Godly Eating

What Should We Eat?

Today, I am preparing to go grocery shopping.  In order to reduce our costs and get healthy, we are trying to do some meal planning and only purchase what we need to complete those meals.  Extras, such as carb snacks, should be avoided.  So, we need to make sure we are stocked with healthy snacks for those go to moments.

The “plan” we are going to be following is a combination from a variety of experts, including God!  I am calling this the “Caveman Diet;” because, sticking to foods that are naturally occurring in nature is best for the body.  Avoid anything processed such as hot dogs, lunch meat, prepackaged meals, and especially sugar!

NOTE: Since the writing of this, several similar diet plans have become popular from doctors and nutritionists such as Dr. Mark Hyman, Medical Doctor and doctor of Functional Medicine, Dr. Loren Cordain and collegues at Colorado State University, and Pastor Rick Warren of the Daniel Plan.

The Bible contains some great ways for staying healthy, including things that are good for your body to consume as well as stress reducing prayer time.  I am willing to bet you are wondering how prayer can help you lose weight and get healthy??

The great thing about prayer is that you can find peace by spending some quality time with God.  This includes praying for peace, serenity, smooth sailing, and easy decisions.  When we allow ourselves to become stressed, our body gets chemically out of whack.  The body tries to protect itself by producing chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol that trigger a “fight or flight” response.  This pushes the body into a state where we can react faster to dangers.  However, when we do not allow ourselves to relax and release those chemicals, especially cortisol, our body thinks we need to store up fat in order to survive.  Cortisol literally converts extra energy chemicals such as carbs and sugars directly into fat cells that are usually deposited to our midsection, especially the lower belly area.  Quiet introspection, peace, and love are a necessary reset mechanism to keep us de-stressed and, in turn, healthier in mind, spirit, and body.

Another way that is recommended to stay healthy is fasting.  While fasting is a good tool to help us get closer to God, intermittent fasting can help us turn our excess fat into the fuel our body uses for energy.vNow, I am not talking about starving yourself for days on end.  But, I am talking about fasting every day during the morning and night hours.  If we follow a natural circadian rhythm of sleep – waking around dawn and sleeping after dusk – then fasting from the time we get up in the morning until lunch time around noon and after 7pm at night will turn our body into a fat burning machine!

When you first get up, feel free to have that cup of black coffee or hot tea to kick start the metabolism.  But, instead of adding all those sugary extras, consider adding a teaspoon of butter or coconut oil and blend well.  While it may seem counter-intuitive, consuming more natural fat tells our body that there is no need to create that fat internally.  We must eat fat if we want to stop producing fat where that fat is unwanted!  You can also add some spices or flavors such as cinnamon, dark cocoa powder (80%), nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, natural sweeteners (such as Stevia or Keto:Sweet ‐ although neither are recommended due to being chemically processed), and even a teaspoon of heavy cream (preferably from grass fed cows).

Around noon, have a large lunch but do not stuff yourself.  Stop when you are about 80% full and wait at least 20 minutes before going back for seconds or snacking.  This gives your brain time to catch up with your body and realize that you are sufficiently full.  The stomach is like a balloon &#dash; firm when empty, but able to stretch to accomodate a meal.  The stomach can also become weak and stay enlarged when continually filled to the max every time we eat.  By keeping satiated but not full, this allows the stomach to return to a healthy size each time, or about the size of your fist.

You can then snack intermittently throughout the day until about 7pm.  Some recommend stopping about 2 hours before you lay down for bed, especially if you suffer from acid reflux or indigestion.  However, by eating the right foods you should notice these issues become less frequent or, hopefully, go away altogether.

Processed sugar and other carbs should be avoided as much as possible.  Foods containing sugars and carbohydrates create cravings for more.  Not only will you crave more; but, you will feel hungry more often since these are quickly processed by the body.  By only eating between noon and 7pm, we are resetting our metabolism and forcing the body to burn stored fat instead of sugary carbs.  In essence, your body will become a fat burning machine.

Intermittent fasting also increases neural plasticity, or the ability for the brain to grow and learn new things, as well as neurogenesis, the ability to grow and evolve.  Our bodies also learn to normalize insulin levels, electrolyte production, and leptin sensitivity.  Insulin is the chemical produced by the pancreas to regulate the blood sugar, glucose.  Electrolytes are chemicals such as sodium, magnesium, chloride, potassium, phosphate, and calcium.  These chemicals are required for the body to conduct electricity between neurons and other cells.  Leptin is a hormone that essentially gives the body that “full” feeling.  If leptin levels are too low, then the body will feel hungry all the time.  By eating properly and fasting intermittently, the body learns to regulate these necessary chemicals and return to the natural state that God designed.

[Leptin rich foods: apples, oatmeal, lean proteins, green tea, almonds, broccoli, and eggs.]

The following is a list of foods that are known to be great for the body to function in the natural, intended state:

Proteins

(hormone & antibiotic free)

Poultry

(chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, cornish game hen, and goose)

Eggs

(organic or Omega-3, up to 8 per week)

Fish

(tuna, cod, wild salmon, herring, anchovies, sardines, pollock, halibut, and flounder)

Beef

(neck, shoulder, brisket, foreshank, ribs, ground chuck, hanger steak, flank steak, skirt steak, cube steak, and London broil)

Lamb, Bison, Deer, Elk

Soy (tofu and tempeh, non-GMO only)

Nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pistachios, and Brazil nuts)

Seeds (chia, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame)

Butters (almond, cashew, pecan, macadamia, and walnut)

Flours (almond and coconut)

Fats

Plant oils
(Olive, Avocado, Grapeseed, Coconut, Sesame, and raw Cacao)
Fish oils
(wild, canned, or fresh: Salmon, Tuna, Sardines, Herring, Anchovies)

Vegetables

(non-starchy)
Artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chives, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, endive, garlic, ginger root, green beans, hearts of palm, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peppers, radicchio, radish, rutabaga, seaweed, shallots, snow peas, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard, turnips & greens, watercress, and zucchini

Fruit


Blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, kiwi, lemons, limes, raspberries, tomatillos, and tomatoes

For a 10 day detox, eliminate all dairy, sweeteners, grains, and beans.  Anything that seems to be a healthy alternative (such as fruit and veggies not listed or beans) can be added in moderation after the detox period is over.  But stay away from those carbs!  Limit grains to “gluten-free” oatmeal (oatmeal is naturally gluten free; but, if grown close to wheat fields, can be cross contaminated), whole grain rice (unbleached), and use naturally “gluten-free” flours (such as almond or coconut).

The following is a list of Bible verses related to food and fasting:
Matthew 6:16-18
16 When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrite, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.
18 And your father who sees in secret will reward you.

    Seasonings, Spices, ​and Herbs

  • Anise (Matthew 23:23 KJV)
  • Coriander (Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:7)
  • Cinnamon (Exodus 30:23; Revelation 18:13)
  • Cumin (Isaiah 28:25; Matthew 23:23)
  • Dill (Matthew 23:23)
  • Garlic (Numbers 11:5)
  • Mint (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42)
  • Mustard (Matthew 13:31)
  • Rue (Luke 11:42)
  • Salt (Ezra 6:9; Job 6:6)

    Fruit and Nuts

  • Apples (Song of Solomon 2:5)
  • Almonds (Genesis 43:11; Numbers 17:8)
  • Dates (2 Samuel 6:19; 1 Chronicles 16:3)
  • Figs (Nehemiah 13:15; Jeremiah 24:1-3)
  • Grapes (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 23:24)
  • Melons (Numbers 11:5; Isaiah 1:8)
  • Olives (Isaiah 17:6; Micah 6:15)
  • Pistachio Nuts (Genesis 43:11)
  • Pomegranates (Numbers 20:5; Deuteronomy 8:8)
  • Raisins (Numbers 6:3; 2 Samuel 6:19)
  • Sycamore Fruit (Psalm 78:47; Amos 7:14)

    Vegetables and Legumes

  • In Babylon, Daniel and his friends observed a diet of only vegetables (Daniel 1:12).
  • Beans (2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
  • Cucumbers (Numbers 11:5)
  • Gourds (2 Kings 4:39)
  • Leeks (Numbers 11:5)
  • Lentils (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 17:28; Ezekiel 4:9)
  • Onions (Numbers 11:5)

    Grains

  • Barley (Deuteronomy 8:8; Ezekiel 4:9)
  • Bread (Genesis 25:34; 2 Samuel 6:19; 16:1; Mark 8:14)
  • Corn (Matthew 12:1; KJV refers to “grain” which includes corn, wheat, and barley
  • Flour (2 Samuel 17:28; 1 Kings 17:12)
  • Millet (Ezekiel 4:9)
  • Spelt (Ezekiel 4:9)
  • Unleavened Bread (Genesis 19:3; Exodus 12:20)
  • Wheat (Ezra 6:9; Deuteronomy 8:8)

    Fish

  • Seafood (Leviticus 11:9 dictates edible seafood must have fins and scales and prohibits all Shellfish)
  • See also Matthew 15:36 and John 21:11-13

    Fowl

  • Partridge (1 Samuel 26:20; Jeremiah 17:11)
  • Pigeon (Genesis 15:9; Leviticus 12:8)
  • Quail (Psalm 105:40)
  • Dove (Leviticus 12:8)

    Animal Meats

  • Leviticus says to only eat meat from those with cloven hooves and eat cud (like grass). Only having one or the other was considered ritually unclean, such as pigs and rabbits.
  • Calf (Proverbs 15:17; Luke 15:23)
  • Goat (Genesis 27:9)
  • Lamb (2 Samuel 12:4)
  • Oxen (1 Kings 19:21)
  • Sheep (Deuteronomy 14:4)
  • Venison (Genesis 27:7 KJV)

    Dairy

  • Fresh, raw, grass-fed, usually from goats & cows
  • Butter (Proverbs 30:33)
  • Cheese (2 Samuel 17:29; Job 10:10)
  • Curds (Isaiah 7:15)
  • Milk (Exodus 33:3; Job 10:10; Judges 5:25)

    Miscellaneous Foods

  • Eggs (Job 6:6; Luke 11:12)
  • Grape Juice (Numbers 6:3)
  • Raw Honey (Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 8:8; Judges 14:8-9)
  • Olive Oil (Ezra 6:9; Deuteronomy 8:8)
  • Vinegar (Ruth 2:14; John 19:29)
  • Wine (Ezra 6:9; John 2:1-10)

    Unusual and “Supernatural” Foods

  • Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and from the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:6, 22)
  • Manna (Exodus 16:31-35)
  • Gold Dust (Exodus 32:19-20)
  • Human Flesh (Deuteronomy 28:53-57)
  • Miraculous Bread and Water in the Desert (Genesis 21:14-19; Numbers 20:11)
  • Two-Sided Scroll of Lamentations (Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:3)
  • Bread Baked Over Human Excrement (Ezekiel 4:10-17)
  • Angel Cakes (1 Kings 19:3-9)
  • Animal Diet of Grass (Daniel 4:33)
  • Bread and Meat From Ravens (1 Kings 17:1-6)
  • Miraculous Flour and Oil (1 Kings 17:10-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7)
  • Locust (Mark 1:6)
  • Miraculous Fish and Loaves of Bread (2 Kings 4:42-44; Matthew 14:13-21; Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 6:30-44; Mark 8:1-13; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15)

While there are certainly many other passages relating to food and fasting, this is a pretty extensive list to get you started.

To this very day I still struggle with the battle between gluttony and eating healthy.  Even knowing what is good to eat does not help when our portion control is out of whack.

Emotional eating is another bad habit I struggle with.  Have a bad day?  Just get a big bowl of ice cream to make it all go away!  Yes, sarcasm.  But, that is where I tend to go after a long stressful day or even just a normal day when I know there is some sitting in the freezer calling to me.

The best advice I ever received with regards to bad food choices is from my Dad.  He is my go to guru when it comes to the unknown of all kinds.  The advice is to simply not buy it.  Now why didn't I think of that??  Old habits are hard to break.  But, trying to avoid the frozen isle in the grocery store definitely helps!

Will power is our only recourse without utilizing supernatural God given intervention.  We are all powerless to the flesh without His help.  This is why we should ask God for help every day, every hour, every minute that we are tempted.  Whether that help is to stay away from the frozen food isles in the store or praying to keep the car in the lane as the Andy's Frozen Custard drive through comes into view.

I know I will never be able to do anything without God by my side and food is certainly right up there in my danger zone.  Only God can help distract me until the desire and sometimes even obsession passes.

May you ask for God's help in everything you do and I pray we all have the power to get healthy and stay healthy in order to be fully capable to do God's work.

Written By:
Michelle Menkhus Rouse aka ~Misha