Do You Control Food or Does Food Control You?

A question that’s always asked is “What should I eat?” Should I eat like a caveman and follow a Paleo diet? Should I eat vegan, vegetarian, low fat, or low carb? Should I count calories, count macros, or carb cycle. There are so many different types of nutrition plans, and to be honest, they all work if followed properly. Each nutrition plan was developed with a specific goal in mind. Although I’m very familiar with all of those nutritional plans and recommend them based on your fitness goals, the 40 Day Challenge we are going to begin in September was not designed as a weight-loss program, but a health program. When we focus on health and healing, weight loss happens automatically. That is why our goal is to set up a holistic approach and provide you the knowledge necessary to help all of us embark into a lifelong health journey; a healthy lifestyle.

Food is medicine. Sure it can be delightful and a source of energy and nourishment, but it has the power to heal. It is the most potent tool we have to help prevent and treat many chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Food provides instructions that tell every cell in our body what to do every moment. More than 95% of chronic illness is not related to genes, but to what those genes are exposed to. This is great news because it means you have almost complete control over your health.

The Scriptures teach us how to live and love fully. But somehow we skip over the parts that instruct us to honor the vessel of the Holy Spirit, our body. Real food has the power to give you your life back and more fully-engaged in your purpose for your life. The reason to live a healthy lifestyle is not to fit into your jeans or look good in a dress, but to be awake to the beauty and miracle of life, to be able to live with purpose, to love, serve, connect, and celebrate the gifts God has given you.

If you nourish your body with high-quality ingredients from real food, you increase your energy, lose weight, and reverse chronic illnesses. But, in addition to those you will also feel lighter and more motivated to exercise, your mood will lift, and your brain will have better clarity, allowing you to clear out the debris in the way of your relationship with God and others.

What do I mean by “real” food? Anything that is whole, fresh, and unprocessed. A chicken, a vegetable, a bean, a nut, a grain, a fruit, and an egg- these are all great real foods. Everything else is fake food that depletes energy and health. Real food heals and nourishes.

As we go through the program you will learn simple tricks that will help you shop well, cook simply, and eat better, in the same time it takes to hit a fast-food joint and eat your meal. More importantly, real food tastes better and is more nourishing and satisfying. It can even eliminate cravings.

Next week, I’ll share about the core food groups; healthy carbs, fats, protein, and healing spices. In the meantime, here is a simple tip- foods on the outside perimeter of the grocery store is what should fill most of your shopping cart. There aren’t many “whole” foods in the center aisles. So keep that in mind when you're shopping- what percentage of foods are you getting from those outside aisles? And what are you filling your cart with on those inside aisles?