64. YOUTH: CARRY THE BE BEAUTIFUL BANNER

Dear Grandma Donna: I think we should recruit young people to promote the natural lifestyle. Could you write motivational words to inspire the young to take up the banner encouraging good health? Love, Savana

Dear Savana: You have made a great suggestion. Every good cause needs young people as leaders. People will listen to them simply because of their youth; however, even young people must practice what they preach. They must first embrace the natural lifestyle, then their witness becomes powerful because it is backed by their example.

We must make living on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts, and drinking only fruit juice or water, appealing to your age group. Healthy living also includes omitting junk food—such items as chips, candy bars and soda pop. Before those facts turn away your interested friends, make known to them that the plant food diet works wonders to create good looks. That should grab their attention. Here is how it happens:

Many youth struggle with a pimply face. The major contributor to acne is dairy, with sugar and refined flour following close behind. These foods are not included in the natural diet, so young people will behold their complexions change from bumpy to smooth and clear. Beautiful skin draws attention. That is one step in becoming better looking.

Another really big problem is weight. Over 30 percent of teenagers are overweight and one in six is obese. A pretty or handsome face cannot take away the stigma that comes with this condition. Almost every young person who struggles with weight is on a diet of some kind at all times.

This fact makes the natural lifestyle shine with the best diet plan of all. Eating plant food usually insures weight control. When the young person changes his/her diet to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts, the pounds melt away. Two other lifestyle habits, drinking water and exercising, also help lose weight. As weight drops, the young person is going to be more and more pleased with the image he/she sees in the mirror.

The third advantage is the bountiful good health the natural lifestyle brings, which brings beauty to any countenance. A diet of plant food contains no cholesterol; therefore, heart disease, the number one killer in the United States, is much less. The plant food diet has low amounts of fat and sugar, which makes far less cancer and diabetes. Because of the high antioxidants, vitamins and minerals in plant food, this diet builds immunity and vegans remain well while many on a regular diet fall ill to the flu, headaches, bad colds and sore throats.

The last benefit I will mention is the increased energy that comes from a plant-food diet. The hardest work our body has to do is the digestion of food. Plant food is far more easily digested than animal products, which gives increased vigor and vitality to those on the plan.

Included in this lifestyle is drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily, getting eight to ten hours of sleep each night with hopefully two hours before midnight, and exercising thirty minutes every day. Last, but not least, time should be spent with the Creator, who gave the plan and also gives the power to perform it.

There you have it, Savana: radiant skin, a slim body, good health and boundless energy! I am confident you will find many friends to join with you to make an army of youth with a special message: “BE BEAUTIFUL–ADOPT THE NATURAL WAY LIFESTYLE! Love, Grandma Donna

VEGETABLE POT PIE
4 potatoes cubed
1 large onion chopped
4 carrots sliced
1 c water
1 c frozen English peas
2 rounded T flour
1 large onion chopped
1 t salt
1 T chicken seasoning
Prepare potatoes and carrots, cover with water and
cook until tender. Saute onions in oil. Sprinkle with
flour. Add 1 c water, salt, seasoning, and peas to
potatoes and carrots with water in which they were
cooked.  Simmer until thickened. Place in a casserole
dish.

POT PIE CRUST
1 1/2 c warm water
1 pkg yeast
1 T honey
1 c white flour
5 T gluten flour
1 c whole grain cornmeal
1 1/3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
Mix 1/2 c of the water with honey and yeast. Mix flours
and salt. Add the dissolved yeast and the additional cup
of warm water. Knead lightly, then cut into shapes with
cookie cutter. Arrange on top of vegetable stew.  Bake
at 375 for 30-40 minutes.