Does it matter what we eat?
Should you care about what goes into your body?
I always thought it was interesting how many of us care about what we look outwardly; however, we do not give much attention to what our insides may look like or how it may be feeling.
Suddenly, something in our body sets off an alarm, causing a much-needed reason to pause and think about what we are doing to our body. Now we are concerned! This alarm can also be that moment, when you get tired of not looking in the mirror and loving what you see for yourself.
I never grew up indulging in what some people call "junk food" or "fake food" or "processed foods." I say indulge because I did consume processed foods. I did seldom eat food from a can, enjoyed a bag of chips, even bought with 0.25 cents a granola bar that I thought was healthy for me.
Years later, I purchased that same "healthy granola" and umm, just as I thought, my childish taste buds matured; it was too sweet and far from healthy and may I boldly say, disgusting.
Processed foods were not a staple food in my upbringing.
As an adult, we have more control over what goes into our bodies than we do as children. As a child, you must eat what's given to you or pass out, starve, or die from hunger. This devotional isn't about poverty or foods that can make you sick. However, this is but merely regarding the consumption of food in places where food isn't scarce, where people can make conscious food purchases and choices.
This devotional is for people who are struggling with their weight due to overeating. This excerpt is for people who use food as a crutch or a drug. This passage is for people obsessed with dieting, and for people who eat not for nourishment but for comfort, which can cause deep depression. This has the potential to slow-kill you and even drain your energy, pushing you deeper into despair.
I call this Die – Eating.
Eating should be an experience that you enjoy, an experience that provides your body the nourishment it needs. In life everything requires balance, and yes I am aware this is the challenge itself. Creating balance in our lives, where one thing doesn't completely disrupt the synergy of something else, requires patience and consistency.
As someone who believes in God, there is an entire book dedicated to telling you how you should eat via clean and unclean. Look, there are even types of bugs you can eat too. Yuck! I think I would be stubborn enough and rely on feeding on plants and dirt/soil; worst come to worst raw fish out of the ocean (that is if I can catch a fish with my bare hands!) if I were stranded in the jungle. (This isn't if the elements don't take me out first or I become the food myself!)
"21 Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours, you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. 22 Of them, you may eat the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 23 But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable (meaning unclean) to you."
-If you want to read the entire list, it can be found in Leviticus 11 – The whole chapter. Yes, there is meat on this list, by the way. Eating plant-based comes from the Garden of Eden, which can be found in Genesis 1:29. I will say/write this, Romans 14:1-23 may help with any confusion over the meat vs. no meat argument. – You Welcome –
It is important to remember, as long as it took for the weight to adjust your physical body, it will also take time for the weight to come off. Realistic goals need to be set for a healthy recovery. You should not want to drop 145 pounds, if you are over 250 lbs, in 7 days or even one month. I think that would require medical attention. (My opinion. I am not a doctor, but I think even a doctor would say losing that much weight in 7 days or a month is not healthy.) I do believe that gradually losing the weight is healthy, and loving yourself during that process is vital.
Losing weight from your physical body also requires you to lose weight that is also attached to your mind. Avoid Die – Eating. Avoid dieting to get smaller. If you are choosing to diet, make it apart of your lifestyle.
Example:
I don't eat carbs from January to March. I return to carbs after March, but I stop drinking from March to June. I then return to drinking after June, but I stop smoking from June to August. I then return to smoking after August, but I stop eating at 7 pm from Septemeber to November, and then the month of December is my entire cheat month. *Note: this is just an example. If you want to try this, please do and let me know how this worked for you. Hashtag #werephealth and tag me at @werepgame (for those who are following us on Instagram - follow us we are cool)
Food is for your enjoyment and nourishment. Balance allows you to indulge without the guilt. Bye-bye, Die-Eating, and Hello Fooddddddddddd!
O. Silvera
