Nutrition has been a struggle for me for as long as I can remember. In my late teens and very early 20's I suffered from disordered eating and disordered body image. I under ate and overexercised. I craved control in my life, so I used food as a way to restrict what I was eating to look a certain way. While many crave food like ice cream, pizza, wine, etc for emotional comfort, I craved restriction of food for a sense of control.
Regardless of which side of the coin you fall, letting food consume your mind and looking to it as a sense of control will never fill the void you're looking for. From my experience using food to fill an emotional void never ends well.
Over this last year I've began to realize what's really missing from the equation. When I started to make this connection so much began to shift for me. I was putting control of food over faith in God. We were made to crave connection with God. Think about those moments where you run to the kitchen for anything other than food for a growling stomach. Were you really trying to fill a physical need? Or was it a spiritual need?
What if we started to turn to God instead of turning to food for comfort? Are you loving food more than you're loving God? These were some hard questions for me to look at.
Here are some tips to help you.
Write a prayer and put it on a sticky note wherever you find yourself tempted. Write a note asking God to help you crave HIM more than food or control.
Before you eat, stop and think to yourself, "Am I physically hungry right now? Or am I emotionally hungry?"
Learn the basics of good nutrition so that you know how to eat big filling meals that leave you physically satisfied. Need help? Checkout my PEACEFUL PLATE PROJECT to learn more! This is a faith based approach to nutrition.
I am not perfect in this. This is a daily practice that I have to continually work on. However, as I lean more into God and realize that I am not in control, the more peace I have in my life. What about you? Is this something you struggle with? Is food something that consumes your mind? Are you someone trying to count every calorie in hopes of looking a certain way? Are you finding emotional comfort in things outside of God?
My best advice, pray about it. God will lead you where you are meant to be.
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