Lately God has led me to look at the physical part of that issue more - from a "fight fire with fire" approach.
Just the other day a question popped into my head: "Why do people eat?" My first thought was to relieve hunger.
Then another question: "Why do people get hungry then?"
Have you thought about that?
God designed you so that you must eat to supply nourishment to your body. God gave you taste buds so that eating is pleasurable.
Because it feels good, you want to do it.
God also gave you hunger so that it becomes uncomfortable when you don't eat. So he gave you two "insurance policies" to ensure that you eat so that your body receives the nourishment it needs to stay healthy.
Here are 4 things proper nourishment does for your body. Just remember the word MINT.
- Metabolism - Your body needs nourishment to convert the food you eat into energy for you to work, play, love
- Immune Function - Your body needs nourishment to defend itself against disease
- Nerve Strength - Your body needs nourishment to maintain the messaging network that the brain uses to communicate with your body
- Tissue Growth and Repair - Your body needs nourishment to build muscles and heal wounds
But what if the food that you are eating is not nourishing?
What if the foods you are eating are so addictive that not only do they crowd out the foods you need, but you are unable to control the amounts that you eat?
It is clear to me that this is an overlooked key to healing binge eating.
The physical part of healing occurs when you begin to fulfill the purpose of food, which is to nourish your body.
Healing foods are used to replace any addictive foods from your diet so that you can exercise self control in your eating.
Think about your current eating pattern - if you suffer from binge eating disorders, I doubt that you turn to salads or broccoli when you are emotionally upset.
Instead you probably crave carbohydrate-heavy foods since the body breaks them down quickly, giving you an instant sugar high. You feel calmer - that is until the next craving hits.
To get off the roller coaster and start healing, then you must supply your body with the foods that keep it in MINT condition - foods that God made originally for your body like dark green vegetables (rich in magnesium, which is needed for all MINT functions) and fruits like apples, oranges, pears, and strawberry.
You also need limited amounts of lean protein like beans, fish, turkey, chicken, lean beef, eggs.
And you do need some carbohydrates but they must be the slow processing kind like brown rice and sweet potatoes. That way, you won't trigger the sugar hits that compel you to overeat.
Be sure though to pay attention to how you feel when you eat carbohydrates until you know how much you can tolerate to stay in balance.
So in addition to prayer, using a journal so that you can identify your binge eating triggers, you must eat for nourishment to restore balance to your body.
Your body will thank you for it!
Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness,
Kimberly Taylor
Author of the Take Back Your Temple program
P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it?
I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.” - Pastor James MacDonald
The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey.
Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off.
Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program