The affect that food has on our bodies cannot be overestimated. It is the fuel that feeds our cells. As such, what we put into our mouths matters. Everyone knows this on some basic level. As such, many people joke about junk food by saying, “I know it’s not good for me, but I’m going to eat it anyway.” This statement is usually followed by a nervous chuckle. But how many people actually take the time to analyze how food affects their bodies? We have become accustomed to popping pills (i.e. anti-acids) because we don’t want to face the truth about foods that hurt us. It usually takes a life-altering event to make us examine our diet.
Food can be the mechanism by which we console ourselves when life is ugly. Therefore diet is the last thing we want to examine when we are suffering. If suffering is the megaphone through which God speaks, food is the mechanism by which I tune Him out.
At this point, it’s not about how much weight I’ve gained, but rather, how I seem to have lost all control over what I put into my mouth. Not only what I eat, but what I want to eat. It has consumed my thought life to such an extent that I can’t bear it. I have tried to eat this feeling away but it only increases my suffering. And granted there are other external stimuli that I won’t share here but I feel compelled to do something drastic to take control of my body. 3 ice cream cones every night isn’t fixing me.
We can have the best intentions and still flail. But today, I have prayerfully committed to cut several things out of my diet. Part of this decision is in response to the crippling depression(which is aggravated by intense sugar intake). I want to know if eliminating these things will help me feel better. Another part of me wants to lay these things at the altar of self-conceit and say, “I have no power but that which God gives me and I’m going to trust Him to help me” if for no other reason than putting myself first has not been working.
But rather than focus on what I can’t have, I am instead choosing to discover some foods I have not tried before. I have decided to have fun and reinvent my diet. And I am committing to this for 2 weeks. I may or may not report as I go through these two weeks, depending on how I feel. But I will report at the end of the two weeks. And I am not going to cheat.
One minute, one hour, one day at a time. Sometimes this is all we can and should plan for. We never know when this day will be our last. And it can be very overwhelming to think about cutting things out “forever.” Also, I choose not to focus on the suffering, but rather, on my response to it. And by golly, today, I feel empowered.
Who is with me? Can anyone make a commitment to cut something from their lives that they are very attached to? Something that is hurting them in some fundamental way? Not forever…just 2 weeks. And replace it with something beneficial? A grapefruit? 15 minutes of exercise? An avocado! A smile for the person that perpetually scowls at you at work? And then report back on November 13th? Maybe you could sacrifice a negative attitude or your quick temper and replace it with a banana? Goofy, I know. But symbolism is powerful.
Today is Tuesday, October 29th. And it is a beautiful, courageous, and fruitful day. Today, I replaced ice cream with pepper/lime cashews. And it was totally worth it.
Leave a Reply