Back to the Basics: Food, Faith, & the Body God Gave Us
Somewhere along the way, we made food complicated. Not in a good way—more like in a “we have 47 ingredients in something that should have 3” kind of way. We’ve traded what God created for what’s convenient, what’s real for what’s processed, and somehow we’ve ended up overfed… but undernourished.
Scripture is pretty clear about how we’re supposed to view our bodies: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit… therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). That’s not just spiritual—it’s practical. A temple isn’t neglected. It’s not filled with junk. It’s cared for, protected, and respected. And yet, if we’re honest, most of us don’t treat our bodies like a temple. We treat them like a catch-all.
If you go all the way back to the beginning, God already laid it out for us: “I give you every seed-bearing plant… and every tree that has fruit… they will be yours for food.” (Genesis 1:29). It was simple. Real food. Whole food. Food that came from the ground—not a factory. We’ve just gotten really good at improving on what didn’t need improving, and now we’re left trying to fix problems that didn’t exist before.
The truth is, food isn’t just calories—it’s information. It either helps your body or it works against it. Whole foods nourish. Processed foods often inflame. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being aware. Especially when your body is already fighting something—whether that’s cancer or just everyday inflammation—the last thing it needs is more to fight.
Fasting is another piece of this that we’ve drifted away from. It’s not new and it’s not a trend—it’s biblical. “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16). Not if—when. Fasting creates space, both physically and spiritually. It gives your body a break and your mind a reset. It’s not about extremes or doing something dramatic. It’s about intention. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is simply pause.
Watching Tonya walk through her journey changed the way I look at all of this. When you’re faced with something that serious, you start asking different questions. Not “What’s easy?” but “What actually matters?” And so much of it came back to the basics—what we’re putting in our bodies, how we’re taking care of ourselves, and whether we’re living in a way that actually supports healing.
This isn’t about rules, and it’s definitely not about perfection. It’s about respect. Respect for the body God gave you and the way it was designed to function. Maybe it’s as simple as getting back to what we were given in the first place—eating more of what God created, less of what man made, paying attention to how your body responds, and being intentional about things like fasting.
Nothing complicated. Just a shift back to the basics we were never meant to leave.
