Have you ever wondered how two diets can be as different as night and day and still both be right? With all the contradictory ideas out there, how are we supposed to know how to eat? Here are three wise ways to eat the way God intended.

There are some eating plans that say all meat is off limits, others that say no breads allowed, there are even some that say particular vegetables aren’t okay. How is a girl supposed to know how to eat healthy?

The answer? We have to be wise. I believe that God cares about EVERY aspect of our lives, He wants us to live healthy lives, full of energy and strength! It seems like something as important as food wouldn’t be ignored in the Bible. And it’s not!

3 Wise Ways to Eat the Way God Intended

Ecclesiastes 10:17 says, “ Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.”

At first glance, it may seem like this verse doesn’t give us any kind of clues as to what to eat, but keep reading! This verse shows us the way God intended us to eat from the beginning!

When You Should Eat

First, this verse tells us WHEN we should eat: we must eat at a proper time. Diets out there will tell you when to eat, some say don’t eat after 8pm, some say eat every 2-3 hours, still others, like intermittent fasting, say to only eat between certain times of the day.

The problem with these kinds of diets is that each person is completely different, no one rule can tell us all exactly when to eat. But God in His wise grace created a plan that was as customized as each of us are.

Eating at the proper time means eating when your body is hungry and stopping when it’s full. If you take one thing away from this post, that should be it.

God made our bodies so incredibly smart. He knows that each day will be different from the last.

God knows that sometimes we will eat particular foods that keep us full longer, and other times we’ll eat foods that only give us a little energy.

That’s why He created hunger and fullness.

Talk about a customized eating plan! Our hunger and fullness signals even adjust for what we do each day. Have you ever noticed how hunger signals go away when you’re sick? Or when you’re super busy and need to get things done?

We cater to babies when they’re born and let them decide when they should eat. Those babies are in touch with their hunger and fullness signals much better than most adults.

If you want a way to eat that doesn’t involve calories or counting, try listening to your body before you eat. If you’re not experiencing feelings of hunger, simply wait to eat. After a little while, reassess and see how you feel.

What You Should Eat

Next, this verse tells us WHAT to eat. It says, eat for strength.

The more you are mindful of how your body feels after eating certain foods, the more you’ll see that certain foods give you a feeling of vitality and energy.

I want you to imagine that you’re on a hike.

You start out early in the day, you’re climbing and seeing the beautiful nature around you. You come up to a scenic overlook and the very last thing on your mind is food.

As you keep climbing, your stomach starts to growl and you realize that you’ve been so engrossed in your hike that you haven’t eaten all day and you are getting hungry!

You finally make it to the top and there’s a fork in the road.

The left path leads to a table filled with soda, candy and chips. The right path leads to fresh cooked fish and corn on the cob. It has ice cold water, picked from the vine tomatoes, and juicy watermelon.

Which would you choose? Which foods would give you more energy for the hike back down? Obviously the food to the right.

When we eat foods that make us feel good, those foods will naturally end up being foods that God made.

I remember eating a trigger food and overeating during my journey to health (a journey I’m still on by the way). It had gluten in it and I have celiac disease.

I ate this food and my body screamed at me that it wasn’t “for strength.” I was sick all night, had a headache, a stomachache, and more.

Now, I try not to look at foods as good or bad, but rather what will make me feel the best.

How Much You Should Eat

The last part of this verse may seem odd, but it tells us HOW MUCH to eat. It says, “[eat] not for drunkenness.”

The word drunkenness may seem a little harsh, but I’m convinced that food is the good girl’s drug.

We use it in the same way other people use drugs and alcohol. And if we want to be wise, we need to stop.

Thanksgiving

Consider Thanksgiving: most people gorge themselves on all the turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.

After you eat to excess, how do you feel? You feel lethargic, foggy, and sleepy.

Aren’t those some symptoms of getting drunk? Eating in extreme excess results in the same feelings as drinking in excess.

As we begin to listen to our bodies, and we heed our body’s hunger signals, then we’ll start to experience fullness as well.

We can be mindful of these bodies God has given us and only eat when we need to be satisfied and avoid eating in excess.

There’s a deeper part of satisfaction that comes to my mind, too.

Psalm 107:9 says that God “satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” It’s God ultimately satisfies us.

He’s the only One that can heal pain, food will just bury it for a time.

If you find that you’re consistently overeating, go to Him and ask Him to reveal to you why you’re eating and then let Him heal the hurt that food cannot.

There’s one more verse I want to share with you today:

1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whatever you eat or drink do it all for the glory of God.”

Our lives can be living proof of who God is, and He is FREEDOM. For so long, I let food control me and I didn’t eat for God’s glory. I’m not perfect, I still struggle, and there are definitely days when food still controls me. But I choose to let that struggle lead me back to the One who truly satisfies.

Being wise about the way I eat means that I’m not overeating AND it means that I’m not extreme dieting. I choose to let love guide my health journey instead of hate for my body or fear of the future.

Don’t Be Discouraged

I’m so thankful that God is a God of mercy. Each person’s journey to health is unique and there are no linear journeys.

Now that you know how to eat the way God intended, it would be nice if it was all down here from here, right?

We would all like to get from point A to point B with zero trouble, but there WILL be bumps in the road. The best wise advice I can give you comes from Joshua 1:9:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

We can hit a bump in the road and still stand strong in His strength because He promises us to to be with us wherever we go.

Take the Next Step

If you were reading the blog post and something just clicked. You realized, “Wow! I don’t have to count calories! I really can bring my faith and my health together!”

If that’s you, then you definitely need to check out Faith Food Freedom.

It’s a no diet approach to getting healthy while growing your relationship with the Lord. Faith Food Freedom is about learning to eat the way God intended in the first place. It’s about relying on His strength to make a difference in the body He gave you.

Check it out here!