Is Your Food Healing or Stealing?
Food - definition: “material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy” (Merriam-Webster, 2022).
The above definition says it all: not everything we eat is food, or at least, not REAL food.
Real food fuels and nourishes the body with everything it needs to function optimally. In contrast, “food” that is highly processed, packed with fillers and sugars, isn’t nourishing our bodies at all. It is actually doing quite the opposite.
Did you know that every time you drink or eat, you support your health or fight against it? Yes, food is that powerful.
WHAT IS MY FOOD STEALING?
Let’s start with the most obvious answer: eating unhealthy foods can cause weight gain. However, it is important to understand that weight gain goes beyond someone’s looks.
Weight gain could make someone feel self-conscious and unhappy, which could eventually lead to depression. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, being overweight can also increase the risk of many health issues. Some of these include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, gallbladder diseases, and even some types of cancer.
Apart from the risk of being overweight, eating the wrong foods can steal our time (because it causes us to be sick), and it can rob us of our energy. For these and many other reasons, the foods we choose to consume truly do matter.
WHAT IS MY FOOD HEALING?
Typically, when we eat foods that nourish our body, everything works properly. We also feel more energized and vivacious which allows us to be our best version with the people around us; therefore, nourishing our relationships.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, there is significant evidence showing that a healthy diet prevents cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, and mental health disorders. So yes, having a good diet makes all the difference.
If we are eating the right foods, we are also more likely to be the weight that God designed us to be and feel more confident in our own skin.
WHAT IS THE FOOD THAT HEALS?
Real food includes fresh fruits and vegetables, and minimally processed foods such as oatmeal, brown rice, and quinoa. These are all great examples of clean foods that are in a state as close to God's creation as possible, without the additions of pesticides and genetic mutations.
We should also be getting a good source of protein. Beef, poultry, and fish are obvious answers but make sure that they come from healthy sources. That means, getting grass-fed beef and free-range chicken.
I understand feeling the urge to eat unhealthy treats now and then. When it’s not as frequent, this probably won’t affect your health as much. However, eating unhealthy snacks can trigger your body to want even more of those unhealthy foods. In other words, unhealthy foods can be setting us up.
WHY DO THEY SET US UP?
Do you sometimes feel like you can’t get enough of your favorite snack? Well, this is not a coincidence.
Foods that rapidly vanish in your mouth send signals to your brain that you are not eating as much as you actually are. Therefore, if you feel like you are craving more the more you eat, it is because your body is not getting the right signals, causing you to overeat.
In contrast, when we eat REAL food, we don’t tend to overeat because the brain is receiving the right signals, causing our body to be fully satisfied.
Next time you are going for that bite ask yourself: is it stealing or healing?