This past week at Transformation City we spent a whole service talking about how foods can impact our health. Why is a church talking about this? I know, its a bit strange. But as a church one of our values is wholeness – we want to see people made whole in every aspect of their life; in their spiritual life, in their relationships with each other and with God, with their emotions and in their health. I also believe God has much to say about the foods we eat in Leviticus, not that foods are evil or sinful – but that some foods are simply not so good for us to consume. As a nation we have are terribly sick, maybe the foods we consume have something to do with our health? Grandma once said, “You are what you eat.” Maybe she was right?

If you haven’t read it yet, “The Great Physician’s Rx for Health & Wellness,” by Jordan Rubin is a great resource. In this book he lists 12 foods that, if possible, we should cut out of our diet as much as possible to improve our health, lose weight, and simply feel better and be healthier. Some of these will be surprising, but he explains them in his book.

Here they are, the 12 foods that we should try to cut out of our diet and replace them foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, wild caught fish, fermented dairy (like kefir), soups & stocks, extra virgin olive oil, cod liver oil, natural sweeteners such as honey and stevia, extra virgin olive oil and butter (yes, butter!). The 12 foods to cut if possible are:

  1. Pork
  2. Shellfish
  3. Processed meats & hydrolyzed soy proteins (spam, lunch meat with nitrates, imitation meats such as bacon bits, etc.)
  4. White flour
  5. Hydrogenated & partially hydrogenated oils
  6. Pasteurized, homogenized milk (replace with raw milk or cultured dairy)
  7. White Sugar (Americans consume 170 pounds of sugar each year!)
  8. Soda
  9. High Fructose Corn Syrup
  10. Artificial Sweeteners
  11. Artificial flavors & colors
  12. Alcohol in excess

I realize that everyone won’t agree with all of these but if you are curious then you should check out Jordan Rubin’s book in more detail. Again, these foods are not evil or sinful to consume – but maybe just not the best options to improve our health and live in wellness. Shalom!