Are you a foodie? How about a “thought foodie”?

“A person who enjoys and cares about food very much”—that’s a “foodie”, according to Merriam Webster.  What about a “thought foodie”?  That would be a person who enjoys and cares about what they take into their thought.  To put a humorous twist on it, he or she would not want anger or fear because these are not only hard to digest; they can also be harmful to your health! On the flipside, a large helping of kindness, joy and gratitude are increasingly believed to actually be good for you. 

While this tongue in cheek approach may be amusing and clever, it is also a serious issue. Is it possible that what we think is more important than what we eat?  It’s worth considering, given that nutrition is so important to so many.  There may be a connection between the way we think about food and our health, whether we consider ourselves a foodie or not! 

Health researchers have been documenting for several years that what we think affects our health and our overall quality of life.  And how we think about the food we eat is just one part of that. The new found field of diet and nutrition promises everything from weight control to reductions in mental illness to cures for illnesses such as diabetes. And, yet every few years the advice so assuredly given is overturned by new theories.  

We may want to consider what Jesus said on the subject--“take no thought for what you eat”. His admonition was to focus our thinking on things of the Spirit rather than food, clothing, and what we might or might not have tomorrow vs. today. Why? Because it’s an approach that tends to lead to lives that are better balanced and healthier. It helps us stay away from the ups and downs of overeating, under eating and food fads.

In her book on the connection of thought and spirituality to health, author Mary Baker Eddy tells of a person who suffered from dyspepsia—what we would call chronic indigestion or upset stomach.  In the years of suffering followed by ultimate healing, the person learned that it wasn’t food that caused the suffering but a mistaken view that put power in food rather than in God.

So if you, like me, enjoy eating and are interested in nutrition, you may want to focus with others on the importance of nutrition this month.   But you may also want to shift that focus a bit from what you eat to what you think.  True nutrition may turn out to be more about thought than we have yet realized!

Brenda, a member of Kate’s blog team, is a writer who loves to learn about and share with readers the connection between spirituality and health. In addition, she is a Christian Science Practitioner in Ellicott City, Maryland.  She and her family spent many wonderful years in Southern California and now are happy to have returned to beautiful Maryland.