Are You Being A Good Steward Over Your Body?
Written by Shavona Wright
Are you reading nutritional labels and looking at the caloric content? Are you getting regularly scheduled physicals and resting properly? Are you exercising regularly and practicing good eating habits? God wants us to be good stewards over our bodies and overall health. How else can we carry out His plan and destiny for our lives?
I Corinthians 3:16 says “do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” The scripture goes on to say, “or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (I Corth 6:19). Our bodies (vessels) that God has given to us, belong to Him. We are to keep it clean, healthy, and holy. By doing this we are honoring God, not only in spirit but in body.
I once had a co-worker that went on a liquid diet and over a period of about 30 to 45 days she lost almost sixty pounds. Well, some months later after I had left the company, I bumped into her and she had gained every bit of that weight back and some extra. You are probably asking, “What happened?” She was trying the “starvation” method to lose weight and as soon as she started eating again she ate uncontrollably.
As good stewards, we must practice good, healthy eating habits. We control what we eat (types of food)…we control how much we eat (portions), we control how often we eat (frequency) and we control when we eat (timing).
TYPES OF FOOD
Let’s talk about healthy food choices! Make sure that you are drinking plenty of water versus drinks with caffeine and sugar. Slow down on the consumption of red meat…it is slower to digest. Incorporate lean cuts of chicken, fish and turkey; broiled, baked or grilled of course. Green (dark) leafy vegetables are loaded with a variety of healthy nutrients. And try to stay away from the cookies, chips, ice cream and cakes…these should be few and far between, maybe an occasional, “you did a good job” treat. You can always incorporate fruit…most fruit has natural sugar, that will help your sweet tooth.
PORTIONS
Okay…second and third servings are a thing of the past. Did you know that eating smaller portions can help reset your “appetite thermostat?” (www.webmd.com) You can actually train your stomach to receive smaller portions and eventually you will not feel as hungry. Your stomach will accept the small portions of food.
FREQUENCY
As crazy as this may sound…you should be eating five to six times a day! And most people say that is impossible…why so many times? Let’s look at the math. If you eat smaller portioned-control meals and snacks your body will begin to burn and metabolize food more often. At this point your body anticipates receiving food so it will burn the food faster keeping your metabolic rate working over time.
TIMING
While it has not been conclusively proven that late night eating will make you gain more weight than normal, research does suggest that if you must eat late at night you should take into consideration the caloric intake. So, if you desire a late night snack eat something healthy like a piece of fruit or a very small handful of nuts.
Let’s do it Gods way! We must reprogram our thinking and practice some self discipline. Do you know if you practice discipline in one part of your life it will have a domino effect into other parts of your life? Before you know it, you are eating healthy, exercising regularly, and doing other things in your life successfully.
God has a plan for our lives - Let's begin to make right choices and be a good steward over our bodies and overall health!
