time to get those Nature Notebooks out, get our nature notebook art backpack together, bring along our camera phone, and head out to brave the Texas heat.

Come on, cool fronts! Come on, fall!