A Balanced Diet
Have you ever felt as though there was a void in your life? You crave for something and you do not know what or why? You go out to buy a new dress or a new pair of shoes, or you seek comfort food just to satisfy that void? I’m sure we have all been there at a stage in our lives.
At times we think our bodies require physical food, when in fact they need spiritual food. There are two types of food: ‘Physical food’ and ‘Spiritual food’. These two keep us in a balanced lifestyle. One is food for our bodies and the other is food for our soul.
PHYSICAL FOOD (food for the body)
Correct eating
Our body needs healthy, nourishing food to survive. When we starve our bodies of natural vitamins, we can feel sluggish and low in energy. When we eat the wrong foods, our bodies will crave for what they need. If we have an iron deficiency we can top up with foods that have iron, such as dried beans and dark leafy vegetables (such as spinach). Iron is better absorbed with vitamin C, which is where our combination of vitamins and legumes is of great importance.
Our fruits are better absorbed when taken before a meal. This also helps our food to be used to its full potential for our health.
We’ve all heard the expression: “We are what we eat”. This is true, for if we consume junk food most of the time and fail to exercise, we will put on weight. This is nothing new. The good news is we can reprogram our minds to eat healthily. At times this might be an impossible task, which is why we are in need of God to help us to do so.
SPIRITUAL FOOD (food for the soul)
Having a gym contract doesn’t ensure we will have a firmer and leaner body. We need to use the gym contract to achieve that. The same is true with our instruction manual (the Bible). If we have the manual to guide our lives but make no use of it, we will remain spiritually hungry and struggle in life.
God created natural foods for us to eat:
God said,” Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” (Genesis 1:29)
God did not intend for us to have all the chemicals we have in our foods today. So we must try to eliminate these from our diet. At times we seek things that taste nice, but that is not good for us. We eat it because we desire it.
As St. Paul said: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18).
I’m sure we can all relate to this. We want to eat healthily and to have a fulfilled life, but our sinful nature will not permit us to do so. We give in to our desires and will, instead of knowing what God’s perfect will for our lives is.
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
We know that God has our best interest at heart. When we think our goals are unachievable, let us remember this verse:
Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matt. 19:26)
We might not have the strength to overcome our binges and cravings, but with God all things are possible. We must, however, want to change and to lead a healthier lifestyle. God requires our co-operation and will, to have a balanced diet both physically and spiritually.
I end by leaving you with this verse:
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” (3 John 1:2)
