My Body is a Temple

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19 

As I embark on the Whole 30 Challenge with my daughter, I am reframing my mindset and meditating on the purpose of food as fuel for the body I've been given to care for. Many, including myself, ponder the question: Why should I treat my body like a temple? Well, our bodies were created in the image of God. They are a gift from Heavenly Father to allow us to experience mortality and are designed to bring glory to the Creator. Does this knowledge influence the way we treat our bodies and how we feel about Heavenly Father and ourselves? I tend to think it does not. Most people do not take the time to really appreciate, nor recognize, the body as a gift; a temple, to care for and treat well.  

I see fast food franchises continuing to pop all over my community, and these do not inspire the majority of us to think of food as fuel for the vessel we have been given to care for. I certainly have never been through McDonald's to place an order with thoughts of how my menu choice and consumption will glorify God. Rather this is a quick fix, instant gratification, for my preceived physical hunger "needs", having nothing to do with what my body actually "needs" for fuel, nor my relationship with, or gratitude for, God.  I do not frequent fast food establishments, but poor choices are available at the grocery store and every restaurant there is; not just fast food joints. I have become keenly aware of how I feel when I consume processed, fatty, sugary foods;  lethargic, irritable, bloated, foggy in thought process, and just plain disgusting shortly after. So, again, time to make different choices.

I wasn't always aware of how food made me feel. I started paying attention to the messages my body was sending a few years ago when I elected to go through a Mind. Body. Spirit detox program. I learned that if my great grandmother wouldn't recognize a dish, or if she couldn't pronounce the ingredients on a label- it was not intended for me to eat! You don't have to be a Christian to respect the body you have; you just need to care about being able to enjoy your life for years to come. The 30 day detox program had No Sugar, No Processed Foods, No Dairy, No Alcohol, No Caffeine, No Grains...just whole foods. Understand the concept of "whole foods" seemed foreign to me too- I had seen the grocery store, Whole Foods, but had never actually been in one, and the store sign was all I knew of this "whole foods" thing, until my detox program. Who knew, it's not just a grocery store!

I grew up on cereal and mac and cheese, game meat and whatever dreadful vegetable my parents could find in a can or in the freezer for a side dish. Dinner always served with milk to drink and plenty of white sliced bread and butter, if I was at my grandma's house, or margarine at my house. Yuck! If you break this down to what grows from the Earth and the plethora of meats and fish available to us -being the top of the food chain- it's really not as big of a threat to your lifestyle. We can get overwhelmed and give up before we even try, so focus on what you CAN have and how good it makes you feel, rather than focus on what you CAN'T have. You always have a choice; just pay attention to how you feel when you choose crap over whole foods and vice versa. 

Moral of the story, I guess I have done the Whole 30 before.  When I was having emotional instability, mood swings, chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, seizures, constipation and fibromyalgia, I needed to change my life so I could live and not just exist in this vessel. My body felt 90 years old when I was in my 30's, and I took so many prescriptions just to get out of bed and function, then more to be able to sleep at night. It wasn't living. Food IS Medicine, and changing the food I consumed for 30 days, reset my whole life. I was able to come off dozens of medications and enjoy time with my family and friends again. I have been seizure free for two years, and many other diagnoses have been resolved- just by changing my diet.  I learned to mediate and discovered yoga; last year I even ran my first half marathon! Before my detox, I struggled even to get out of bed most days, I hadn't exercised in years, and I had secluded myself away from the world- not having the energy to be around people or even work outside the home. I had to make a change.That was 2013.  

Since then, I have submerged myself in learning about Food as Medicine and how nutrition effects our neurochemistry, aka, Mood and Energy. Don't get me wrong, I have certainly derailed a few times since my detox in 2013 by overindulging, by I keep getting back on track because I enjoy feeling good. I absolutely will struggle to give up my Carmel Macchiatos and Chocolate cake, and the occasional glass of wine, but I AM WORTH IT. YOU ARE WORTH IT. 

Yep. I have started the Whole 30 today, and I am not focusing on what I'll give up for 30 days...(it's 30 days people...ANYONE CAN DO IT),  I am choosing to focus on how great eating Meat, Fish, Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, and foods God provided for me to fuel the vessel he gave ME makes me feels. I eat pretty clean, but I know I have let old habits take over a few of my choices, so I am grateful my daughter wants to be healthy and happy and asked me to join her in this challenge for Lent- yep- she's extending her 30 to fit her Lent commitment this year. 

Who's with us?

Remember: it's 30 days, and when we treat our bodies as temples of God, we obtain physical, emotional, and spiritual blessings. Live your best life. 

In gratitude, 

Nicole
nicole@rebalancesf.com