Awhile back I found out that this is indeed true. This might sound gross for some, but my goal is not to offend you. I like to eat healthy for the most part and one of my favourite veggies is asparagus. So, I would eat a whole pack of asparagus and when I would go to the bathroom to urinate, I would get this pungent scent. It happened once, twice and then one time too many.
I got concerned that something was the matter with me, health wise, so I decided to do a little research. Do you know what I discovered? “Asparagus is notorious for making urine smell like sulfur after you eat it. This is because our bodies convert the asparagusic acid it contains into sulfur-containing chemicals. These chemicals leave the body through urine, causing the distinct sulfur smell.” [1]Wow! It’s a good thing I didn’t make an appointment to see the doctor.
Another example relates to the challenge I’ve had with low blood after I started to bear children. The health professionals call it anemia and advised me to eat lots of leafy green vegetables, beets and occasionally meat/beef to build my blood. I don’t particularly like beets but found if I included it in a juice, it would be more palatable. Plus, it helped.
Well, one week I decided to really be vigilant in trying to decrease the frequency of light-headed episodes that I was experiencing. I created juice concoctions that included beets and drank them as much as possible. And what was the result? Red or orange urine. I thought I was dying from internal bleeding. Go figure! The beets came out just as red as it had gone in. I smile at the memory.
(Lamb Shawarma, Falafel, Grilled Veggies, Lentil Soup)
What about the effects that food can have on your development? Your growth? For example, I began making my own protein shakes to drink after I worked out. Most of the commercial ones had too much sugar or some other ingredient I couldn’t ingest. One of my versions would include almond butter, unsweetened soymilk, chia seeds, flaxseed, maybe some sunflower seeds, half a banana and strawberries or blueberries. I did that about three days a week for a couple of weeks, and you know what I noticed? My fingernails and hair were noticeably stronger and longer and my skin became smooth like glass.
Interesting stuff, right? But all of this got me thinking about us as human beings in terms of what we consume on a daily basis, outside of food. The songs that we listen to, the literature that we read, what we graze on while surfing social media or even the company that we keep. They all make deposits into our souls (mind/intellect, emotions and will). So my question to you is, what are you feeding on? I think the old computer adage that says, GIGO – garbage in garbage out, applies here. It can also be interpreted, ‘good in, good out’.
Let’s be honest. Sometimes we live and work in toxic environments, or we spend a considerable amount of time around people who swear like sailors, use abusive language or talk nothing with substance (jesting). Maybe you are no longer in a toxic environment but in the past, you were. Whether you are conscious or not, words have life and they attach themselves or they enter your subconscious and before you know it, you are spouting the same things you’ve been around. (See 1 Corinthians 15:33) How do you combat that?
You have a choice. You can either (1) disengage yourself from people whose words or conversations sear your soul, or (2) fill up on good every day so that when you are in an environment that is toxic, there’s no space left for garbage.
Read literature that edifies and motivates you. Watch clean movies, listen to clean music. Refrain from social media pages that showcase filth. Surround yourself with friends and family that feed your soul with good things.
The Bible says in Luke 6:45
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
Our heart is that part of us that no one but God sees, and it is that which drives our actions, our speech, our passions etc. It can either be filled with bad or good. Matthew Henry in his commentary of Luke 6:45 says this and I tend to agree with him.
“The heart is the treasure, and the words and actions are the expenses or produce from that treasure, Luke 6:45. This we had, Matt. 12:34, 35. The reigning love of God and Christ in the heart denominates a man a good man; and it is a good treasure a man may bring forth that which is good. But where the love of the world and the flesh reign there is an evil treasure in the heart, out of which an evil man is continually bringing forth that which is evil; and by what is brought forth you may know what is in the heart, as you may know what is in the vessel, water or wine, by what is drawn out from it, John 2:8. Of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; what the mouth ordinarily speaks, speaks with relish and delight, generally agrees with what is innermost and uppermost in the heart: He that speaks of the earth is earthly, John 3:31. Not but that a good man may possibly drop a bad word, and a wicked man make use of a good word to serve a bad turn; but, for the most part, the heart is as the words are, vain or serious; it therefore concerns us to get our hearts filled, not only with good, but with abundance of it.” [2]
What we eat either nourishes our bodies or make us sick. Therefore, whatever we are exposed to or absorb on a daily basis have some positive or negative effect on our lives or the lives of others, as we communicate. So, what is it going to be? Are you going to keep saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t really mean to say that”, or “I was just joking, that’s not what I meant to do”? Oh! Oh! What about these two famous ones? He or she was drunk or angry. They didn’t know or mean what they were saying. Yes, they did or their subconscious did. I firmly believe that whatever a person says when they are angry or drunk is exactly what their mind had been marinating in for a while, and at the first chance of lost inhibitions, it comes out.
So again. What is it going to be? Aren’t you tired of hurting those that you claim to love…with words? Isn’t it time that you begin sowing good seeds that can bring forth a good harvest in the future? Now is your chance. Turn over a new leaf by purging your soul. Go on a fast. Here’s how you can do that.
- Quit social media for a specific amount of time – minimum 3 days
- If possible, disengage yourself from company that is toxic for your soul (people that you hang with on the regular)
- Grab your Bible and reference these scriptures: (Search me, O God, and know my heart…[Psalm 139:23-24]; Create in me a clean heart…[Psalm 51:1-12])
- Begin filling up on good, wholesome content – from the Bible, music and literature etc
It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to create a lifestyle. Take your pick. 21 or 90 days. But I’m sure if you were to report back to me after whichever time period you chose to do this exercise, the report will be a positive one. Will you take the challenge?
Please feel free to comment if there is anything you think I missed on this list.
[1] Gotter, Anna. “What Causes Urine to Smell Like Sulfur and How is it Treated?”. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/urine-smells-like-sulfur#diet
[2] Matthew Henry’s Commentary. BibleGateway. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Luke.6.37-Luke.6.49
Circle of Grace 
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