Do you struggle with a junk food addiction?
The Bible declares that our bodies are the very temples of the living God. Now, can you imagine the King of Kings and Lord of Lords dwelling in a trash heap? Of course not!
When we fail to care for our bodies by constantly consuming low nutrient dense foods, aka junk food, that is essentially the place we‘ve created for him to live in. Thankfully, we can clean our temples to make them pristine again. One simple way to achieve that is by removing junk foods from our diets.
For anyone struggling with eating more healthfully, this article will walk you through 9 ways to rid your diet of junk food for good.
1. Makeover Your Pantry
God‘s word promises us that He will not allow temptation to overtake us, but will instead provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Part of that escape plan includes putting barriers between us and the object of our temptation – in this case junk food. When we remove unhealthy, unnatural foods and snacks from our environment we will not have to call upon supernatural level strength and willpower to resist eating them.
2. Stay Hydrated
There is a reason the Creator of the Universe described himself as living water (John 4:14).
Adequate water intake is essential for health. Oftentimes, we mistake thirst signals for hunger or other cravings.
Track your daily intake to avoid dehydration. If you struggle with drinking plain water, try one of these infused or green drink recipes on Pinterest.
3. Move Your Body
The Apostle Paul urged us as believers to submit our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). God designed our bodies to move. In the same way that choosing healthier foods is an essential part of caring for our bodily temple, so is getting adequate exercise.
Establishing a regular exercise routine may be a challenge for some. If you struggle with being sedentary, find an activity that you enjoy – walking, stretching, dancing, or even rebounding are all excellent forms of physical activity that don’t require herculean efforts. The important thing is to keep moving.
4. Take Responsibility
Don’t make excuses for your current health status or situation (James 1:12-14).
Recognize that many of the health challenges we face are the direct result of years of feeding our bodies nutrient deficient foods.
The great news is that God has made our bodies to be amazingly resilient. When we give the body what it needs, it heals.
Set some goals, make a plan, and trust God to give you the strength to do what He has called you to do with respect to caring for your temple.
5. Know Your Triggers
Oftentimes we make poor choices without fully understanding the reasons behind those choices.
Sometimes we don’t even understand why we do the things we do at all (Jeremiah 17:9).
God knows us better than we know ourselves and He will reveal the truth to us if we ask him (Psalms 139:23-24).
Paying close attention to our patterns and coping mechanisms can provide tremendous insight to getting to the root causes of our behavior.
6. Model the Sabbath Principle
In spite of the reality of our hyper busy lifestyles, God never designed us to constantly burn the candle at both ends. God modeled the principle of weekly rest when He first created the world (Genesis 2:2) as well as when He gave the law to Moses (Exodus 20:18).
Though we are not under compulsion to practice a principle of regular rest, we will benefit tremendously when we do.
One of those benefits is not being so exhausted that we‘re willing to eat whatever is available.
7. Prioritize Relationships
You’ll need to invest in both vertical (with God) and horizontal (with people) relationships to be whole and healthy human beings.
Jesus reiterated that the entirety of God’s instruction to His people could be summed up in L-O-V E. Loving God and loving others.
When you neglect building and sustaining healthy relationships with God and others, you starve your soul. Strained, unhealthy, or distressed relationships are common triggers for junk food based coping.
On the other hand, having supportive relationships and accountability can go a long way in helping you to achieve your health goals.
Share your plans and goals to eat healthier with your family, friends, and coworkers and enlist them to help you succeed. Sustaining a lifelong healthy lifestyle is much easier with a supporting cast (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
8. Meditate on God’s Word
Remember what happened to the Apostle Peter when he took his eyes off Jesus in the midst of a storm? (Matthew 14:29-30). He sank!
You might have heard a popular saying that “What we focus on, grows”.
Problems tend to multiply exponentially when we give them all of our attention.
That is why the call to meditate on God’s word constantly is so important.
No problem is bigger than the God we serve. When storms arise, turn your attention to Almighty God for guidance. This is exactly the strategy that Jesus used when he was tempted in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13).
9. Fight for Your Promised Land
You’ve probably heard the saying that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Just because God has a purpose and plan for your life that doesn’t mean the path to reaching your destiny will be easy.
In fact, our enemy is keen to prevent you from achieving God’s goals for you, and certainly will put landmines on the road on which you’ll be traveling. Don’t allow the frequent consumption of junk food to be the strategy used against you to keep you from fulfilling your calling.
Instead, be aware of the risks of poor diet and lifestyle habits on your health, guard against slip-ups, and get prepared by having a battle plan in place.
The lives of Joseph, Joshua, and David all demonstrate that the path to realizing God’s vision for your life will be filled with obstacles, challenges, and situations that require patience, discipline, obedience, and sacrifice:
- Joseph was betrayed by those closest to him, enslaved, falsely accused, and abandoned before God positioned him as Prime Minister of Egypt to save his family.
- Joshua led one military campaign after another, waging war against Israel’s enemies to possess the land that God already promised belonged to his people.
- God anointed David as King over Israel through the prophet Samuel. However, David’s rise to power was marked by betrayal, false accusations, and being hunted like an animal by his predecessor, King Saul.
In the end, they all fulfilled their calling because they persevered in the face of great opposition. In order for you to reach your goals, you will have to do the same.
Now, I’d love to hear from you!
Are you struggling with ridding your diet of junk foods?
Have you tried any of these strategies to help you make better diet and lifestyle choices?
Share your thoughts below in the comments!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DALILA JONES STITZ
Founder and CEO, Health Insurrection LLC
Dalila is a native Houstonian and currently lives in Switzerand with her husband and two kids. She received her health coach training through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and Hallelujah Acres and teaches in-home bible studies and online courses.
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