God’s Provision for Nutrition

I woke up this morning and my body was so achy!  We had a party this weekend and I overdid and ate everything from candy bars to kettle corn.  My joints are killing me!  Sugar tastes soooo good going down, but when it starts to go through my body, it beats me up.  Does this sound familiar?  Probably.  I’m so thankful that I can begin again today.  I went to the store and bought my favorite healthy snacks, I made a protein shake for breakfast and I prayed for strength to pursue the narrow path once again.  Thank you Lord!  My splurges are getting fewer and fewer each year because the consequences have become more severe as I’ve aged.  Also, I’m trying to be a good example to my kids.  Even though I don’t always eat perfectly, and my cravings get the best of me from time to time, I have formed some good habits and I’m gaining ground.  The path is narrow, but it’s worth it.  I feel so much better when I eat clean and stay away from sugar.  By abiding in the Lord and eating the food that he created for me to eat, I will be better equipped to serve him.  The strength that he provides through His ways are always better than mine.

Did God actually provide a healthy guideline for Nutrition in the Bible?  He certainly did.  It all began “in the beginning”.  If you read the book of Genesis, you will find in Genesis 1:29 that God gave us every seed bearing plant for food.  This was before the fall of man into sin.  After the fall of man, God told Adam that the earth would be cursed and that he would have to work the land to eat and at that point animals would have to be sacrificed for our sins.  In Genesis 9:1-5, God gave Noah permission to eat meat.  In Leviticus 11 God specified what animals were clean and unclean for his chosen people to eat.  Eating clean would help them to survive and to be healthy on their journey to the promised land.  He cared about them and wanted them to survive the journey so that they would receive their blessing.

Although sacrifice was replaced by the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, the law was not abolished, it was just fulfilled by Jesus Christ.  See Matthew 5:17.  Instead of following the law to obtain favor, the law is now written on our hearts when we accept Christ as our Savior.  We want to follow the law because we acknowledge it as TRUTH.

Through our acknowledgement and acceptance of the Bible’s teachings, we see the list of clean and unclean foods as a tool for survival not only for the Israelites, but for everyone.  What was good then, is good now.   This food list does not save us, but it blesses us with better health if we choose to follow it.   There is scientific evidence as to why these laws were established. God knows how our bodies works and he knows how we digest things, and how we eliminate things.  He knows the nutritional makeup of all the foods that he created.  He is GOD and HE is all-knowing.  If you desire a healthier lifestyle, you will benefit from eating the “clean” foods that God established and you will feel better to avoid the “unclean” ones.   Click here for a list of these foods. 

Below is a list called Steps to a Healthier Life.   I haven’t made it completely through the list myself.  I think I’ve done about 8, but not in order.  I’m excited to complete the list.   If you add in one of these each week, you will make it through the list in 13 weeks.  If it seems impossible, just keep trying because the health you will gain from just adding in a couple of these items should keep you motivated to keep trying because you will feel  a real difference.  You can also reach this list by going to the Lifestyle Management tab and clicking on “Steps to a Healthier Life“.  Let’s get going and encourage one another in the Lord to be healthier this year!  Please send me comments after you try the list.

Steps to a Healthier Life