Why is food so confusing? It seems like everywhere we turn, someone is telling us the best way to eat or giving us the best diet plan.  And yet, food is a gift God has given us!  If we look, we can see God’s kindness in nutritious food… and that observation can lead us to both healthier eating and another way to worship Him for His goodness!

BUT – with an estimated 5 million diet books sold in America each year, there is more information available to us today than ever before on what, when, and how to eat.  And yet, we are still confused about exactly what it is we are supposed to be eating.  Most of us have purchased or subscribed to a specific “diet plan” at some point during our adult years. Many of us did so before we were out of high school, and these two factors are one of the main reasons we are still searching for the perfect food.

We have let the focus of the food we eat become one of trying to fit into a certain size of clothing.  We’ve allowed our meals to become insta-shakes, protein bars, and frozen, pre-packaged food.  We’ve spent too much time trying to follow diet rules, and we have lost sight of the gift of grace our Creator has for us in the food He gave us for complete physical nourishment.  While there is a time and a place for some packaged foods, we need to make sure the majority of what we choose to eat is sourced from minimally processed, whole foods.

Whole foods contain macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients are what is referred to as the amount of fat, carbohydrates (carbs), and protein contained in a particular food item.   These are the most prominent nutrients contained in every single food we eat.  Micronutrients are all the additional vitamins and minerals we get from our food.  Whole foods, like fibrous vegetables, colorful fruit, and lean, wild protein sources contain so many micronutrients they could never be replicated in processed food, even if there are added vitamins and minerals.  This is why whole foods are known as nutrient-dense foods, and most pre-packaged, processed foods are called low nutrient-dense foods.

Good nutrition gives us proper nutrients.

It’s essential to eat to fuel our individual body needs, so we want to make sure that our food is loaded with nutrients to give us energy for living our life, which keeps our body functioning at optimal health, and provides us with the strength to do all we are created to do.  Focusing on nutrient-dense foods is crucial for us to establish a sustainable eating pattern for life that will allow our body to function well.

Imagine with me for just a minute a couple of food items which are very different in nature but contain similar calorie counts:

• 2 cups of blackberries which contain 124 calories, 28g carbs, 1g fat, and 4g protein
• 2 store-bought chocolate chip cookies which contain 120 calories, 18g carbs, 6g fat, and 1g protein

Let’s say you are hungry for a snack, and you choose to eat the berries.  You will get a load of carbs when you eat it, but these are good carbs that your body knows how to handle.  You will also get a load of micronutrients, like vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and potassium, which you cannot see or even feel upon eating them, but which will provide your body with things it needs to function properly.  Also, these berries are known as a complex carbohydrate, which simply means it takes your body longer to digest them and uses those carbs slowly, which in turn helps increase your metabolism.  This is known as the thermic effect of food.

If, however, you choose to eat the cookies, you will also get a load of carbs, but these are simple carbohydrates, which will set off a rapid and catastrophic cascade in your body and will leave you with an energy crash shortly after eating them.  Because the carbs in the cookies get digested quickly, it drastically increases your blood sugar levels, which causes insulin to spike. Insulin is a functional protein that signals the body to store fat.  Not to mention you are entirely missing out on the vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and only getting a tiny fraction of the iron and potassium you would’ve gotten from the berries.

The effect will be the same if you choose to eat a whole potato over potato chips or a chicken breast over a protein bar.  Your body knows how to process the whole food choice, which contains nutrients that simply cannot be replicated fully in a packaged item.  And in choosing the whole food option, you are giving your body the building blocks it needs to keep your cells healthy.  Trust me, your body will thank you by functioning properly.

Another important detail about consuming whole food sources, especially in fruits and vegetables, is that they are full of fiber.  Fiber is extremely valuable when it comes to slowing digestion.  Keeping fiber at a good level helps steady blood sugar, which aids in keeping your energy at a constant level all day long.  This also prevents the craving monster from attacking during the day.  The fact that whole food sources are so much better for your body overall & that they will aid in improving your metabolism and losing or maintaining weight is a great reason to fill your plate with lean proteins, fruits, and veggies.  Research is also finding that people who have a steady blood-sugar level significantly reduce the chances of developing dementia & Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

So while the goodness of the cookies may last a moment, the goodness in the berries will last a lifetime.

The good news in deciding to focus on eating nutrient-dense foods is that you are prioritizing nutrition over momentary satisfaction or indulgence.  It does not mean you never again get to enjoy the cookies or anything else you want to eat.  It means through God’s grace, you will take note of how good you feel, how much energy you have, and how clear your mind is.  And in the noticing of how good you feel, you will naturally begin to choose whole foods over processed foods.

Just as God’s kindness leads us to repentance in our thinking and living, His kindness of providing what we need for physical abundance will also change the way we eat. (Romans 2:4)

Would you like to read more about what God thinks about your health?  Grab your copy of a free 5-day devotional called Your Health God’s Way.

Cara Price is the recipe creator, Jesus loving blogger & nutrition coach of The Nourished Body and Soul. After struggling for 3 years with debilitating pain, she found healing through a foundation of whole foods & now shares that knowledge with readers of her blog.  Cara’s goal is to help women learn the value of a whole foods based approach to nutrition and to balance their spiritual, physical & emotional health so that they can live the abundant life God desires for them.

What do you think?  Have you battled with food as a blessing or a struggle?  Have you experienced the blessing of God’s goodness through His gift of food?  Share your thoughts below!

More on this topic:

• Cara’s post on The Root of Disordered Eating
• Diets, Junk Food, and “Life to the Full”
• An excellent “Bite Sized Theology of Food” from Desiring God
• John Piper’s A Hunger For God

Inspiring (nourishing) welcome,

Angela