Hello, this is pastor gary from first baptist church of laplata. We all remember the slogan, “You are what you eat,” but did you realize that what we eat can help determine how long we live? Researchers at the University of Michigan have scored over 6000 foods based on how they can affect life expectancy. For instance, eating a PBJ will add 33.1 minutes to your life; eating a banana will add 13.5 minutes; tomatoes add 3.8 minutes. There is darker side to this research, however. Eating certain foods can reduce life expectancy; for instance, drinking soda takes 12.4 minutes off your life; a cheeseburger: 8.8 minutes, and a hot dog: 36 minutes. For perspective, the annual effect of consuming a soda-a-day reduces life expectancy by 3 days per year; the annual effect of consuming a hot dog-a-day reduces life expectancy by 9 days per year. The Bible teaches in James 4:14 that life is short-lived anyway stating, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.” God is the giver and taker of life; even so, we should be good stewards of our bodies, which are His temples. We are free to eat whatever and whenever we want. Regardless of the research, I do not believe that we have control over our quantity of life, but we do have some control over our quality of life based on the foods we choose to eat. Choose wisely!
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