Thru Nutrition: A Young Adult Devotion
By: Deena Marie Hamilton
In the world of fast pace and fast food, it shouldn’t be a surprise that American’s have such an issue with weight. I have been battling this for years, but this time, I am ready to make some lifestyle changes.
Being a pastor, a nursing student, a CEO, and a mother is not easy. I have been conditioned to have the “I can have it all mentality.” I do have it all including an expanding waistline. I have gained the typical 15-20 pounds my first year of nursing school which was predicted by most of my nursing school instructors.
Paul wrote in his first letter to the Corinthians, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit which we have received from God, and that our lives are not our own, and that we should honor God with our bodies because we were bought with a price (I Cor 6:19-20). Even though this passage concentrates on virtue, it can be an issue of health.
Sexually immorality is not the only way people can defile their bodies. It could be through drug and alcohol addiction and even the foods that we eat. According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity catalyzes diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, and mental illness.
People have seen me and said that I look fine, and that I’m just a little “fluffy.” I believed that too until I did my own BMI (Body Mass Index). I realized that I am over weight according to my height. YIKES! No more late night Scooby snacks!
Being the typical busy young adult, it’s so hard to be healthy. My schedule is so crazy that I don’t have the time to do the health conscious things I used to do before I supersized my schedule. If I don’t take care of the body that God blessed me with then I’m not honoring God with my body. If we don’t take care of our bodies we will be diminishing the quality of life that God has to offer.
I know that my life is not going to be any less hectic, but I have searched for some drive-thru ways to be healthier in this day and age. I got some very helpful tips from the Dietitians of Canada. According to the website, grazing is something that is encouraged because eating small frequent meals keeps us from over indulging and binge eating.
Handy Snacks for Grazing Days:
- Bagels, bran muffins, crackers, pita bread, cereal bars, raisin bread, and rice cakes
- Yogurt, hard cooked eggs, cheese, cold cereal, deli meats, and milk
- Dried fruits, fig bars, fresh fruit, raw veggies, and juice
With minute consideration and preparation you can ensure your food choices are healthy ones. According to the Nutrition to Go! Website, here are some choices to help make things less taxing.
Different Eating Situations
| Situation | Try to Limit | Choose Instead |
| Meetings | Doughnuts, monster muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream. | small muffins, bagels, scones, fresh fruit, juice, milk, water |
| Vending Machines/ Catering Trucks | Danish, chocolate bars, French fries, soft drinks, chips | Juices, water, pretzels, sandwiches, milk, soup, fruit, cereal boxes, yogurt, whole grain breads. |
| Hectic Schedule/Long Hours | Chips, cookies, coffee with cream. Hot dogs, pizza with double cheese & pepperoni | Fresh fruit, muffins, vegetable sticks, salads with lower-fat dressing, lean sliced meats, milk, yogurt |
| On the Road | Chips, fried foods, large burgers, salads loaded with dressing | Small plain burgers, cereal bars, crackers and cheese, juice, turkey sandwiches, pizza with ham and vegetables |
Nutrition also includes physical activity as well as good food choices, and we have to commit to some sort of physical activity at least five days a week for 30 minutes. Go for a walk on your lunch break. Take a cleansing hike. Get your iPod and dance your worries away. It doesn’t matter how you look. Just keep moving!
With a combination of better food choices and increased physical activity, this is a task that doesn’t seem so insurmountable. It can be done. It just takes work. We must remember that anything that honors our Creator is worth it. And I’m sure over time my waistline with thank me for it.
See more devotions from Deena Marie and our other Young Adult writers, or find our how you can become a writer yourself at our By Young Adults for Young Adults devotion page.