New dietary guidelines

Let me explain and summarize the new dietary guidelines. Please remember that the guidelines are meant for American diet which is ten times full of sugars, fat etc than our traditional Malayali diet. 

So did these change anything for you? No. Except the fact that you can now eat the egg yolk. When I was in medical school, I was taught that egg yolk was bad. But the thought now is that one or two egg yolks per day does not hurt. I didn't say it is good. I just said it doesn't hurt. To summarize the guidelines: 

1. eat less sugar (only 10% of your daily calories should be from sugar) - that means less than 50 grams of sugar in an average adult diet - one teaspoon of sugar has 4 grams. So for you and me - nothing to change. This is mainly meant for people who drink colas - one can of cola will give you more than 50-100 grams of sugar. 

2. Eat less saturated fat - only 10% of your daily calories should be provided by saturated fat. Include more poly unsaturated fat - olive oil, vegetable oil etc. 

3. Eat more whole grains - ie, less maida based food. Please note - maida by itself doesn't cause cancer. It's the bad eating style that comes with eating too much maida based food that causes cancer. 

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables 

5. Eat less salt - Americans typically eat lots of salt so this is mainly meant for them and not for us. Generally, if you have high BP, restrict salt. Otherwise, average Indian diet contains much lower levels of salt than an American diet. 

6. No limits enforced on dietary cholesterol. But eat healthy cholesterol that is low in saturated fat - like egg yolk. Still, restrict food high in cholesterol because these food will also have high saturated fat (butter for example). 

7. Eat fat free or low fat dairy products 

8. Eat variety for protein food - legumes for example.

Here's the official guidelines. 

Key Recommendations

Follow a healthy eating pattern that accounts for all foods and beverages within an appropriate calorie level. A healthy eating pattern includes

A variety of vegetables from all of the subgroups—dark green, red and orange, legumes (beans and peas), starchy, and other

Fruits, especially whole fruits

Grains, at least half of which are whole grains

Fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soy beverages

A variety of protein foods, including seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts, seeds, and soy products

Oils

A healthy eating pattern limits saturated fats and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium.

Key recommendations that are quantitative are provided for several components of the diet of particular public health concern that should be limited.

Consume less than 10% of calories per day from added sugars.

Consume less than 10% of calories per day from saturated fats.

Consume less than 2300 mg/d of sodium.

If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation—up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men—and only by adults of legal drinking age.

Halwa and the U.S. TSA

In 2008, the U.S. Airport Security caught  me with halwa in the carry bag. I managed to introduce them to the world of jackfruit halwa. The TSA has still not figured out our halwa. Once again, it has opened the packet to investigate.

Motivation to Live

What motivates a stage IV cancer patient with extensive metastatic disease to live and not to die? Why is she fighting and hanging on to dear life? 

MS is a patient of mine. She is in her early 50's and has three daughters. She has extensive disease and is recently wheelchair bound. Always a fighter, she recently asked me a question - "how long will I live?"  

She had worked full time until recently and had been able to walk with a cane. But few weeks ago she became wheelchair bound. 

Her question allowed me to breach a few sensitive topics with her - goals of care and dying. I asked, "what are your goals in life?". 

"I want to live to see my children grow, raise them up, see them marry and have children". 

"What if you are never going to be able to walk?"

"That's Ok. As long as I can see them."

We then talked about dying and how it will come about. I told her she will not be in a state of cognition where she can decide on issues of life support. I asked for guidance. She had it all planned - she doesn't want to be on the life support machine unless I think it is for a brief while. She has two friends who will step in for her should she require assistance to make a decision. 

We ended the visit in perfect communication. I understood her goals in life, and knew her decision not to prolong life on machines. 

She smiled. And told me, "I trust you, doctor. You have to fight for me."

Trust. That word on which the entire doctor-patient relationship lives on. Even after either of them breathes the final breath. 

Finally, she shared me the photo of hers that appeared in a newspaper. She was able to watch her daughter win the championship. What motivates my patients to live in spite of enormous health challenges? Moments like these. 

PS: Name changed to protect identity. Photograph above is shared with permission of the patient. 

Does God Favor a Gender?

Recently, I went to hear Ravi Zacharias speak. As I was preparing to leave, I told my wife that there is one question I wanted to ask Ravi. Why does the bible appear to favor men? Or in other words, place women at considerable disadvantage or as a second class citizen? Apostle Paul's writings are sometimes so obviously anti-women, especially if you consider today's era of women's rights and equality. In any case, fortunately, someone else asked this question and it is today a viral video watched by nearly 800,000 people around the world. What was Ravi's response to the question: Does God Favor a Gender?

His answer is as follows:
God could have chosen any nation to come as a savior? Why did he chose the Jews? God chooses carefully, and when he does so, there is a purpose to it. The greatest truth on which the gospel hangs is the resurrection. If Christ is not raised from the dead, our faith is in vain. Why did Jesus chose to reveal it first to the women - to go and spread the word. All of Easter hangs on the testimony of womankind, with whom he trusted the entire gospel. When the woman with the Alabaster oil came, Jesus said with the highest compliment, that wherever the gospel is carried - even to the end of the earth, her name will be mentioned. He sees the woman at the well, in Samaria - he made her the first evangelist to the Samaritan world. God is incredible enough to remind us through several such stories that he speaks for equality of gender.

Click the link below to watch entire video:
https://youtu.be/MD3CsFfLxlo

Armless

My 72 year old patient was initially diagnosed with shoulder cancer (of the bone). Within a few months, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had breast removal surgery. Again, within a few months, the shoulder cancer recurred. She underwent amputation of the entire arm. Within a few weeks, the breast cancer recurred. She is a devout Christian. She fosters several children who come from families of drug addicts. All of these to such a person. Yet, she smiles. 

Before her arm amputation, she wrote verses on the arm so that someone in the operating room could read them and be touched by those verses, if God permits. Such a testimony. 

She is still smiling. Her only request to me is to keep her alive for as long as I can so that she can take care of all of her foster children. Maybe we should send some of the faith healers to such a woman. Surely, God must be able to heal more than backaches, headaches, lumps, kidney stones and fibroids. 

Yesterday, she told me an incident that happened in church. An 8-year old girl asked her where her arm was. She replied, "Jesus is holding it". How true! 

Now that's what I call faith. And she has been healed already - her healing lies in eternity with Jesus. 

A New Kind of Gospel

On a late Sunday evening, I watched the telecast of yesterday's sunday service in a church located in a small town of my state. The service stretched to 4 hours. Let me give a brief description of what happened.

The opening hour was led by a middle aged pastor. He spoke of how he went to another city in India to witness a "Major Prophet" and how much he was impressed by what had happened there. He then told the church that the pastor who serves their church (a young, handsome man in his late 20's or early 30's) has the same degree of gifting. He spoke of how the prophet was able to read a text message on a young woman's phone without even reading it with his eyes. click here for the link which I had already seen through social media. Here is another link where he produces miracle money - several people appear on stage with money that God gave them in their purse, or under the chair or in their bank accounts via a text message. See for yourself.

Anyway, I had already learnt that there is a new name for such prophecy - it is called "forensic prophecy". I am not kidding. It is real. When a pastor is able to specifically talk to you about incidents in your life, or names associated with you, it is called forensic prophecy. It is founded in Africa and to the best of my knowledge has not reached USA. It has reached India though.

Returning to the Sunday service: After nearly 3 hours of service, something quite unusual happened - the guest pastor began to preach. He started reading out prophecies from God concerning the young pastor of the church. To summarize what he said: the pastor will hereby be called Prophet; that he will have foreigners serve him; that he will have private jets and world leaders come to see him for advice; and so on and on. He also said that gold dust and silver dust will start appearing at the church in the body of believers, and in their bibles. If they see gold dust, it means that God's glory is going to fall on them, and if they receive silver dust, it implies redemption.

Unfortunately, 24 hours after the service ended, and within a few hours of me seeing it online, that entire service has been deleted from youtube. The church website has almost all other sunday services except this one. I wonder why!

Alright, let me stop here. Like I said earlier, I am just describing what I saw. I must admit I am quite perplexed by all this. Sometimes I wonder why people read the same text so differently - I'm not talking about personal work of the Holy Spirit; but the remarkably different theologies. I know that some of these are beyond my understanding. But, clearly, gold and silver dust... Miracle money...

Let me close with a link to a fascinating cartoon drawn by Adam - a Christian illustrator. Click here.

Finally, something that touched me much. This morning, one of my friends shared me her blogpost via FB. Here's a link to the post.

But it is this statement of hers that struck me most:

?Finally, my own place in my journey leads me to plead for more openness. If you’ve read my previous blog posts, you know that I come from an evangelical background but for the last 10 or so years I’ve been uncertain of what I believe. I’ve tried to hold on to the Christian faith, I didn’t want to let go. But ironically, one of the things that’s made it hard to stay is the evangelical church itself. I have not been shunned or deeply wounded, but rather the evangelical church just isn’t built for people like me. It is not a place that embraces, encourages and curiously probes doubt but rather it is a continual mantra of belief and certainty: “I know”, “I believe”, “I affirm.” 

Legalism of Baptism

From a message preached by Pastor David Prince, Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.

If anyone talks about baptism as an act of obedience, he is just talking about the legalistic aspect of it and not the act of accepting the salvation (Philippians 3: 2-3). Similarly, for circumcision - as an act of obedience, one is entrapped in the legalism of it, and therefore transforms it into the act of mutilating the flesh. 

This Life I Live

http://thislifeilive.com/

"My wife’s greatest dream came true today.  She is in Heaven.

The cancer is gone, the pain has ceased and all her tears are dry.  Joey is in the arms of her beloved brother Justin and using her pretty voice to sing for her savior.

At 2:30 this afternoon, as we were gathered around her, holding hands and praying.. my precious bride breathed her last.  And a moment later took her first breath on the other side." - Rory Feek 

That's Important To Me - One more Rory & Joey Feek song

When I'm Gone

A beautiful woman died yesterday. She was in her 30's. She died from stage IV cancer. Her husband grieves her loss today and for years to come.

But that's not what my post is about. 

Joey and Rory Feek are country singers. They had recorded a song in 2012 after hearing the tune written by a family member who wrote it in memory of her mother. They recorded the above song together. The song resembles the story of their life.

 Watch it for yourself. 

Joey died a peaceful and precious death. How can I ever say that God has a plan and it is to prosper you - to Rory and Joey? It is easy to speak and preach positive messages to you and me. But to someone who is dying so young...

That's the challenge of the gospel. The word of God is true in every circumstance. You can see the peace of God in their life, even in the worst of circumstances. That's what the gospel is all about. The hope of an eternal life with Jesus. 

I'll let you enjoy the song. And then click on the link below to read Rory's blog to read their story.

http://thislifeilive.com/when-im-gone/

A father's love

This story is from the popular Humans of New York website. I found this story amazing - it's such a delightful representation of a father's love.

“We had five or six miscarriages before we had our daughter. She was a twin, but the other one miscarried. So we call her our miracle baby. I was forty when she was born. We were close in every way. We’d always go camping and hiking together. She’s always loved animals and creatures. When she was little, she’d always pick up snakes and frogs and insects. She begged us for a dog, and when we finally got her one, she called it her ‘sister.’ Now she’s in vet school in Ohio. She sends me pictures all the time. She delivered twin goats last week. I’m getting to the point where I’d like to retire, but I’m going to keep working until she’s in a place where she feels secure. Then I can finally relax. We paid for her undergrad already. She took out loans for vet school, and we’ve agreed she’s going to pay them back herself. But you know, just in case, I’m going to keep working until she feels secure. Then I can relax.”

Poverty

In the yesteryear's, there was an abundance of poverty. Now, we see a poverty of abundance. - Pastor Rock Dillaman

Every man who knocks at a brothel door, is looking for God. He may not realize it. He is looking for something that will fill his void.

    G. K. Chesterton (adapted by Rock)

No Time

Even children these days resort to the easiest excuse - No time. :)

Listen to what this 5 year old is saying in excuse to his lack of attention to finishing his homework.

Ravi Zacharias at 1983 Amsterdam Conference with Billy Graham

One of the first messages of Ravi Zacharias. He later explained how he decided to start his ministry.



"Before RZIM was formed, I was a professor at Nyack, the Alliance seminary, and I had just spoken for Billy Graham in Amsterdam in 1983. I was flying back from there and I thought to myself, 'Apologetics… How desperately it is needed.' All of my evangelism, as I heard it then, was geared to the unhappy pagan, as it were. And I thought, 'What about the happy pagan? What about the person who has questions and feels no need? What about that type of person? They are more lost in a sense, and desperately in need of finding the Savior." 

A Tale of Two Eighty Year Olds

This is the story of two 80-year old women who I saw in clinic yesterday.

The first one, JC - she came in a wheelchair, accompanied by her daughter. She barely talks. She has severe dementia.

The second was MS - she came walking. The book in her hands - "How to save money". She was worried about everything.

The first is not aware of the fact that she is dying. The second is not enjoying the fact that she is living. 

Ravi Zacharias - Christian vs. Church Membership

Baptism - Yet Again

1. Baptism is important. There's different interpretations regarding infant versus adult baptism. 

Let me say what I believe in: It is a personal decision. Read the bible. Ask the Holy spirit to show you what you need to do. Pray in complete submission. Don't listen to Bishop ABC or Pastor XYZ. The Holy Spirit is your best teacher. He will show you. And, if he tells you to be baptized again, please do it openly - and not in secrecy. 

2. When someone is sick, do not create doubt into their mind whether they are saved or not. 

3. If you get baptized again, you do not have to change the church. Again, it is a personal decision. 

4. There is a debate whether baptism is essential for salvation. In numerous passages, Jesus defines salvation, not in the context of baptism. So, I am sure and certain that I am saved. Baptism is not a ritual that you do to ensure salvation. It is simply an act of public confession, and obedience (if that is something that the Holy Spirit prompts you to do).

5. I am saved. I have been baptized. I hope you do not consider me second class. I hope you would stop speaking about baptism to me again, and simply encourage me. I am trying to do the commandment of the Lord - to share the gospel to unbeliever.  An unbeliever is someone who does not believe in the God Jesus Christ. Speaking about adult baptism to me again does not fulfill the command of Jesus Christ. So, please share gospel to the unbeliever and stop wasting your effort in preaching to the saved. 

6. Finally, I know how much spiritual darkness exists in my home church. So, you do not have to again tell me about it. I am willing to hear from you about your own church and the problems that exist in your own church. 

Walk humbly

Walk humbly. You have far more to be humble about than you realize. - D A Carson