By Joel Comiskey, Living in Victory, 2022
As I write, I can confidently say that in the last few years, I’ve had far more energy and have accomplished more for Jesus and others. When I’m relating to family, coaching pastors, speaking at a conference, writing books, or ministering in my local church, I feel a renewed vitality and vibrancy. I have far more victory now than before. A lot of the dullness has disappeared, and I’m able to give myself more fully to God and his work. I’ve discovered afresh that health is critical to everything I do.
Many great books on healthy eating have appeared in the last ten years. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live is one of my favorites. T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study and Michael Greger’s Do Not Die are also excellent. I also highly recommend Dr. McDougal’s books and his free newsletter and articles. John A. McDougall is an American physician and author who founded Right Foods Inc.
These books, and many like them, view weight loss as a byproduct of healthy eating, not the main focus. Dieting, in fact, rarely works. Studies have proven that weight taken off through diets comes right back. At the same time, some food not only nourishes the body but helps a person lose weight (e.g., fruits, vegetables, salad, etc.). The packaged, man-made variety of foods, on the other hand, is harmful and adds excess weight.
Many use the Daniel Fast as a short-term focus on vegetables and water for typically three weeks in order to draw closer to God as well as to cleanse the body of toxins. The fast is based on the diet of Daniel in chapter 1, where the Scriptures record that he ate vegetables for ten days. However, there is an eating plan inspired by Daniel’s fast that is designed to encourage more lasting change. Pastor Rick Warren created The Daniel Plan after realizing he and his congregants needed to lose weight.
The reality is that most writing on the topic of healthy eating says the same thing: avoid dairy, processed foods, and meats. Focus on salads, vegetables, legumes, and fruit.
The food we eat makes a huge impact on how we function. It can make the difference between living in victory or not. The nutrients in food enable the cells in our bodies to work properly. Food nutrients are essential for the growth, development, and maintenance of our body functions. Many studies over a long time period have confirmed that the types of food we eat make a huge difference on how our bodies function. Eating healthy fine-tunes our bodies and gives us strength and vitality to better serve God.