God Given Food Bible study: https://amzn.to/4kh168e
For some people this transition will be difficult. For others not so much.
For me, the initial change to real food was not that hard. I had gone to the library looking for cookbooks because I wanted to cook balanced meals. I came home with a book about eating real food. In my mind I was already set on cooking more, so the cooking part wasn’t hard. I was fascinated by this new knowledge and read voraciously every real food book I could find. I was happy to be a rebel drinking raw milk. It was fun. I was single then and am still single, so I did not have any push back from kids or spouse wanting to still eat junk food. Time was not a problem either; I was working but not a workaholic, and no kids to shuffle around to various activities. Will power? Lack of will-power might follow me all of my days. For me eating real food is easy; staying away from a few junk food favorites is hard.
I do know that it is very difficult if your family members are not on board and they bring junk food into the house, especially when it is something that you like. I know me, and when there is food around that I love but is bad for me, I will eventually give in. It might take a few days or weeks, but I will finally cave and have some of that snack, and after I have tasted it there is no going back. I need to change my environment in order to reset.
In chapter 4, there is a list of problems a lot of people have with adjusting to eating real food. I know for some people just change itself can be very difficult and feel overwhelming.
The list of legitimate reasons to be overcome:
- I don’t enjoy or don’t know how to cook.
- I don’t have time to prepare healthy meals
- I can’t afford to eat healthy.
- I don’t have the energy to prepare healthy meals
- My spouse/kids won’t eat healthy food
- I don’t have the willpower to stick to it.
First, #1 problem: I don’t enjoy or don’t know how to cook. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things in life that we don’t enjoy. For me it’s cleaning. I like to cook, I don’t like to clean. Even though I like to cook, there are many times I don’t feel like cooking but do it anyway, because if I didn’t I wouldn’t have anything to eat. Or, some item of food I bought a few days ago (or put in the fridge to thaw) will go bad if I don’t cook it. Cooking is a necessity. And so is cleaning.
If you don’t know how to cook, start watching cooking classes on Youtube, watch Jamie Oliver cook, or see if you can find Martha Stewart on PBS. Watch to get familiar with the process. Take a cooking class; I just did a search for cooking classes and got results. If it’s not in the budget, find some videos on Youtube. Experiment with very simple meals; This one works best if you use a pan that can go in the oven (cast iron) – preheat oven to 350. Brown 1 lb of hamburger on the stove over medium heat, add chopped onions, stir until softened. Add a bag of frozen vegetable of your choice, stir until softened. Sprinkle garlic powder on top. Top with a lot of shredded cheddar cheese (buy the block cheese and shred it yourself, healthier) and put in the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Salt and pepper to taste and eat. This recipe is versatile. The next time you make it, switch the hamburger with ground pork. Use Italian seasoning instead of garlic. Or use Italian seasoning AND garlic. Leave off the cheese. Also experiment with time – if the vegetables are too soft, cook them a little less, etc.
#2 Problem: I don’t have time to prepare healthy meals. The goal is for you to eat well and be as healthy as possible. What I am recommending applies to #1 problem as well. Subscribe to a healthy pre-made meal delivery service. See if you can fit in cooking some nights and not cooking other nights.
Or, another solution, a meal kit delivery service. A few years back, I signed up for a meal-kit (they sent me the ingredients, I cooked) delivery service and learned a lot about cooking and portioning. Being single, I ordered the two-serving kit and because it was a lot of food, I could split the two-serving meal into four portions. I would cook all three meals delivered; cook and cook until they were all done, then split up the meals into glass bowls with lids and label them. I would then freeze them, and I had twelve meals ready for me to heat in the oven (usually 45 minutes if frozen). But, I only had three variety. Because of that, I would request the next weeks shipment of completely different recipes (trying to vary the meats and vegetables) and then I would have an even broader variety. I would skip the next deliveries until I started running out of meals. You do need a lot of freezer storage to do this, but it was great fun for me while it lasted.
Now, I am not doing meal-kits anymore. I will go to the store and get enough food for several recipes, 4-5 maybe, and cook all those up and portion them out the same way. Trips to the grocery store can take a while and so can the cooking, (sometimes 2 -3 evenings because I am a slow cook) but in the end I have a freezer full of a variety of meals.
Additionally, the easy quick hamburger recipe above will help with time. Cook it over and over, get good at it and it will take less time.
#3 Problem: I can’t afford to eat healthy. This is a legitimate concern for a lot of people. My recommendation: stop buying ultra-processed food and only buy real food. Real food will satisfy your hunger and you won’t consume as much as the ultra-processed food. Real food actually feeds your cells where fake food leaves you hungry.
Another recommendation: buy organic, grass-fed if you can. But, if you can’t afford it, buy the conventional meat, eggs, vegetables. Just leave the doughnuts, potato chips and the boxed powdered flavored stuff alone.
Your health should be your top priority, your food should be the #1 on list of importance and in your budget. If you are able to, pare down other expenses (like cable) and buy the best food that you can afford.
#4 Problem: I don’t have the energy to prepare healthy meals. This is where the meal kit comes in again if you can afford it. Also, look at your schedule and prioritizing so you are not so tired (or too busy). Your health and the health of your family is your #1 priority, and eating real food will give you more energy.
#5 Problem: My kids/spouse will not eat healthy food. Lead by example. For dinner cook really yummy (maybe cheesy? I love cheese) and healthy dinners. Maybe a gradual weaning off of certain things is best. For example, maybe your kids can have their favorite junk food dinner (mac and cheese out of a box?) once a week. Every other day their favorite cold cereal. Talk to them about how they feel after they eat well and after they don’t eat well. Talk to them about how soon they are hungry after cold cereal verses bacon and eggs. Order one of the many good books for kids on food and health and read it with them. Get your kids involved in the kitchen and cooking. Spouses are harder: ask him or her to respect your wishes to do this; your spouse should want you to be as healthy as possible. And again, try to make sure that everything you make smells wonderful and is especially delicious.
#6 Problem: I don’t have the will power to stick to it. Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23.
“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” 1 Timothy 3:2-3.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:11-14
“…Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, love.” 2 Peter 1:6
Self-control is critical in Christian lives. Self-control means biting your tongue when you want to lash out at someone. Self-control is necessary when raising children. Self-control is so vital for the alcoholic who is resisting the urge to take a drink. It’s the same for those who overeat, or for those who don’t overeat but don’t want to give up certain treats. We need to acknowledge that these foods are not good for our bodies. We need to honor our bodies as temples and eat food that builds us up and strengthens us, not tears us down and makes us ill.
Find someone who wants to do this with you, that is, eat foods the Lord has created and abstain from fake food. You can hold each other accountable, like we do when we want to be sure we are reading the Bible every day or praying every day, or trying to break a different bad habit.
Pray. Take it day by day, minute by minute. And most of all, if you can (if your family is supportive), do not have ultra-processed fake food in your home. Most Christians would agree to keep away from pornography; don’t have it in the house, on the computer or on the television. It’s the same with food that causes you to stumble. Stay away from the stuff in this world that causes us to sin. Resist temptation. Work hard at it just as you would work at other spiritual disciplines, like Bible reading and prayer.