Food is our Friend, we Don’t Fear Friends

Food is our friend. I can’t think of a time where a person told me they couldn’t eat Happy Teriyaki or Dairy Queen, but almost on repeat I have people telling me they can’t eat sweet potatoes, fruit, or carrots, because they have too much sugar or carbs.

By some psychological magic we have been duped into believing we need to watch out for the cholesterol in eggs, the sugar in fruit, the saturated fat in beef and the lectins in seeds, because they are coming for our health.

*Please note, there are medical reasons to remove certain foods or food group for seasons, I do this with patients often.

Instead of sitting down to a real food based meal with gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord, we hover over it like a detective at a crime scene:

Will this make me fat?

Will this give me cancer?

Did I pair the right foods together?

Is this “bad” for my heart?

Is my plate too plant-based or meat-based?

Is there enough protein, but not too much fat to fit into my macros?

As soon as we think we have it figured out, we find out from the latest influencer that the chemicals broccoli makes to protect itself from predators cause cancer (they don’t). It would be funny if this level of food savagery by influencers wasn’t turning real food into the enemy of the masses. Many are throwing in the towel and going back to processed living because people don’t create viral reels about the challenges brought by people living off of pop tarts and corndogs.

Real food is our friend and great ally in a pseudo intoxicated world.  It wants to be a reliable resource in building our vitality, protecting our cells, satisfying our palate and extending our lives.

So what is food?

Real food is recognizable. It doesn’t require a marketing team to convince you it’s healthy. It comes from the ground, a tree, an animal, the sea—not a factory assembly line. There is fruit (straight talk) and then there is Fruit Loops (marketing team).

When real food is consumed, you’re not just avoiding disease—you’re building you:

Stronger muscles that carry you into your later years.

Sharper thinking for work, play, and relating.

Consistent energy to participate in life.

Here’s how to step out of the food-fear cycle this week:

1. Pick one whole food you’ve been avoidingbecause of diet chatter—maybe eggs, potatoes, peaches or steak— and give thanks to God for it, then enjoy.

2. Live by addition. Instead of obsessing over what to cut, focus on adding one extra serving of vegetables, fruit, or  meat to a meal. Instead of trying to ignore the junk food, add an extra serving of real food.

3.  Check the source, not the headline. Before you swear off a food because of something you read online, ask: why do I trust this person? Who might be sponsoring this? What does Dr. Matt say :)?

Real food on repeat is like a stream of living water for our being. The more we partake of it, the more satisfying and satiating it becomes.