Does God Care About Nutrition and Health?

By: Jenn Bryant, MS, RDN, LD, CDCES

Nutrition and fitness are hot topics in our culture today. So hot in fact that they are becoming topics we feel passionately about, argue about, struggle with, and also idolize.

All throughout scripture, the Bible teaches us to take care of ourselves to our best ability. But our good intentions to take care of our earthly bodies can sometimes get side tracked when we start to make these intentions more important than our God. The Bible often talks about idols as golden calves or other physical statues that people worship, but did you ever stop to assess if you are making your appearance or the food you eat an idol?

The ideas of changing the way we eat and exercise for health rather than for appearance is slowly gaining interest and I am so glad! The fleeting motivations of eating differently to look better often lead to unhealthy thoughts and attitudes which can then lead to destructive eating patterns. Our culture is so eager to find the next quick fix or buy the next new thing that we do not realize that we are digging ourselves a deep hole. Once we buy into the ideas of quick fixes and short-term changes, we have succumbed to the diet mentality.
The hallmark of the diet mentality is that you are continually frustrated by your lack of progress, exhausted in all of your efforts, and ready to give up on yourself. You are constantly trying to make progress and forever failing. You are tired of having to watch what you eat. You are tired of being on a diet. You are jealous of all the others that seem to put in no effort and have wonderful success.

The diet mentality also typically shows that we have a problem with idolatry. We have either made food an idol and we find ourselves preoccupied with our next meal or snack. Or, we have made our health and appearance an idol. Either way is destructive and is an example of how we are trying to satisfy our deepest longings with things of this world instead of with our God.

If this sounds like you, you are not alone. So many of us struggle with these tendencies to put worldly things before God. What we all really desire is to start thinking differently about how we take care of ourselves! The Bible does not talk a lot about how we feed ourselves and nutrition specifically, but it does talk a lot about how we take care of our bodies (1 Cor 6:19-20). Taking care of our bodies involves many aspects, but one important one is how we feed ourselves. God cares deeply about our struggles. This includes our eating habits since we know our nutrition affects so many parts of our lives and our overall health.

Taking care of our bodies well has motivations rooted in scripture. God calls us to take care of our earthly bodies (1 Cor 6:19-20). He also calls us to do everything for his glory (Col 3:17). Lastly, he calls us to work for him (Col 3:23). All of these are good and right motivations to take care of our physical bodies. When our motivations turn from earthly (vanity) to steadfast (for the glory of God) then we are able to truly make changes that will last!

Once we have changed some of our motivations, we now consider what does taking care of our earthly body mean? There is so much conflicting nutrition information out there, how do you even know if you are doing it right? These are really good questions and I think the answer is different for each of us. FAD diets come and go and most of us cannot stick with them very long anyway. Taking care of our bodies well means paying attention to our hunger. We should consider if we are eating for the right reason of nourishing our body. I like to ask myself, “what nutritional value does this meal or snack have for me?” If the answer is “none,” then I need to evaluate my motivation for eating it. God did make food to be pleasurable (Gen 2:9) and so we should enjoy it as a gift from God. That typically means that some foods that are not really nourishing (like cookies) can fit into our lives.

Taking care of our earthly body also means eating a variety of foods in a balanced and moderate way. Generally speaking, this means not cutting out major food groups (unless there is a medical reason to do so). I love the saying, “all foods can fit.” This is so true and so practical! Embrace this concept and enjoy the plentiful healthy foods the Lord has provided!

Lastly, taking care of our earthly body means thanking God for the food he has provided you. Thanking God helps keep our perspective so that we worship the giver and not just the gift. Thanking God for our food, our health, and our body can be a wonderful way to keep our perspectives on nutrition in line with what God wants for us.

Does God care about nutrition and health? Yes! I absolutely think He does. Consider this, what if we could change our eating habits for the better and instead of it feeling like a burden, it felt like a joy? Our healthy changes would cause us to be better equipped to serve our God with these earthly bodies. When we delight in taking care of our earthly bodies, then we feel our best and we can serve our best. Are you finding JOY in taking care of your body for the glory of God?