Has God been kicked out of our food?
By Dr. Ann Marie DeGregoria
For thousands of years food has been used to both nourish & heal our body. Nourishment, as well as using food as thy medicine, has been overshadowed by a fast-paced society that has clearly lost its footing in just about every sector of life. Over the past 50-70 years there has been a slow decline, altering one of our God-given inheritances, our food.
Food is to the body what prayer is to the soul. Food is what we need to support our temples, which house our souls. Tragically we have been lulled to sleep, selling us convenience, separating us from what is important, and being bombarded by non-stop marketing which has impacted the way we think as a population.
We have become accustomed to overly processed, chemically laden foods and we have now also become accustomed to the confusing ingredient lists. Sitting down for dinner has become difficult and even praying over our food, (a sign of gratitude & a request for God’s blessing), has shifted due to constant distraction & separation.
I have often asked myself: What would Jesus think of some of the food we eat?
Conventional foods can be modified at the cellular level, known as genetically modified foods (GMO). If that manipulation isn’t bad enough, it may be grown in adulterated soil, sprayed with herbicides and pesticides (which are designed to kill – kill weeds, kill pests & ultimately kills our microbiome within our gut). Just the fact that these chemicals are designed to kill contradicts the whole purpose of eating – it hinders God’s life giving energy & offering of nutrients.
Following harvest, they may be heated to a destructive level, and further chemicals and preservatives may be added. Food is not supposed to be odorless, colorless & lifeless – it should look alive, taste alive and smell alive – since its main function is to keep us alive. Our food can only lend us what it has to give – for good or bad. Remember, nothing is created nor destroyed, it just transfers.
In studying what has become of our food, it is apparent that this system has also become corrupt. As I began to study exactly the processes that our food goes through, it has become quite evident that God has been kicked out of our food system! We are known to have “Frankenfood”. We need to come back to basics and to invite God back into our food system, where it is nurtured, cared for and properly prepared. We want our children eating food that our body can recognize, process and ultimately derive energy from, so that we can all thrive, not just survive.
How did we get here, to the point that milk, wheat & corn are destructive? These same foods are literally called out in the Bible as being foods that sustained & nourished the people, but today they are known to destroy our guts? How can this be? Well, it’s the tampering that destroys nature. No thank you!
When I was about 13 years of age, I went to Italy. While I was there, I took note of how incredibly fresh the food was, and more importantly how different my body processed it. I noticed what “breaking bread” meant – it took hours! I also noticed that despite the fact that I ate everything while I was there, I felt good, and lost weight. It was incredibly impactful and because of what I learned from my grandmother (food was medicine), the trip to Italy made an immense impact on my path.
Today, when I prepare a meal – whether it be animal, vegetable or grain, I pray over it, thanking the animal for giving its life and asking that it nourish my family. Also, I give thanks to the farmer that tilled the soil, planted the seed and harvested the vegetable or grain. I even pray over my meal when I am out to dinner – when eating conventional food – and ask God that it still nourish me and my family, nonetheless. I pray over my garden also (although that may need a bit more prayer 🙂 ).
In the past it was understood that medicinal properties and their Doctrine of Signatures (DoS) was a gift given by God. It was common place to understand that the appearance of a plant was telling as to what part of the body it is supportive of. For instance, a walnut is known for not only resembling the brain, but eating walnuts are actually good for our brains. We have lost our way.
As best you can, choose God’s unadulterated food. Choose organic when you can and just know that little changes go a long way. What’s even better than organic food is getting to know the small, local farmers in your area.
Lastly, changing your food is a very personal journey. Just try to implement 1 new change per week – either add life giving foods or subtract foods that weigh you down, and you will have made 52 positive changes in one year.
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