“You are what you eat!”
You’ve probably heard this phrase before, and for good reason.
Ever wonder, “If I ate enough carrots, would my skin change orange?” Well, it is possible through a condition called “carotenemia” that is caused by having high amounts of beta-carotene in your blood.
Now, as rare as that condition is, what we eat can have a huge effect, both positively and negatively, on our overall health, and men need to be very conscious of the foods we eat. As I have gotten older, understanding the importance of nutrition and my ever-slowing metabolism has become very important.
What we eat can have a huge effect, both positively and negatively, on our overall health, and men need to be very conscious of the foods we eat.
Food and Mental Health
Let’s be honest: this world presents many challenges, whether through work, social, or home life, and with those difficulties, we face stress, anxiety, and even depression.
If I am speaking truthfully, a tough day will make me want to eat junk food to quench my hunger, through which my brain activates and releases a chemical called “dopamine,” which feels pleasurable in the moment. However, studies have shown that salt-laden and high-fat foods are the least likely to benefit a man’s mental health. Unhealthy foods affect us with impaired decision-making, fatigue, and a slower reaction time.
However, when we eat healthier foods, we are equipped with better sleep, stronger motivation, and sharper focus. So, we should pay attention to how different foods make us feel both in the moment and in the days after. For example, try experimenting with a vegetarian diet or going one week without junk food, and take notice of any changes to your mental health. When I started listening to my body and eating in response, I felt a positive mental change.
Food and Physical Health
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” The Bible makes it abundantly clear that we need to take care of our bodies and do so diligently.
Stopping in at a fast food joint or eating a bag of chips can be far more enticing than eating healthy, but it comes at a price. Foods that contain high sugar and fat can bring on heart disease/stroke, high cholesterol and blood pressure, and weight gain.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that we need to take care of our bodies and do so diligently.
A documentary that still sticks with me to this day is called Super Size Me. In it, a man goes on a thirty-day all-McDonalds diet for every meal. At the end of the thirty days, he gains twenty-four pounds, his cholesterol goes up sixty-five points, his body fat goes from eleven to eighteen percent, and he doubles his risk of heart disease and heart failure.
Now, as extreme as this documentary was, and although most people do not eat fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, it showed the devastating consequences of eating unhealthy processed foods.
What is so fascinating is that food and faith regularly overlap in Scripture. Various passages in the Bible provide wisdom in caring for our bodies through moderation and smart eating. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship.” Proverbs 3:7-8 says, “Do not be wise in your eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” These verses teach us that God is interested in our bodies as well as our souls, and one way that men can honor the bodies that God created is by nourishing them well with what we choose to eat.
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