Peace of Mind: Eating in Due Season

The Lord wants us to enjoy what we eat, but is this possible without damaging our stomach and body? Can we really enjoy food without compromising our gut health? This question is akin to asking if we can enjoy freedom without violating law. The answer is this - of course we can! The best enjoyment of food is to eat in harmony with the Creator’s plan; in harmony with God’s laws regarding our nature. He made us and He also made our food. If sin was not in the world then we would all find the greatest pleasures in eating the way that God designed we should eat; which would preserve the health of our gut, body and brain. In this month’s issue we will look at the importance of eating at a regular time and its foundation in the Bible.

Now the stomach is the most abused organ of the body. Many people do not know how to keep the gut healthy and hence what it feels like. The ‘peace that passes all understanding’ comes to us when this organ is thriving because it allows the brain to thrive. Imagine your day is going terribly, but physiologically you cannot get frustrated and anxious? - Yes, that is the effect of having a peaceful stomach and a healthy body and brain. By the grace of God, The Healthy Christian has your best interest at heart, therefore in the upcoming issues we will be discussing some principles from the Bible and scientific research to help you to understand how you can have the gut health that brings this great peace and mental clarity that no amount of money can buy, but which God gives for free.

As we briefly discuss peace of mind, we can recall that the brain is the organ of the mind; and if the brain is kept pure then the mind will be at peace, because all impurities affect the sensitive nerves. The purity of the brain rests on the purity of the blood circulating through the system. If we can keep our blood pure by correct habits of eating and drinking then the brain and other organs will thrive and peace will reign in our entire system. We also lose our peace of mind whenever our gut is under abuse. Scientists are now discovering the intimate connection between our gut and brain- they are in constant communication. The brain will undergo severe stress when our gut is upset because it has to send a lot of its nerve power to the gut in order to bring about its rapid healing.

One substance that terribly abuses the gut, body and brain is alcohol. A person that does not drink alcohol can still be affected if food stays in the intestines for long periods. This will cause it to decompose or ferment - just as it would if it were outside of our body. From chemistry class we’ll remember that alcohol is a byproduct of the fermentation process. Therefore God counsels us to, “…Eat for strength and not for drunkenness.” Ecclesiastes 10:17, in order to prevent food from fermenting in our gut.

The Bible says that, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging:” and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs 20:1 KJV. Strong drink makes us raging and confused. A lot of people suffer from raging uncontrollable thoughts, which is actually confusion of the nerves, and the reason we have no peace of mind. The constant indigestion of food, leading to fermentation in the intestines is a contributing factor if you do not consume alcoholic beverages. Alcohol has also been linked to many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, type two diabetes and obesity; and a person does not have to drink alcohol to suffer from these conditions. Therefore let us discuss one habit we can adapt to prevent indigestion and fermentation - which is to have a regular mealtime each day.

Eat at the appropriate times and at regular times each day

God wants us to know and remember that we have an inner clock called the Circadian Rhythm which operates under night and day periods. Our circadian rhythm regulates our sleep and wake cycles and also the bodily functions that are to be done during each phase. Whenever we try to force our body to perform tasks outside of the normal circadian rhythm it causes a disruption in the system and an hormonal imbalance because they both work hand-in-hand. Let us look at eating for example. There is a due season to eat - that being in the day because we need fuel at that time. Eating at night when we should be heading to sleep is the cause of much indigestion. Eating at irregular times on different days will also cause indigestion as it negatively affects the circadian rhythm and the release of digestive enzymes and hormones.

“Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!” Ecclesiastes 10:17 KJV.

In an online article published by The Salk Institute of Biological Studies on December 9, 2018, titled ‘When to Eat: The Importance of Eating Patterns in Health and Disease’, we read - "The circadian system prepares the body to be more efficient at digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing food earlier in the day (active phase). For instance, insulin sensitivity (needed to regulate blood sugar) is greater in the morning. Thus, larger meals are processed better when eaten in the first half of the day. Conversely, since melatonin (released at night) reduces insulin release, the body is not able to process glucose properly when you eat late at night or very early in the morning, when melatonin is high. Therefore, eating larger meals earlier in the day and avoiding food for a few hours prior to bedtime may have health benefits.

Since the circadian system is signalled, in part, by dietary intake, eating at consistent times is important for a robust circadian rhythm. Thus, dramatically changing our mealtime from day to day may compromise physiology, similar to how sleep patterns are disturbed after an abrupt change in time zone (i.e., jet lag). Mobile apps that monitor peoples’ eating habits have found that many people have erratic eating patterns, such as eating and sleeping at different times on workdays versus weekend (or non-work) days. Irregular eating patterns have been associated with obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease. Therefore, having a consistent daily eating time may be beneficial for health.”

Our meals should not be delayed for an hour, and we should not have them an hour earlier than the regular time. This is because our digestive enzymes begin to release slowly an hour before our meal, then peaks at our eating time, and then begin to retract afterwards. If we should have a robust digestion we are to try as much as possible to eat on time. This can be done. If we are not able to eat on time for a particular meal, then perhaps we can fast for that meal. Fasting has great benefits on the body and mind and we will be happier having not eaten outside of our eating time. The mental clarity and peace of mind that results from a healthy gut is well worth the self-control and all efforts.

Having health is true freedom and prosperity, for one can do nothing without it; and peace and health are inseparable. Health can only be secured as we intelligently take hold of God’s plan, trusting fully in our Maker and King. By His grace, let us all be Healthy Christians! “Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.” Jeremiah 33:6 KJV.