By JoAnn Butrin
Weigh in; weigh out; weigh down; carbohydrates up; protein down;
protein up; carbohydrates down; eat only fruits and vegetables;
pray over everything and eat what you want; push away; don’t
fill up; think thin; confess your ideal weight; don’t obsess;
don’t regress; don’t digest. Are you confused? There’s
more.
Organic foods, supplements, products and herbs vie for our attention,
pointing out that our foods are depleted of vitamins and poisoned
by insecticides. Our bodies need more than just food, we are told
– we need "products" that will make our food more
nourishing, cleanse our systems, aerate our lungs, bathe our cells,
get us in tune with our inner beings and, as some claim, "radically
change our lives."
The American market is flooded with quick-fix solutions to weight
loss and healthy living. Surveys show, according to Carole Lewis
in her book, First Place, the weight-loss craze to be the
second most popular recreational means of spending money, topped
only by fitness. Obsessed though we are with fitness and weight
loss, the numbers of overweight Americans have increased steadily
over the years. According to Science journal (May 29, 1998),
54 percent of all U.S. adults are overweight — an increase
of about 33 percent since 1978.
A health consciousness does seem to pervade our society, but the
messages are so profuse, and often contradictory, that many of us
flip-flop from one fad to the next, never really achieving any permanent
change in positive health behaviors. Others just give up and return
to what may be poor nutritional habits, no attempt at weight loss
and no exercise at all.
Despite increased knowledge concerning nutrition, fitness and healthy
lifestyles, many of us are attracted to fad diets, the latest in
exercise equipment or the product-and-supplement mentality because
they promise quick, no-pain, easy or enjoyable solutions. We want
to be able to log on to an easy solution that will give us the American
fantasy — a perfect body, radiant health and a no-guilt approach
to eating.
Unfortunately, when it comes to positive health habits, fitness
and proper nutrition, there really is no quick fix. Habits, good
or bad, take time to form and time to change.
Many people use food to cope with the ups and downs of life. We
use food to celebrate the good times. We use it to help us mingle,
to help us climb social ladders, to influence business decisions
and to offer congratulations. We also use food to help fight loneliness,
to overcome stress and to substitute for something we feel is missing
in our lives.
Most of these coping strategies, though perhaps not wrong in themselves,
leave us overfed, gaining weight and feeling guilty.
The Bible provides the right motivation as well as some very basic
and practical instructions for healthy eating and fitness.
The most often-quoted Scripture that we are to be good caretakers
of our bodies is 1 Corinthians 6:19,20: "Do you not know that
your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom
you have received from God? You are not your own; you are bought
at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (NIV).
Other biblical principles to guide us are those of moderation and
balance. Philippians 4:5 says, "Let your moderation be known
unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (KJV). Ecclesiastes 3 says
that men should enjoy eating and drinking and enjoy the fruits of
their labor, but Proverbs 23:1,2 admonishes us to bridle our appetite
and exercise restraint.
Caring for what God has given us and applying moderation and balance
in all aspects of our lives set the stage for an appropriate and
God-ordained approach to positive and practical nutritional and
fitness behaviors. These Scriptures also let us know that good health
is not an automatic right or privilege for those who know God, but
rather a personal responsibility.
Before discussing the benefits of eating the right foods, it is
necessary to decide what the right foods are. As basic as it may
sound, the food chart children learn in school is still the standard
for determining what constitutes a well-balanced diet. Those food
groups are: breads, cereals and rice (6-11 servings per day); fruits
(3 servings a day), vegetables (3-5 servings per day); meats, poultry
and fish (2-3 servings per day); milk, yogurt, cheese (2-4 servings
per day) and fats, oils, sweets (use sparingly).*
Each person should have some of each of the above food groups each
day, but should monitor the amounts that result in maintaining or
losing weight. Keeping fats, oils and sweets to a minimum will be
of major health and weight reduction benefit. Counting calories,
the old standard, is still an excellent way of controlling the amount
of foods that are eaten. Consulting a physician to determine your
ideal weight for your body size is a wise first step.
After establishing a nutritional plan, think about incorporating
physical exercise into your daily routine. Keep in mind this simple,
practical formula: Less input of calories, more output of energy
equals weight loss.
One of the best exercises that we can do is walking. Brisk walking
is preferable, but any walking is better than no exercise. Swimming,
biking and jogging are all inexpensive, accessible and practical
ways to improve our health and reduce weight. The key is consistency
and frequency. Exercise should be undertaken daily if possible or
at least three times weekly.
For minimal time and expense investment, a reduction in weight
and exercise will contribute to reduction in risk of heart disease,
high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.
If you are considering another fad diet, or if you’ve given
up entirely, I urge you to rethink your motivation and ask yourself,
How can I honor God with my body? Let your determination stem from
a desire to obey God’s principles, to present yourself "holy
and acceptable to the Lord."
*Natural Health magazine, Nov./Dec. 1993.
JoAnn Butrin, Ph.D., is director of HealthCare
Ministries of the Assemblies of God. She lives in Springfield, Mo.
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