AN APPLE A DAY (DAY 107) ALICE IN WONDERLAND THROWS A TEA PARTY

365 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

As I continue to blog about maintaining a healthy lifestyle for mind, body and spirit by paying attention to the little details and daily things of life which bring physical, mental and spiritual health; I am reminded of something my dear deceased father-in-law used to quote to me.  He always said; “Life is never perfect; chew up the meat and spit out the bones.”

Unfortunately, he had to repeat this to me a lot.  He knew that I was the type of person who dove right into things with great passion, then often became disappointed when I found out what I believed at first was not true.

I had to keep my Father-In-Law’s wise concept about the practical side of life in mind as I continued on with a deeper study of the lifestyles of those fascinating Athos Monks. It has been three weeks since I looked at their much acclaimed eating plan, and then decided to modify their basic diet into my own version of an eating plan.  My hopes were to get the same healthy results that they are known for; long life and good health.    

All of the interest in their diet and lifestyles started because a group of scientist studied the cultures all over the world and came up with places they labeled “blue zones” because the people living in these “blue zones” seemed to live longer and be strangely exempt from health problems. The monks of Mt. Athos were one of the cultures that fell into this “blue zone.”

My first clue about the whole truth of their culture came when I discovered that women are never allowed to visit any of the 20 monasteries that sit peacefully and majestically overlooking the Aegean Sea.

I know the men go there to escape distraction so that they may dedicate their time to prayer and meditation. I understand that.  I’m not a novice to those who are living cloistered lives.  I worked within a Catholic television station for many years which dealt constantly with those who had taken vows to various different orders.  The men lived in limited seclusion which did not allow women within their residences and the women lived within the private cloistered walls of convents and shrines where men did not come and go past a certain point; but neither the men or the women of these orders ever TOTALLY excluded the opposite sex from their world.  The Athos have totally abolished all women completely!  There were times when the orders I have known were allowed to speak to members of the opposite sex, even visit their facilities and share religious services with them.  They were certainly open to sharing certain hours of their day with the outside world as a testimony of God to both men and women when they were not inside their cloister.  These monks of Athos have totally rid themselves of women!  Wiped them off the map!  There are N-O-N-E, E-V-E-R.  Absolutely NO women at Mt. Athos.  They have become an autonomous governing body unto themselves, and they require tedious paperwork for anyone to get approval to enter.  You must go there by boat,  and there is no other way to enter.  Women are not allowed past a certain spot in the sea.  They can gaze upon this "Holy Mountain" but not go to it.    

Many reasons are cited for this logic.  It is said by some that way back in 1045 Constantine noticed that certain shepherds were providing “more than just food” to the early monks of Athos.  In his disgust he issued a ban from women for the entire peninsula, along with beardless boys and eunuchs.  The exclusion of women has remained to this present date, and this ban has now even been extended to include female domestic animals; except for cats and hens. Trespassers can expect at least a year of imprisonment!  Others have quoted the fact that The Virgin Mary is highly esteemed on this property and they did not want her to have any competition.  Do you buy that?  Like she could! 

If you are a woman like me; one who has spent a lifetime studying the scriptures that proclaim God’s love for family life, you might find that little bit of information about such a holy place to be a bit intimidating. Immediately flags went up and my mind moved to a place that asks the question; what is the REAL reason behind the holy mask that is presented on first glance?   

That is when I got my second clue; and after that I began reading personal testimonies that stated there have been rumors and acquisitions of homosexuals living within the hillsides of this place called The Holy Mountain.  Any place without women would naturally become a gay man’s paradise; until he is discovered by the pure and holy who are only there for all of the right reasons.  No place is perfect, and whether or not these rumors are true still remain to be decided by people who are higher in life than me.  I have read the written and published stories of many disillusioned pilgrims that sadly make such claims.  I also know that absolutely any good endeavor on earth is going to have those who want to come inside and pursue their own personal interest.  I'm giving the Monks a pass on this; because I feel for those who are truly sincere about their lifestyle there.  As far as I am concerned these tales are only rumours and I hope to never hear of actual proof.

Then there are the others who piously proclaim these monks came to live at the “Holy Mountain” not because they were strong; but because they are weak.   I get the concept here.  Jesus, himself actually started it.  You give your weakness to Christ and live completely in His strength; but this wasn’t what I was reading in the articles.   I was reading quotes from the voices of men who were simply escaping reality.  It was almost like they were hiding behind God and not facing themselves.  This isn’t healthy at all in my book; and it was my third clue that even the holiest places still have their dens of earth.   How many men are hiding there to escape the harsh realities of real life?  Which brings me to the second question; how could that possibly equate to longer life or greater health?  Maybe the elimination of stress; but if this part of the background stories are true; I would think it would be a small percentage of the men; and not the overall average.  

The fourth clue came in the form of accusations that some of the monks were given drugs by those who were over them in order to help them maintain their holy postures and cheerful attitudes.   Hmmmmm…..are these true accusations?  Only God really knows the answer to this; and we will let Him be the judge.  There ARE people who have chemical imbalances that require medications.  I have to overlook this too; due to lack of concrete evidence.  

Red flags and other people's comments and writings were piling up on me though, and the monks were fast dropping down from their rank of pure holiness in my eyes.  Am I surprised to learn this?  No!  They are simply human beings like you and me.  Why should I expect that they are not capable of sin?  The scriptures say "all men have fallen short of the glory of God."  

The last story that upset me was the report of ten monks being accused of scheming in a real estate transaction where great falsehoods were told and carried out in order to earn money to provide the financial needs of their monasteries.  I guess all the celebrities and politicians taking pilgrimage were not giving enough.  I suppose those ancient relics and sacred treasures are very hard to sell on the streets.   Perhaps this was the most disappointing discovery of all.   It would seem that a few (10 of 1500) got so caught up in establishing a place of their own utopia that they forgot why they were originally there – to establish The Kingdom of God on the earth.  This happens sometimes when men are given too much authority over others.  They forget that just because they are livng holy lives, they will never reach the status of God.    Is this small group of only ten men so different from all the rest of us?  I think not.  At least they probably had noble beginnings.   Even their motives must have been noble; but just not pure and innocent.  They still stand in the wrong for what they did.  They are humans making grave human mistakes and I’m sure; living to regret not seeking God’s solutions or higher ways.  Ten men making wrong decisions should not ruin the whole package.  It isn't fair that one bad apple can ruin a whole basket of apples; yet in life sometimes this is the way the world turns.  Apparently the bad apples have been removed and the good apples should now be okay.

This all reminds me of the an old poem that I love; one written by Robert Frost, called “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” The words contained here so completely describe my overall feeling about the Monks of Altos:

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower,

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day,

Nothing gold can stay.

"The place where time stopped" and "the prayers of 1000 years" have echoed through the walls has its problems!  The encouraging thing to remember is that it seems the problems are now being addressed.  God has a way of using bad situations and turning them for good.  Who knows what opportunities are in store for this so called "Holy Mountain" over the next 1000 years?  Restoration seems to be God's favorite subject.  I have a deep abiding respect for the Greek Orthodox Church, and I'm sure the proper steps will be taken and restoration will come in many miraculous ways.  

Anyway; should I just toss the diet that was working better than anything I have ever tried before?  Wouldn’t that be throwing the baby out with the bath water?   All of the above was stated just to say I still have total confidence in the diet of these famous monks!

So what have I learned after a more complete look at the Athos Monks of Greece?  I’ve learned to chew up the meat and spit out the bones and I hope the whole world will have the same attitude toward these people.  There are probably still MANY good, pure men out there praising God daily and looking for His presence in every minute of their days.  Those who went there with true motives are probably still carrying them out!  They are to be commended for trying to carry on a very worthy 1,000 year tradition that is in concept very good and right.   Also; my main motive for knowing about them; their diet and the things that make them healthy; has proven to be very effective and healthy for me!  So basically we always come back to that same old verse over and over again; the one that says “God works all things together for good.”  I’ll just keep plugging away at this healthy eating plan.

I am moving on into the fourth week of eating their way now; still using the eating plan of 3 moderate days, 3 fast days and one feast day a week.  This routine is still working great!   Having two meals at the same time every day spaced twelve hours apart and not dwelling on food for the rest of the day has totally changed my health.  Eating fruit and vegetables with lean chicken and fish with lots of spices and alternating using olive oils every other day has made me feel so much better. My skin has improved. My coloring has improved.  My digestion has improved.  My brain fog has lifted; and best of all I’ve lost ten pounds already.  I do not get hungry, and I do not crave food which leads to binge eating as I have experienced on so many other unworkable diets I’ve tried in the past.

Overall; the eating plan of the Athos monks has been a great blessing to me!   I would still strongly encourage anyone to follow this plan and to do it for the glory of God by putting His will first as you attempt to keep the body that houses His Holy Spirit living inside of you healthy and functioning to its highest capacity.  The lifestyle of making it a sure practice to praise, pray and invite the Presence of God into your day each morning is awesome.  That part alone will change your life and lift your spirit.

So what else did I discover as I chewed up the meat and spit out the bones?  I discovered these monks generally love to make and serve herbal teas.   I would strongly urge you to incorporate this practice into your own healthy lifestyle.   Gathering details on this part of their day is my "next step" to better health.  

Just as a precautionary measure; in order not to be so easily led astray by only following these specific monks; I looked into the other groups living in the so called “blue zones.”  The other healthy cultures in the world seem to be residing in Costa Rica, Okinawa (Japan), Sardina (Italy), Loma Linda (California, USA) and Ikaria (another island of Greece.)  Can you guess the one common denominator for all of these cultures?  They eat, they breath, they sleep and……..they all drink herbal teas!

I have heard that some of the monks living in the many scattered monasteries of Athos harvest, package and sell their teas; especially herbal and linden teas.  You can look on their website (just google the tea of the Mt. Athos Monks) and order certain teas that they grow from a garden they call:  The Garden of The Mother of God.  (They are actually referring to the whole area of Mt. Athos when they say this.  They are very dedicated to serving The Virgin Mary.)   There you can order all the tea (and other products) from these monks that you wish.  I haven't bought any of these products yet; but  I would love to buy some of their teas (especially some of the lavendar teas, as well as some of the honey they produce, and I would love to read some of the publications they sell.)  Another benefit of clicking into their website to check out their products is that you get to see beautiful breathtaking photos of the views of Mt. Athos.   The website is very intriging and interesting and many of the products they sell look just wonderful.  They are said to produce some awesome Turkish Delight, and even if you know the Narnia story; you would probably love to taste it anyway!    I counted 37 varieties of teas for sale.  Keep in mind the money they trade in is euros.  Use a charge card that relates to all currencies if you order.  

Though he hasn’t visited the area for several years now (probably out of concern for the scandals I've mentioned,) I caught myself thinking about the many stories I've read about Prince Charles visiting The Holy Mountain.  It is said that he used to visit often and very much enjoyed lengthy retreats at Athos.  I wondered if he too had the typical British culture’s trait of the enjoyment of a daily teatime.  I could picture him relaxing and sipping his hot tea as he looked out a balcony window to a view of the rugged Aegean coastline.  

This thought set my mind to pondering about the facts of other cultures that keep the tradition of “having tea.”  Japan is the first place that comes to mind.  I wasn’t surprised to learn that Okinawa Japan is considered to be another of the areas classified in the Blue Zone.

The Greek natives of Ikaria are also tea drinkers.  The people of Ikaria are not monks.  They are just ordinary, everyday, common people just like you and me.  The drastic difference in us and them is that they too are considered among the healthiest people on the earth.  Their diet is very similar in nature to the Athos monk’s diet.  The other similarity is that they drink lots of herbal tea.  Many of their teas are considered diuretic in nature.  A diuretic is just what any physician would order for their patient if the physician found the patient to have high blood pressure.  These teas consumed over a period of time by the Ikaria people seem to have lowered their blood pressures too.  These people are very heart healthy.

So I’m thinking there must be something very healthy about drinking tea!   Here are some of the tea recipes I’m going to try at my house. I’ve come up with most of them from discovering the different ways that most of these “blue zoned” cultures prepare their teas. I’m going to do a little trial and error test and see which ones work the best for me by staying with them for about six months and seeing if they make a difference in how I feel each day.  Come and join me in this experiment if you wish.

The Ikaria natives seem to love a particular brand of Dandelion tea.  Here is how it is prepared.  Pick yourseslf some dandelion leaves.  You can usually find these in local farmer’s markets if you pay attention.  Chop and mince the dandelion leaves well.  Store the mix inside a glass jar and keep it for brewing tea in the future.  When you are ready to prepare the dandelion tea just drop a half a teaspoon of the mix into a glass of hot water.  It is just that simple.  Some people also drop dried dandelion root into a pan of water with a pinch of salt, bring it all to a boil and cover the pan and simmer for about twenty minutes.  Strain the liquid before drinking.  It is recommended that you consume at least three cups of this hot liquid a day.  You can also use the yellow flowers of the dandelion to make dandelion syrup; which is very useful for treating colds, coughs and bronchitis.

As I mentioned above the Athos Monks enjoy a mix of mint, floral herbs and chamomile for tea; among other mixes.   I did see the "mountain tea" for sale.

Based on all of the above facts which do not dwell on the monks exclusively; I've come to the conclusion that tea is probably a very good pursuit. 

I'm also going to explore some tea recipes that are actually helpful for women's health as well as men's.  I will begin to experiment with more teas in the days to come simply because the health benefits of tea are astounding.  Numerous studies show that tea can reduce the risk of cancer, aid in weight loss and support heart health and longevity. 

Keep in mind though, the fact that many teas you buy in the store contain artificial flavors and added unnatural ingredients.  I highly suggest you buy only organically grown teas or even learn how to grow your own tea leaves.    I’ll be adding new tea recipes as we go along to this part of the blog; but for now here is one more healthy tea recipe to add to your own collection:

ORANGE SPICED BLACK TEA

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon of orange extract

1 cup assam tea (any black tea of your choice)

1 tablespoon of rainbow black pepper

1 handful of dried orange slices

1 tablespoon of cinnamon chips

1 tablespoon of cardamom pods, slightly crushed 

Directions:

Place the teaspoon of orange extract into a quart glass jar.  Shake well to distribute the liquid.  Add the assam tea, pepper, orange slices, cinnamon and cardamom.  Shake well.  Let sit for a day or two to allow extract to soak into the tea and spices.  To brew:  Use 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 ounces of hot water.  Steep for 3-5 minutes.  Strain and enjoy with honey. 

So what do the holy scriptures say to us about drinking teas?  

All I can tell you is that teas are produced from different types of leaves.  The tree of life spoken of in the scriptures seems to have leaves that are useful for healing.  So I will leave you to ponder whether or not the scriptures found in Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22 are speaking of certain types of teas:

Ezekiel 47:12:  And on the banks, of both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food.  Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary.  Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.

Revelation 22:2;  Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.  The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

As I wrote this article I was in a conversation with my daughter and asked what my grandson was planning for his birthday party this year.  Besides going to see some astoundingly wonderful gymnists, he wanted to take his little (seven year old) girlfriend to a local restaurant that arranges tea parties for children’s birthdays.  I found that to be very amusing news in light of all that God has been speaking to me concerning tea!

 

You never know; I might even be planning a little tea party of my own!