Everyone has their vice or something they struggle with.

Mine is food. I have used it as a way to celebrate, as a way to console myself, and I’ve used it to feed my guilt.

Food as a celebration tool isn’t wrong, in fact, it’s even Biblical. There are many examples of feasting in the Bible. There are also examples of fasting. Both have their place and their season. The key for me is not to abuse feasting.

For instance, Hey, it’s the weekend! Let’s buy junk food to eat from Friday night to Sunday night. You can be certain, I feel awful come Monday morning, from all the sugar and processed foods I’ve eaten.

I’m more tired, my body aches (sugar causes inflammation), I lack energy to motivate myself to do other things, and I feel oh so guilty for not exercising more control.

Food as a comfort isn’t wrong either, but like anything else there’s a right and wrong way to do it.

Let’s talk about sugar. If I use sugar to release oxytocin, it might make me feel happier for a while, but then there’s that all too familiar crash, which makes me crave more sugar. It’s a horrible cycle! Oh, and guess what, yet another contributor to the guilt of overindulgence. There are lots of other foods that provide energy and add some pep-in-my-step that don’t have the negative side effects.

Fueling your guilt is wrong. Any method of self-sabotage is not what God wants for our lives. He wants us to repent of our wrong doings and live free from guilt.

So how can we celebrate and console and ENJOY our food, all while avoiding the guilt?

One of the realizations that has helped me is understanding that food has a purpose. God created this world and then said it was very good. He created yummy foods to be enjoyed which can be easy to forget when being used to buying our food pre-made or in a box with instructions to “just add water”.

I was told often growing up, “Don’t eat that! It will make you fat.” And while this was in fact, true, I believe it was the wrong focus.

There’s a purpose for food beyond weight gain or weight loss. There’s a purpose beyond enjoyment (although God also created it to be enjoyed as well). Food is meant to be nourishing. Food is meant to fuel the body. Food is meant to repair or heal the body. This knowledge has changed my way of thinking about food. It doesn’t steal my joy, it provides answers, and makes me feel like I can be healthier just by making a different food selection.

Healthy to me used to mean being thin, but it means so much more to me now.

You see, when I indulge in sugary, processed foods on a regular basis, I’m not only damaging my body, but I’m robbing it of the nutrition it needs to heal itself, both inside and out.

I woke up this morning and my feet were hurting. I’ve noticed when I go a week without sugar, my feet don’t ache. Immediately I thought about the food I ate this past weekend. Beyond aches and pains, when I give up sugar, my emotions are more in control. I’m kinder and I don’t get “hangry”. My mind functions better. I make better decisions and accomplish more.

I never would have realized sugar impacted me so negatively, if I had never given it up. I like feeling healthy and energized! I like mentally clarity! I like when I don’t feel I’m battling myself emotionally.

The beautiful thing is that I really haven’t had to give up sweets. I’ve just had to switch to a different sweetener (and I don’t mean those artificial sweeteners laden with chemicals and carcinogens).

A wonderful friend of mine introduced me to Trim Healthy Mama. They outline eating healthy, controlling blood sugar, and losing weight (if you want to), and provide some suggestions for natural sweeteners. One of which is Stevia, which has replace sugar in our home. I credit THM with my new love for understanding how foods affect my body and mind.

So, I’ve talked a bit about not harming my body with food. I certainly picked on sugar in this post, but what about highlighting foods that are energy-giving and healing?