Why I stand by a Balanced Diet

Notice I said why I (the one typing) stands by a balanced diet approach. I didn’t jump to the conclusion that you (the reader) should. As a registered dietitian, and someone who has battled a healthy relationship with food, I finally feel like I'm on the winning side. I believe my journey and insight can help those looking for the light through all darkness surrounding something as primal as breathing: eating.

I could give you academic answers only, turning to solid science surrounding what experts do know (and kind of know) about food and nutrition. Again, the title is why I stand by a balanced diet. I use more than worldly science to make my life decisions. In addition to acquiring two degrees and a decade of experience as a nutrition professional, I am also a faith-based gal. For me, the Bible has profound principals for living your best life on this side of the dirt. You’ll find that most well respected worldly science (at least in nutrition), supports what God and ultimately your intuition tells you is true.

If you turn your Bible to 1 Peter 5:8 (amp), you’ll encounter a sharp warning for believers. You are told to be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious always; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeing someone to seize upon and devour.

Like ideal hands, extremes are the devil’s playground. When you become one-sided an out of balance with anything you are no better off than you were before, and in many cases, you are worse emotionally than you started. It appears the "wellness industry" has taken something like eating and moved the extremes as far away from each side as possible: vegan to keto and everything in between. Both teams are screaming at the other that their approach is blasphemy. Most folks are left sinking in the sea of uncertainty, just looking for a bullet list of diet rules to finally render them skinny and worldly acceptable.

It’s all quite sad.

I still stand by the idea that one of Satan’s most significant accomplishments is creating this sh!t storm the West calls the wellness industry.

See, Satan doesn’t care about your thighs, but he cares that YOU care. YOUR emotional connection to your outward appearance has reached such extremes. Many of you detox, try fad diets, or seek out scary prescriptions (with unimaginable side effects) to achieve your worldly vision of health! These extreme lifestyles and mindsets have left a wide ass door open for a lion! An entry so vast its easy to see how a devil can charge in and devour your joy, peace of mind, and focus on things that matter.

See, Jesus doesn’t care about your thighs, but he cares that YOU care. Your emotional connection to your outward appearance that has reached extremes is also a door for you to let Jesus in. I know what it is like to live in extremes with food, and it’s no fun. There is no peace, and there is no joy, there is no day that feels like a good day. It took years of hard mental, emotional, and spiritual work to get to the point of peace with all food. It took trusting Jesus more than my need to control calories. It took surrendering the scariest stronghold in my life – body image – the only One who could change my heart about it.

When you read Mind Over Fork, you learn the tools (not the faith-based tools) but the actual mental tools and tactics that got me out and kept me between the ditches. I’ll never promise you that it will be the last book you will need to read to take control of your plate, but I will guarantee it will challenge the way you think more than the way you eat.

I’m finally at a place of peace in my journey with food and body image that I’m ready to stand in the gap of extremes and be a voice for you treading water in the middle. You, desperately trying to pick which side to swim too. All the while, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is already in the boat just waiting for you to acknowledge Him and He is ready and able to pluck you out and the storm. But you got some scary shenanigans to let go of first before you can grab His hand. And that, my sweet friend, I can’t do for you.

Love you, mean it.

**No one was injured by the lion in this photo, while vicious looking, it provides warm hugs, and sweet giggles. 🤪😍**