Acts 11:9 says, “What God has cleansed, do not call common or unclean.” (See also Acts 10:13-15) Of course, this is about so much more than food, but I believe it applies to food as well. The opposite of common is sacred. This points toward intentionality, in food and in eating. This is grace and sacredness, grace-filled eating.
The other day, I had pizza and a green smoothie for breakfast. Pizza because that’s what I felt like eating, and a green smoothie because I knew that’s what my body needed. There was no condemnation or guilt, just joy. Choosing my consequences and honoring my needs. That is grace-filled eating.
I think Michael Pollan said it well in his book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma". He said, "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." That first phrase is important. Eat food. Real food. Not just food-like substances. Simply choose to eat real food, as close to the way that God made it, as much as you can. This does not always mean raw, although some foods are delicious and digestible without cooking. Eating real food is one of the best things that you can do for your body and for your health.
Pay attention to what your body is telling you, because it will not be the same for everyone. Pay attention to whether a food makes you feel well or ill. Whether it makes you feel your best or just okay. When you've identified that, there is no condemnation for making the choices that don't make you feel well. But choosing the foods that do make you feel well is honoring your body. It's treating food as something that is not common.
Certain foods that have been identified as very commonly making people feel less than well, and these are known as “The Big Eight” of food allergens. Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy are the eight most common food allergens in modern times. While those foods are not inherently bad, some bodies react negatively to the food and those individuals will feel much better if they avoid the offending food. I'm not going to get into why those foods don't work for us, but I want you to be aware that those are foods that many people simply don't feel well on. And if that's you, it's okay to avoid them. In fact, avoiding those foods is honoring what your body needs.
Certain stressors can make food intolerances suddenly appear, or at least become severe enough to come to attention. Chronic illness, like Lyme disease, will often trigger gluten and dairy intolerances or other food allergies. Stress, chronic inflammation, and lack of sleep can often trigger an allergy or make it worse.
Our bodies are incredibly complex and amazingly engineered. Gut health is intricately linked to brain health, and indeed to the health of the entire body and soul. We actually have more neurons inside our guts than inside our skulls. Which kind of blows my mind.
But it helps us make sense of how the foods that we eat affect the way that our brains function. When I was a child, my mom would not allow us to have Kool-Aid or anything with food coloring, because she realized that we would become so hyper that she couldn't control us. But when she cut out the Kool-Aid, and other foods and drinks with food coloring, we wouldn't be hyper. I had, and to some extent still do, a gluten intolerance from Lyme disease. I used to become quite grumpy when I accidentally got any food containing wheat or gluten. What we put in our stomachs affects the way that our brains work.
The gut neurons are responsible for producing a large percentage of serotonin and other neurotransmitters that affect mood and brain function. There is a direct connection between gut health and brain function, between the foods we eat and the emotions we feel. It may take some extended times of observation and connecting the dots to find out what works best for you. But if you choose to put in the effort, it will pay off.
You can find a food diary form here. Feel free to download and print for your personal use.