What Is The Primary Purpose of Food?
At first glance, discussing the primary purpose of food may seem trite and unnecessary.
At some level, we all understand that food is meant to nourish the body. When we are hungry it satisfies our growling stomachs. When we wake up, it replenishes us with fuel for the coming day. It is well known that we can’t live long without food.
Yet, as I look around at the mainstream “eaters” in our world, I don’t have the sense that nourishment is the primary purpose for eating. In fact, it seems the primary motivator for eating food is pleasure. But I can’t point the finger at others without having four fingers pointing in my direction.
A Pleasure Eater or A Nourishment Eater?
Often, I find myself guilty of choosing foods for pleasure rather than nourishment. In fact this happened recently at a fellowship luncheon at church. I went back for seconds on rum cake and another dessert.
Did I need the tasty sweets? No! Did they nourish my body? No! Did they harm my body? Well, I didn’t feel well after my luncheon. I was bloated and tired and had to take a nap. Of course the rum cake was not the only food I ate for pleasure that day. The majority of food at the fellowship luncheon was not organic or whole food. But it all tasted pretty good and it did fill my stomach. Thankfully there were some great salads to choose from to hopefully off-set the other less nourishing choices I made.
The Effects of Pleasure Eating.
If I ate like that everyday, choosing pleasure over nourishment, I would be menaced with all kinds of illness and pain. I know this for sure — because this is exactly the way I used to eat all the time before switching to an organic, whole food diet. I have shared before some of the regular conditions I used to suffer. But this is a horse that will never die — so I’ll share again. I used to have arthritis in my back and fingers. Cold sores and fever blisters occurred monthly. I had regular break outs of shingles, regular episodes of hypoglycemia, and serious digestive issues that sent me to the emergency room.
Thankfully these are all symptoms of the past due to a changed diet and lifestyle.
Setting Aside One Pleasure for Another.
Food is an integral part in nourishing the body, but if we view it primarily as a means of pleasure — we will not enjoy this world nearly as much as we could. When food is first viewed as a focused tool to nourish the body, we can better enjoy our life on this earth that God has created. In other words, we may find a temporal pleasure in eating two or more pieces of rum cake, but we will have to set aside the pleasure of feeling healthy and full of energy for a period of time. Of course the rum cake example is only the tiniest tip of the iceberg. Our food choices can cause both immediate displeasure like bloating, gas, and tiredness — or it can cause more series conditions like sleeplessness, joint pain, arthritis, cancer, illness, and chronic conditions.
And these conditions will influence how we spend our time.
- Can we enjoy the pleasure of going to the beach with our grandchildren?
- Riding a bike with our spouse?
- Bending over to pick up our pets?
- Doing some much loved gardening?
- Having guests over for dinner without worrying about a messy house?
- Or you fill in the blank with your favorite activity.
Which is more important? Which pleasure will win the day? The short-term pleasure of the food? Or the longterm pleasures that can be enjoyed by living a healthy lifestyle and choosing nourishing foods.
Finding the Right Balance Between Pleasure and Nourishment.
Don’t misunderstand. Food should taste good. In fact, God has designed it to taste very good. Even fruits and vegetables that are grown and harvested properly are beaming with flavor and nutrition. So choosing tasty food is not the problem. It is just that the food must also be nourishing if we are to enjoy all of this life that God has given us, the abundant life. And as a habit, we must FIRST seek foods that nourish, rather than foods that please. The human body is not designed to thrive on pleasure foods. But when we find those nourishing foods that also please the palette — it is a win, win situation.
Unfortunately, in America especially, we have forgotten what real food is. We have substituted fast food, frozen dinners, chemicals, preservatives, and pesticide laden substitutes for the real thing. This mind set must change to achieve the optimal health God desires for His children.
This principle that food is designed to nourish the body can be traced throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New. In fact, the connection with food and nourishment is so strong, that food itself is often used as a picture of eternal life. Read more here: One of the Great Metaphors: The Bread of Life. And hidden among all the trees in the Garden of Eden was a fruit tree that also pictured eternal life. Read more here: One of the Great Metaphors: The Tree of Life.
But there is much more.
The next post in this series will share several Bible verses, Old and New, that demonstrate this very principle. See you next week!
Share Your Favorites.
Let me know in the comments below what are your favorite foods or recipes that both nourish the body and please the palette! Also be sure to include a link to your blog if you have one! Thanks!
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Next: Food Is Made To Energize the Body: 14 Bible Verses!
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Disclaimer:
Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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