Deconstructing (Faith & Food)
Deconstructing is a common idea these days, especially among church-going (or former church-going) Christians. Though there is some disagreement about the definition, basically the deconstruction movement within Christianity is:
“the process of disentangling from harmful and toxic cultural attitudes that have filtered into the church and embracing a purer biblical faith that better reflects the Gospel of Jesus.”
I know some haggle about what to call it, (deconstruction or reformation) but by the above definition I believe it is a good thing and am personally on my own path of separating biblical truths & core doctrinal orthodoxy from some of the flawed doctrines and philosophies I’ve been taught (and regrettably taught others).
Deconstruction is (quotations mine):
Deconstruction is a way of understanding how something (or some belief) was created.
Deconstruction is breaking something (or some belief) down into smaller parts.
Deconstruction looks at the smaller parts that were used to create an object (or belief).
In matters of faith (& food), I often encourage women to explore WHAT they believe and WHY they believe it. Are your faith beliefs truly Biblical or is it just a great feel-good talking point that has been deeply entrenched in them by repetition over the years?
I believe in deep dives of faith; studying and discovering where our beliefs came from and if they are solid or sinking sand.
I’ve had some incredible eye-opening and difficult moments when I looked into some of the past doctrines I bought into without challenging if they were true or just conjecture. It was painful to realize that parts of my belief system were faulty and I needed to rebuild my beliefs on a more solid and stable foundation.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7
Foundations matter.
Belief systems matter.
They are the framework of our lives.
What do you believe & why do you believe it?
This is clearly a HUGE topic and I could go on for a long time, but for the purpose of this post I am going to wrap up the faith-portion with what Jesus responded when asked what the most important commandment was as this is a good foundation to start with if deconstructing our faith as Christians:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and
with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12
Now, about food & your health…
Understanding metabolic health & food addiction could require you to deconstruct your beliefs around health & nutrition.
Some of the faulty beliefs you may have:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and cereal is healthy
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” was nothing more than a marketing slogan coined in the 19th century by James Caleb Jackson and John Harvey Kellogg, to sell their newly invented breakfast cereal.”
And cereals are not healthy as they raise our blood sugar and that’s the last thing we need upon waking each day.
Fat is dangerous to our health.
“Most women didn’t know—and still don’t know—that a low-fat diet may possibly increase their risk for heart disease.” Dr. Nina Teicholz, Big Fat Surprise
Fat is more dangerous to our hearts than sugar
"Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease. The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease- are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.” From a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine by Dr. Frank Hu.
Eggs are bad for us, especially the yolks.
Nope. Here is an awesome thread to read all about it by Brett Ender.
Just eat less & move more.
The problem is not eating less, the problem is hunger. Research has found that not being hungry is the most important predictor of successful weight loss.
Your chances of successfully losing weight and keeping it off are directly related to fixing your hunger problem. Eat satiating/nutritious foods low in carbohydrates that will keep you full longer, feeling better, and out of the snack cupboard.
My mental health is not related to what I eat.
The connection is becoming incredibly more obvious as more research comes out. Chris Palmer, MD, is a neuroscientist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in his new book Brain Energy points out what is an established fact: that people with obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions are much, much more likely to develop mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
I could go on and on.
What have you believed about healthy living that no longer serves you well?
It’s easy to follow the masses. It’s easy to believe what we’re told.
It take MOXIE to stop and investigate.
If what we’ve been doing is not working, it’s time to muster the GRIT and determination to take back your health.
Don’t count on the systems to be there for you, you have to be your own best advocate for your faith and your health.
Deconstruction can be beautiful when we think outside the boxes we’ve always known and open our hearts & minds to what may have been right there in front of us all along.
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Tim. 1:7
Let me know if I can help support you on this journey.
Grab a first-time-no-cost appt on my calendar:
Moxie: Courageous spirit and determination; perseverance: vigor; know-how, boldness, fearlessness, fortitude, grit, guts, spunk, stamina, tenacity, toughness, audacity, backbone, bravery, daring, determination, valor & fire!