Eating Clean
“Eating clean” has become a common term that generally means eating foods that are as natural as possible and staying away from processed foods and foods high in sugar, salt, etc.
I have been eating clean for the last few months and have experienced significant results – more energy, less headaches, better digestion, and decreased weight/inches. Woohoo! It took some discipline and structure at first, but it is becoming a way of life that I plan to stick with.
The huge difference that eating clean has made for me physically got me thinking about what it would look like and what the impact would be to “eat clean” mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. Let’s examine this.
Mentally – what would it mean to pay closer attention to what we’re ingesting? Not only what we are reading but what we are thinking about. Am I focusing on the negative – replaying a disappointment or frustration, thinking about something in the future that I’m dreading, or just going over and over the to-do list in my head? Just like mindless eating, where we eat on autopilot without thinking about what we’re eating, we do the same with our thought life. Negative thoughts will happen, but then we must be mindful and put that thought back on the shelf or throw it out, like junk food we’ve decided we’re not eating anymore.
What does it look like to eat clean mentally? For me, it starts with reading a devotional and God’s Word in the morning. It’s like having a fresh, nutritious mental smoothie for breakfast. It’s a way to start my thoughts on the right track. Then, it’s a matter of keeping my thoughts clean – focus on the positive; when negative memories or future fears come up, pass them along to God (for keepsies, no taking them back!); and when another task or responsibility interrupts my thinking, I write it down and get it out of my head.
Emotionally – what would it mean to pay closer attention to what we’re digesting? We can’t help or control what we feel initially; feelings are part of our day, just like eating. But we can control what feelings we’re sitting with. Am I letting anger or frustration stay and fill me up? Am I consumed with hurt or disappointment? That’s exhausting and can leave us feeling sick and sad. It’s as unhealthy as stuffing our physical bodies with junk food. We binge on negative emotions. And then sometimes we purge by dumping them on someone else.
What would happen if we “ate clean” emotionally? Something that has really helped me in this area is a practice called “morning pages.” It’s a brain dump of everything in my head and my heart; I write it all out and then throw the pages away. So, I guess it’s purging on the page! I have trouble being aware of my feelings unless it’s an extreme emotion. So I use the prompt “How am I feeling about…”, and then I write it all out. This practice has been life-changing for me. For real. We so often hold onto feelings; this is a practice to acknowledge and release them. And it’s called morning pages, but it can be done any time of day – in fact, evening would probably be a great time to do it as well. You can read more about it here.
Spiritually – what would it mean to pay closer attention to what we are believing? Do we believe that God is in control? Are we taking in His promises? Or are we consuming the processed messages of the world? Just like we can slowly start to have a snack here and a snack there of foods that aren’t great for us, I think we do the same in our spiritual life. We take in a little of “does God really care” and then a bit later have some “seek approval for your worth.” And soon we aren’t feeling so great. We’re spiritually tired and unhealthy.
Thankfully, unlike physically, there is a pretty quick fix in this area. God is always right there to help us get back on track. Getting into His Word and “cooking up” some praise and worship is the best way for me to get on track spiritually. And just like weighing my food or reading a nutrition label, I check my beliefs. What have I been believing about a situation, a promise of God, a prayer of my heart? I check in with God and His Word to know what He says about it. What is His point of view? Spiritually, my point of view and my perspective, needs to be the same as His.
I believe clean eating in these other areas – mentally, emotionally, and spiritually – will have the same impact as eating clean physically. Increased energy, less pain, better digestion of thoughts and emotions and beliefs, and decreased “weight” or heaviness – less to carry.
For further reading:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (physically clean)
Philippians 4:9 (mentally clean)
Ephesians 4:26-32 (emotionally clean)
John 14 and Ephesians 2 (spiritually clean)
Clean eating, in all areas. It’s something to think about. I’d love to know what you think!
