First of all, I want to share why I think healthy eating is so important. Over the years I have observed my dad taking many different kinds of meds...from diuretics to blood thinners, causing all kinds of side effects which require more medicine to compensate for those side effects. Its crazy! When he began to take various prescription medications, his overall health began to decline. I realize some of these meds have caused his life to last longer and some medications are helpful and neccesary. But, I would like to avoid medication as much as possible as I grow older. I realize it may not be possible to avoid all medications, but for the most part, I want to have a healthy body free of the daily taking of medicines. There may be times when medication is necessary, so I am not against it at all, I just want to be wise in how I manage my health now...for God's glory. How can eating healthy be for God's glory?

I believe that God has given us provisions in His creation to be healthy...wonderful naturally grown foods that are loaded with nutrition...made especially for the human body to consume and to enjoy. The problem is that we have turned something good into things that satisfy a desire for rich, fatty, and unhealthy things. Isn't that just like our human nature? We take something wonderful like food and cause it to be something bad? The amount of processed foods that is consumed in our country is alarming and is causing all kinds of health problems...from cancers and heart disease to diabetes and digestive disorders...plus, the trans fats and hydrogenated oils that is dished up in fast food restaurants is adding to the problem causing extreme obesity and various health problems. Trust me, I have been one of the guilty ones who has purchased things based on convenience many times and looking back on my diet from my younger years, I realize that I was not being a wise steward of what God has given me at all. As time has gone by, I have become more and more convinced that eating healthy is a discipline that requires dependency on the Lord. The Bible mentions gluttony as a sin and I am not saying that eating unhealthy is a sin so much, but when we desire to consume things that are not good for us for our own satisfaction that leads to poor health, I must start to examine what we are really doing? How is that honoring to the Lord? In my life, I think at times it has not been honoring to the Lord.

I enjoy food. I really do. I love cooking for my family! But, I do believe that food can be an idol. The occasional ice cream or high fat meal may not be wrong, but when we are seeking pleasure and satisfaction from food above our satisfaction in Christ, we are making something as enjoyable and important as food an idol. That is where I must examine my own heart and seek the Lord to ask Him for his grace for me, as the keeper of our home, to be diligent to prepare foods that can make us as healthy and strong for what He has for us to do while on Earth.

That really is the bottom line...God has provided for us...we should honor Him through our eating and lifestyle choices to be the best we can be for His service.

I would love to share with you some food items I have found along my path of trying to be healthier. I am working on that now and will post it soon. Some of it is store bought and some is just simple plain fruits and veggies...I am no gourmet fancy cook...we eat very simply at our house!