Mindless Eating

"A very interesting, eye opening read!" -Chris Finley

2 Corinthians 10:5

"...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ"

It is so very easy to sit in front of the TV in the evening with your favorite snack and munch away in the glory of a lazy moment.  Why is our sinful nature so easily enticed into laziness?  Not that we can't enjoy a peaceful evening and there may really be something worth watching on TV but all too often it turns into a slightly damaging habit that we fall into.

If you are trying to improve your eating habits this might be an area you should consider changing.  Being more alert to what you are putting in your mouth really will help to improve your overall health.  Instead of trying "not to think about it" and then feeling guilty later, why not plan ahead and have a healthy snack, go for a walk, send a card to someone in need or watch that favorite show while exercising on your living room floor?  It does mean that you have to plan healthy snacks ahead of time and think before you act on the natural desire to eat whatever you feel like.  The experts refer to it as "mindful eating".  It's a process of planning what you are going to eat, thinking about how healthy and good the food is while you are eating it and congratulating yourself for having eaten something healthy when you are done.

As Christians we know that God desires for us to allow Him to guide our thoughts-even in the area of food and caring for our body in honor of Him.  The nutrition experts may think that they were the first ones to come up with the idea of being mindful about your actions but really it is a principle that God established in His Word.  Taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ includes the thoughts we have about food, exercise and relaxation.  If you have a sense that God wants you to gain control over your eating habits then I challenge you to consider quoting this verse whenever you have those times of temptation to eat more of something than you should or to choose a food that is less healthy than an alternative.


By Amy L. Stacy, MS, RD, CDE, CDN, CPT