Whether you drive a minivan, an SUV or a sports car, your vehicle requires gasoline to run. If you pour honey into the fuel tank, you’re not likely to get very far, and your vehicle will end up in the shop for repair.

Our bodies run much the same way. God, our Master Mechanic, created us to run on good nutrition. If we continue to put junk foods and drinks into our systems, eventually we’ll end up in the hospital for repair. That’s not a bad confession; that’s simply a reality. That’s why eating healthy isn’t just a good idea, it’s a God idea—one that we should take to heart.  

But you say, “Marty, I’m not like you. I don’t like the taste of fruit and granola. And, just thinking about drinking 64 ounces of water each day makes me cringe—I don’t know if I can eat healthy. I just don’t think I can do it.”

Well, maybe you can’t by yourself, but the good news is—you don’t have to do it alone. Your heavenly Father created your amazing body, and He knows just what it needs to run perfectly. So, let Him help you just like He helped me when I first found freedom from the bondage of weight and learned how to eat God’s way.

Before you can begin doing the things you know will put you on the road to good nutrition and better health, you’re going to have to crucify the flesh and surrender this journey to the Lord.

Is it an easy process in the natural?

Absolutely not, but you’re not approaching this metamorphosis in the natural. You’ve got the backing of Almighty God who goes before you in spiritual battles, providing you with supernatural power to conquer anything that tries to come against you—including unhealthy eating habits. That’s why you must get God involved in your eating. He not only holds the answers to your nutritional battles, He is the answer!

I can say that because He has been my answer for many years, and I know His Word works every single time you apply it to your situation. You see, we’re probably much more alike than you realize. I spent many years battling the bulge and watching my weight go up and down with little control over the outcome. There is no telling how much money I wasted on “the latest miracle diet book” and other weight-loss gimmicks, when all the while the secret to my success was awaiting me in God’s Word.

When I needed self-control to resist eating a candy bar, or having that second helping of mashed potatoes, I applied the principle of sowing and reaping in my life. I would say out loud, “I am resisting the temptation to overeat and I am sowing self-control to the spirit.” Eventually, I had sown enough self-control to the spirit that I began living with a great measure of self-control. I didn’t learn that principle from the latest fad-diet plan; I learned it in the Word of God.

There is no victory when you try to fight this battle with the world’s knowledge. You’ll have some success, but none that will provide lasting results. Why? Because even if you’re able to drop a few pounds on a fad-diet, you haven’t reprogrammed yourself to eat healthy. So the minute your diet is over, so is your success. Those pounds will creep back onto your body and usually bring a few more pounds along with them.

Yo-yo dieting is a dangerous practice and one that is plaguing our nation, so let’s stop that cycle of destruction in your life today.           

Pray with me:

 “Father God, I present my body to You as a living sacrifice right now. I am trusting You to change my taste buds to prefer good and nutritious things and detest junk food and things that aren’t good for me. I thank You, Lord, for getting involved in my eating this very day, and I praise You for giving me the direction and the self-control to have success in this area of my life.

From this moment on, Lord, I press toward the goal, for the prize is far greater than anything this world can offer me. I know the plans You have for me are good based on Jeremiah 29:11, and I praise You for anointing me to walk in those plans—full of victory and in good health. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Just Do the Dos!

Good nutrition is just like anything else—we attain it in phases, “from glory to glory.”  So, don’t be discouraged if you’re a junk-food junkie, because we’re on this journey together. If you replace a chocolate bar with a piece of fruit today, you’re one step closer to good nutrition. If you drink four glasses of water today and have only one soda, you’re one step further down the road to a healthier lifestyle.

 Begin today implementing some of these 10 dos and the don’ts will start to take care of themselves. Let me encourage you to keep a positive attitude and embrace good nutrition. The Lord will help you in this retraining process. I know this for a fact because He’s helped me. He even changed my taste buds to prefer healthy choices over sweets and fatty foods, and He will do the same for you. Just believe and receive your deliverance from poor eating habits the same way you believed and received your salvation. It works the very same way—by faith.

Doing the Dos Nutrition Tips

1.       Eat two pieces of fruit every day. Mix it up. Have a banana, some grapes and an apple one day and a kiwi, some pineapple and an orange the next.

2.      Eat four vegetables every day (No, fries don’t count.) Try to make one of those veggies green and leafy.

3.      Drink at least 64 ounces of water every day. You’ll need to drink even more if you’re engaging in physical exercise. Drink purified water instead of tap.  

4.      Add a high-fiber cereal to your diet. If you don’t like the high-fiber cereal choices on the market, then simply mix a little bit of the high-fiber variety with your regular cereal. You can also add berries to your cereal for a more healthful breakfast. Blueberries are a great antioxidant.

5.      Add a fruit smoothie to your daily intake. Here is my favorite recipe: Use rice milk or skim milk. Add frozen strawberries and a banana (use only half of a banana if the fruit smoothie is a snack and not a meal replacement). Next, add two teaspoons of a vegetable protein powder (they come in different flavors), and place a little flaxseed oil into the mix. (Flaxseed is the perfect kind of fat—the kind that your body doesn’t produce.)

6.      Replace eggs with egg whites. For example, if you’re fixing an omelet, use one whole egg and three or four egg whites (Eggbeaters will work). This will cut your cholesterol considerably and still taste great! For a more festive omelet, add some pepper, low-fat cheese and picante sauce.

7.      Eat baked or broiled fish once every 10 days. Try tuna, orange roughy or salmon. When preparing it, season the fish with garlic flavoring and add four or five kinds of peppers and other veggies. Squeeze lemon juice on all of it, wrap your fish and veggies in foil, and bake until done. You’ll love it, and so will your body!

8.      Replace white bread with a whole grain variety. If you don’t like the taste of it, try putting a little jelly on it for breakfast. Sneak it into your diet gradually. (Tip: Most health food stores have Ezekiel bread, which is a great option.)

9.      Reserve a piece of fruit and a bottle of water for your ride home from work. That seems to be the most difficult time of day for many people—the time when they munch uncontrollably, consuming colossal calories and unhealthy snacks. So, keep your blood sugar level stable by eating something small and healthy every three or four hours—especially at peak hungry times like the ride home. Another healthy snack for those peak hungry times is 10 almonds.

10.       Use olive oil when cooking with fat. Just because your grandmother cooked with lard doesn’t mean you should. Olive oil is best, but cooking sprays are also a good choice.

Be excited! You are on the highway to better health, and Jesus is your navigator. He is the GPS of good nutrition and He will be with you every inch of your journey!