To eat or not to eat, that is the question.

Food. What a loaded word. There are so many "things" (and I do mean THINGS) that can be labeled as food. I think we would all agree that items such as meat, milk, and produce can be considered food, right? What about pop tarts, doritos, and mcdonalds? Are those "things" food too? I guess it all depends on what your definition is, or really what your philosophy about the things you put into your body is. Do you really think about the things you eat? Do you know where your food comes from? What it's made of? How real or FAKE it is?

I started on my journey to "healthy-eating" and "calorie-counting" years ago, and boy has it evolved since I first began. When I first started out I was reading calorie counting books, diet-fad books ("Carbs are from Satan, Meat is your Friend" or "The Watermelon and Cucumber Swimsuit Diet"), low-fat, no carbs, count your calories, eat meat, don't eat meat, portion control...a whirlwind of contradicting advice from people who clearly didn't do enough research about the diet they were supporting. (Dr. Atkins anybody?) All I knew was that I wanted to be healthy and I felt that I was going in circles with these complicated, contradictory Diet Dictocrats.

The last year, there has finally been some "fruit" in my reading/research, if you will. The books I have read/are reading have been life changing and revolutionized the way I think about this blobular word with such a vast array of meanings: Food. I am passionately, actively changing the way I think about and use food. Choosing the right foods for your health is so much more simple than I previously thought it to be. Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma has a fantastic saying that sums it up pretty well: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

Throw out the processed foods with ingredient lists the size of Texas, choose foods that come right from Creation (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains), grass-fed local meats, real cheeses, etc. As a general rule things with Nutrition labels should be used sparingly. (When was the last time you went to the market and saw an eggplant with a Nutrition Fact Label on it?)

This is just the tip of the iceberg people. I'm just getting warmed up...

While I am passionate about changing the way we eat and live and take care of our bodies, (because I feel that it's a direct reflection of the state of our hearts toward God Almighty), I am constantly reminded and leave you with this encouragement:
Jesus said in Matthew 4, "Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Healthy eating and making wise decisions about how we live, while not a sinful thing in and of itself, cannot and will not take the place of being mindful that God is to be my ultimate purpose, not bread baking or pasta making.

He is All.