Here are a few things I know about taste and mood:
- It makes us happy to eat something sweet…a comfort food.
- If we eat a healthy diet, we feel better and are therefore happier.
- A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
- We feel happier—more satisfied—when our stomachs are full.
And last but not least…
- Food is often about relationships. Relationships between us and God, us and friends, and us and our own soul.
There have been tons of studies done testing what we eat with how we feel. We all know that certain vitamins—like Omega-3 fatty acids for instance—feed our brains and increases our overall well-being.
Food is obviously an important topic to God, as the Bible is full of references to food. Many major events in the Bible took place around food.
But the food—and the choice of food— was used as a gateway to Christ. Whether it was sacrifice, celebration, or miracle, the food was all about Christ. His body is the bread.
I’ll be honest. This is a tough topic for me. In research, depending on the exact point you search for, there are arguments in every direction. For more information about the arguing voices in my head, check out my post Acceptance in Christ—which honestly is not the best title considering it deals mostly with food. But oh well.
One of the books I’ve read this year is Made to Crave, which is honestly the most unusual—but also the most enlightening—book about diets. Mostly because it is and is not a diet book. I’m afraid you will just have to read to see what I mean. But there’s one thing I learned (well, confirmed my thought anyway):
We crave whatever is a part of our life—what we do, who we see, what we eat, what we drink, etc.
- If we watch pornography, we want to watch more.
- If we drink alcohol—or Mountain Dew—we want to drink more.
- If we use drugs, we want them more (And I’m a witness to that one!)
The neat thing is, though, that the flip side of this is true as well.
- If we read about God, we want to know more.
- If we become a volunteer, we want to volunteer more.
- If we begin tithing, we want to tithe more.
I’ll share a secret here. I almost didn’t write a blog post today. Not because I didn’t want to, it’s just that time got away from me this week and I found myself beginning this post at midnight last night. Only to hear David say, “What the heck are you doing on your computer NOW?” He really gets tired of seeing me on my computer.
Well, he hurt my feelings. And as all great women do, I pouted. Most of the day today. Didn’t get anything accomplished. You know the video that surface a few months ago about the father putting a bullet in his daughter’s laptop? I think that’s what David would like to do to mine sometimes.
But I realized something really important about myself today. I was made to write. It is one of God’s purposes for me. You may get this post a day late, and it may mean only a little to a very few people. But God compels me to write, so it must be for something! I just have to find more time alone. Hmmm….
Okay, back to topic.
Our taste buds can deceive us. What we think makes us happy, may be only temporary. Since I’ve cut back on sugar, I don’t crave it nearly like I used to. And since I’ve been blogging and writing for God, I crave it more and more. As Lysa Terkeurst says, “We were made to crave.”
We just have to begin putting away the bad, and starting on the good.
“Whether we’re on the path toward victory or defeat is determined by the very next choice we make. Not the choices from yesterday. Not the choices five minutes ago.” ~Lysa Terkeurst
We must retrain our taste buds—whether it’s the ones in our mouth or those on our heart—to crave good.
Especially to crave God.
From my heart,
Celeste
P.S. If you want to know more about the foods and vitamins that can physically enhance your mood, click here for the link to my Delicious stack, Diet for Depression.
