A Simply Healthy by Caroline FauselSample

FOOD

Food has been a part of our story in the Bible from the very beginning. Genesis 1:29 says: “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’”

Sometimes, the mundane things in our lives, like eating three meals a day, feel far from God. But how we fuel our bodies is of the utmost importance. What we eat determines how we feel and are able to show up in this world.

I think God cares about our nutrition because there are so many examples in the Bible. When the Israelites were wandering through the desert for forty years, they ate manna that God provided from heaven. This absolutely was to help them be dependent on God, but I also think it shows that God cares about the sustenance his people have.

I feel strongly that part of how we honor God with our bodies includes what we choose to eat! It wasn’t until after having my first baby Ella Rae and switching from a near-vegan lifestyle to a Paleo lifestyle that I realized I could live life without the stomachaches that had plagued me since childhood.

I understood the power of food: that it can be the culprit or the cure.

The healthiest foods and nutrition can seem confusing because everyone has a different opinion. But what will work best for you comes down to the idea of bio-individuality. What might work for me might not work for you.

To remove all food shame, instead of “healthy” and “unhealthy,” in our household we talk about “all the time” foods and “sometimes” foods. These “all the time” foods can be a great place for you to start with your personalized eating plan. When eating just these foods, see how you feel! And you may be able to add in more foods from the “sometimes” food list with great success. In short, our “all the time” foods help us feel great in nearly every way! These include high-quality meats and seafood, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and oils, eggs, raw dairy, nuts and seeds, and occasional legumes.

Our “sometimes” foods can cause us to not feel our best, so we minimize sugar, alcohol, seed oils, grains, and most overly-processed foods and snacks. Prioritizing “all the time” foods helps you feel incredible because you’re feeding your body nutrient-dense food, helping lower inflammation, aiding in your digestion, balancing blood sugar, supporting metabolism and energy, supporting satiety between meals, benefiting a stable mood, helping you get great sleep, and promoting balanced hormones!

Have you ever taken what you eat to God? Maybe it’s time to bring him into this aspect of your life and ask him what would be best for your flourishing. God does indeed care about your flourishing. Here is my prayer for you as we end our study together today from Psalm 115:14-16: “May the Lord cause you to flourish, both you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”