It's Not a Diet

... well, at least not in the sense we've made the word "diet" become. Of course, it is a diet in the sense of what you eat (and don't eat). But, there should not be a sense of "cheating" or "falling off the program" or anything like that. It's a matter of being conscious of what you eat -- making decisions and thinking about it rather than just indulging unconsciously. And boy were we guilty of that! Related to that, when you are thinking about what to eat or avoid, the thought process is not "will this make me fat?," but rather, "is this what my body needs?" There is so much wrapped up in that little difference. It is a total mindset change. And when you truly change your mindset to wanting to eat what's GOOD for you, what nourishes you -- it takes a lot of the "willpower factor" out of the picture. Honestly! I have the world's biggest sweet tooth. And I don't have a lot of willpower. I like to eat, and I like to eat sweets. That part hasn't changed that much. But what has changed is what I want to eat and what I enjoy eating.

It really is a matter of eating to live, rather than living to eat. Grab a hold of that one and let it sink in. Okay, sure, food tastes good, and it's fun to eat. Isn't God cool! We need food, and he made it fun for us to take in what we need. But, the pleasure part is secondary to the nourishment. We don't think twice about what fuel we put in our car; we put in the kind our car needs to run and run well. Our bodies are so much more complex than our vehicle. Food provides us with the energy -- and maybe more importantly the nutrients -- we need to survive and THRIVE. So many of the health problems we are seeing today are brought on ourselves by not giving our bodies what they need.

Now here's where it gets really spiritual. Deep down, do you trust God? Do you trust that He loves you and wants what's best for you? The Bible says, in everything we do -- even in what we eat and drink -- do ALL to the glory of God. My diet was definitely not glorifying God and treating my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. And I still have work to do, but I'm so thankful He's opened my eyes to some things to allow me to start making better decisions.

I still eat plenty -- probably too much, really -- and I do occasionally still eat sweets that are not good at all. Sometimes I indulge. But a good many times, maybe even most of the time, I'll see that piece of chocolate cake or whatever it was that before I would have given into -- and now I'll think, there is not one thing in that my body needs. The sugar is horrible and makes us sick, the flour is bleached, it's probably loaded with unhealthy fats -- and literally, I promise you -- rather than it looking "so good" and being tempting, you start getting a sick feeling in your stomach and just that "blagh" tongue-sticking-out kind of reaction. And reach for some fruit or carrot sticks instead, and truly, TRULY enjoy them.

Then, and I'm back to the spiritual aspect (isn't everything spiritual? Or at least it should be, as we give God ALL of ourselves and allow Him to take control of every area of life), if God loves us so much, and He wants what's best for us, AND He's given us the Bible as His Word to instruct us in every area of life, we can look to the Bible for His principles about our diet. He knows what we need -- after all, He made us! How cool is that?

Well, there's plenty more to say, but this is probably enough for one post. Plus it's late and I'm going to bed. I want to lay some more groundwork for everyone, but please post comments and questions as we go along, and we'll get into specifics soon. Also, I may need to do some research on some of your questions, so it will give me time to get some good answers together if you go ahead and post a reply. Good night!

Aleecia