Intended To Nourish

Have you ever thought that eating is a chore? Not the act of consuming food, but the planning, the shopping, the cooking, and the “but I don’t like that” comments. Let’s not forget the worries over whether we’re eating healthy or unhealthy, whether what we have on our plate is too much fat, too many carbs, not enough protein, or not enough veggies. At times, food can become a huge frustration that honestly, none of us have time for! More than once I have broken down into a blubbering mess because I was tired of fighting with food!

Shouldn’t food be enjoyable? Shouldn’t it be fun? Shouldn’t nourishing our bodies be something we look forward to instead of dread? Shouldn’t feeding our families and ensuring they have the nutrients they need to lead successful lives bring us joy? Where have we gone wrong?

To answer the question of where we went wrong, we’d probably have to go back to Genesis in the Bible. Let’s face it, the very first sin of mankind involved an apple, and honestly, our relationship with food has been downhill ever since!

So what can we do to make food enjoyable again? Are there things we can do to make eating not only simpler, but dare I say, even fun again? I believe there are. Maybe making food fun isn’t about the food, but about our mindset about food. Let’s face it, our culture makes celebrities out of chefs and puts food in our faces on every corner, while at the same time telling us if we’re even one pound overweight we should be ashamed of our bodies. Food is always in our thoughts, yet we’re constantly fighting against it and against our own flesh . Our flesh tells us to eat while our minds tell us to stop before we gain a pound! It’s a constant and terrible struggle that truthfully, mostly takes place in our minds.

Let’s begin overcoming this struggle. Let’s begin to make peace with our bodies and with food. Let’s embrace what is intended to nourish us, and let’s stop fighting ourselves and each other over what we will and won’t eat.

Where do we start? With step 1; making peace with who we are. Are we thin? Fantastic. Do we struggle with weight? Great. Are we petite or do we have a larger bone structure? Tall or short? Brown, black, red, or blonde hair? Blue, green, brown or hazel eyes? It doesn’t matter. Make peace with who you are and what God has given you. He has created you exactly as He saw fit. He is not surprised by your weight. He loves your hair and eyes. He designed your skin perfectly for you. You are God’s creation. Make peace with that. He loves you as you are. Every morning wake up and tell yourself you choose to be at peace with who you are. Maybe you’re not in a place where you can say you love yourself, but you can say you accept yourself and are willing to stop struggling with all the little things you dislike about yourself. You won’t regret it. And believe it or not, making peace with yourself and who you are is the first step in finding peace with all aspects of life, including food.

I’m Tara and I love food. It doesn’t matter if it’s fat, protein or carb, I still love it.   Down home country cooking, upscale urban cuisine and international flavors of the world all find their way onto my plate.  Vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, meats, dairy, herbs and spices are all part of my repertoire.  

So, if a girl loves food, what is she to do?  Eat, of course!  I believe God designed food to nourish His creation.  All food, regardless of whether it’s high fat, low carb, high carb, or low fat, has a place in His design.  Whole foods nourish our bodies and keep us going.  They make us healthy and happy and every day they give us energy, allowing us to accomplish the tasks set before us.  Yes, there’s room for processed food here and there, but unprocessed and whole is always the primary goal. Why?  Because that’s how God created food, and that’s how I believe He intends for us to consume it, the way He created it.

Don’t get me wrong, I often miss the mark.  I shoot for fresh and whole, but the busyness and stress of life often gets in the way.  Sometimes, even when I do get food choices correct, I get it wrong by eating too much or too often, or by having a breakdown and binging on junk food.

Thankfully, God knows we are not perfect, and He understands we don’t always get it right, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying.  It doesn’t mean we stop seeking health, or stop seeking personal betterment, and we certainly don’t stop seeking the wonders of His creation!

Go with me on a journey of food that awakens the taste buds and senses.  This will be a journey of discovery, enjoyment and fulfillment.  Let’s discover food created by God, designed with an intent and purpose to nourish His creation, humanity.