How To Eat To Live: A remedy for sickness and a solution for the high cost of health care in the U.S.

“Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he sent forth his word, and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to the sons of men!” - Psalms 107:17-21

At the age of thirteen I was diagnosed with asthma and hay fever. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by episodic and reversible airflow obstruction and airway hyperresponsiveness. Clinical manifestations include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. In 2004, asthma accounted for 13.6 million doctor visits, 1.1 million hospital outpatient visits, 1.8 million emergency department visits and 497,000 hospitalizations. (CDC National Center for Health Statistics @ http://www.cdc.gov/)

The effects of asthma required me to take medication daily, get injections weekly and miss school frequently. On one occasion, I recall having an asthma attack and feeling as though I was breathing from a pin hole, I was so afraid I would run out of breathe before making it to the hospital. After receiving lung treatments and shots my mother drove me home and told me, “I hope you find a man that can afford you.” It was apparent that having asthma had become a financial burden to my parents. After eleven years with asthma and a life style that contributed to bad health, I went on a “crash” diet eating once a day to lose weight.

Shortly after, I met a coworker who would introduce me to the teachings of Honorable Elijah Muhammad as taught by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. He told me that eating one meal a day was best for me and though I had reached my desired weight and knew nothing about the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad or Islam, I continued to eat one meal a day. And after about two years of eating one meal a day I was no longer experienced any problems with asthma or hay fever.

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught that we should eat one meal a day or one meal every other day, and it would prolong our life. He said, “Do not think that you will starve. On the contrary, you will be treating yourself to life, and a life filled with sickless days. You can hardly get sick eating this way... In eating once a day or once every other day, you must not eat between meals. And, you should try to eat at the same hour tomorrow as you eat today. Do not change your meal hours if you can help it. That causes your stomach to react to various hours of the day for a meal, and will set up gas on the stomach. Do not even drink juices, milk, or soft drinks between meals. And, do not eat candies or fruits between meals. You are welcome to drink water, but I know you will not want too much water between meals since your stomach will not call for it. You may drink coffee between meals, but do not fill your cup with half sugar and half cream and pour coffee on top of that.” - How to Eat to Live, Book 1

When becoming pregnant after five years of eating one meal a day, I made the decision to eat three meals a day to ensure that my unborn baby would receive the proper nutrition. Within a month or so of eating three meals a day I had an asthma attack and had to be taken to the hospital emergency room. During the examination, the doctor asked me when I last had an asthma attack and what had been doing to controlled it. I told the doctor that I had been eating one meal a day for several years had cured me of asthma. The doctor asked me, “What changed?” I told him that as a result of being pregnant I had decided to eat three meals a day to make sure my baby was receiving proper nutrition.

To my surprise, the doctor asked, “If you know what worked to control your asthma, why would you go back to eating three meals a day?” The doctor explained that he could not give me asthma medication because it could harm my baby and he encouraged me go back to eating one meal a day. He (doctor) said that since my body had become accustom to eating once a day my baby would get the nutrition needed. It was clear to me that this emergency room doctor understood that the amounts and types of food eaten were associated to disease and illnesses.

It has been nineteen years since this emergency room incident, my child was born healthy and I have not experienced an asthma attack since. As I reflect, I will never forget my mother’s words, “I hope you find a man that can afford you.” I believe my mother’s hopes for me were answered through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan; he gave me the teachings of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Messenger to us all. Minister Farrakhan is a true example of the power and cures found in How to Eat to Live, the key to my asthma free life. At a time when many people do not have jobs and medical insurance, How to Eat to Live is vital and affordable to all in achieving a healthy life.

Asthma’s impact on health, quality of life, and the economy remain substantial. In 2005, an estimated 32.6 million people had been diagnosed with asthma during their lifetime, 22.2 million people currently were diagnosed with asthma, 12.2 million people experienced an asthma attack in the previous year and nearly 4,000 Americans died of asthma. (http://www.cdc.gov/)

“Eat to live, and not to die, because how you eat does both -- it keeps you here, and it takes you away.” - The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, How to Eat to Live, Book 1

(Theresa X, a Latina in the Nation of Islam, from the Stockton California Study Group - email: noilatina@gmail.com)