Day 5

Daily Reflection

Recommended Book: Steps to Christ – PDF – Kindle – Purchase Book

Daily Tasks

1. Remind yourself of the commitment you have made to work on the needed lifestyle changes that will boost your immunity. Do you feel already some improvements in your overall health? Take note what has improved sine you started your lifestyle changes.

2. Take the list from yesterday and analyze how many Vitamin C and Zinc sources you are consuming on a regular basis. Here again the list of the main sources you want to aim for:

Now make some plans on how you can increase the consumption of those protective elements so that your immune system will stay in top shape. If you are in a high-risk area for infection, or in a high-risk people group because of age or lifestyle diseases, consider supplementation in addition to those food sources. Studies show, that vitamins inside of food have higher protective function than in isolated supplements, so even if you opt for supplements, do not neglect their natural sources. Here the recommended doses for optimal infection prevention:

• Vitamin C: 200-300 mg
• Zinc: 20-30 mg

3. Go back to your list and analyze the consumption of sugar in your diet. Even other sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, raw sugar, molasses, agave syrup, fructose and other sugar substitutes you need to take into account, since they will show the same depressing function on your immune system when taken in excessive doses, that we have accustomed ourselves nowadays.

Now make a commitment to reduce this sugar consumption. It might be a good idea to commit to no added sugar for the rest of the challenge. For many this may be one of the hardest things to do. You may find out that you are actually addicted to sugar. You will sense some strange cravings that are hard to overcome. But do not give up! After a week of abstinence you will probably feel much better.

At the beginning, you will probably find your food to be a bit plain without the added sugar. But there is no way around. If we got accustomed to a sugar consumption that is 10x higher than 100 years ago, you will find something lacking when you get off this sugar boost. But in a few days, your tastebuds will adapt and find pleasure in the natural taste of food. To start off, use plenty of sweet fruits, and even dried fruits in moderation can be a good source of sweetness for your food.

Decide right now what you want to commit to. Do you want to go all the way without any added sugar, or do you want to make a commitment like: I will limit myself to 3 teaspoons of honey a day, and no other added sugar sources. But be radical in your goal. Anything that is above 6 teaspoons of added sweeteners a day will significantly compromise your immune system. You will need to get into the custom to read labels, because sugar is added to much more processed food than you think. So make a commitment and stick to it for at least a week to start with.

4. You will need some determination and extra strength today, because for most of us, cutting out sugar is not an easy task. If you have not by nature an extra portion of willpower, you may want to find some extra strength in prayer. Look at the book Steps to Christ (links below the video) and read chapter 11 on prayer.

Recipes

We have spoken today about the incredible damage that sugar causes on our immune system. Hopefully you have made your commitment already to cut out sugar altogether or reduce it drastically. To help you in this journey, we have collected a number of zero added sugar recipes for you.

Banana Peanut Pie

This is a super simple recipe that takes only 3 ingredients and is done in just a few minutes.

8 bananas
Rolled Oats
Roasted Peanuts

Take a pyrex dish and cover it with a fine layer of rolled oats. Take a fork to mush the bananas and spread them evenly in the form. Crush the peanuts in a food processor and cover the pie with them. Bake them with medium heat until brown.

Banana Corn Cake

This is an incredibly simple recipe with only 2 ingredients, but pretty tasty.

10 bananas
Corn flour

Mush the bananas with a fork. Mix with the corn flour, until you reach the consistency of a cake dough. Grease a cake form, fill it with the dough and bake with medium heat.

Rasin Nut balls

1 cup of raw almonds
1 cup of raw walnuts
1/2 cup dates chopped
1/2 cup raisins
shredded dried coconut or sesame seeds (white hulled)

Soak nuts overnight or at least 10 hours. Drain and rinse and place nuts in food processor. Process until fine. Then add other ingredients, and process until mixture is thick and binds together easily. Make balls by rolling about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each one. Then roll the balls in the dried coconut or sesame seeds. Place in oven on low for 2 hours or eat them like they are. (They bind better when cooked)

Apple Oats Casserole

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 or more cups unsweetened coconut
2 small apples, grated
2 or more cups soy or nut milk
1/2 cup slivered almonds

In an 8″ x 8″ baking dish, sprinkle 1/3 of the oats on the bottom of the dish. Next, layer 1/2 of the raisins, 1/2 of the coconut, another 1/3 of the oats, and all of the apples. Pour on 1/2 of the milk. Continue by adding the rest of the raisins, oats and coconut. Top with the almonds. Pour on the rest of the milk. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with blended apricots.

Banana Cashew Smoothie

2 Bananas
½ cup cashew cream

Blend them all. Add water if necessary. Drink or put on fruit.

Apple Breakfast Bars

Apple Breakfast Bars

1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup soya milk
1 1/2 cups raw apples, shredded

Combine all ingredients. Let stand 10 minutes. Press mixture into 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Bake at 375° until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Loosen with a spatula, and cut into bars while warm. Serve hot for breakfast.

Banana Ice Cream

The next time you have overripe bananas at home and do not know what to do with them, just peel them and put them into your freezer. To be tasty, the bananas should be really ripe and sweet. When you want to have an ice cream, just take them out and put them into your food processor. If needed, add just a little bit of coconut milk for processing. Serve immediately, because if you put it back to the freezer, the ice cream will harden up again. For a variety, try to mix in a few pieces of frozen mangos, strawberries, peaches, apricots or even water melon. Experiment with different tastes, and it is so easy to make a tasty but healthy no sugar ice cream.