One of the hardest balances to strike as a Christian woman is that of taking care of my body and keeping that goal from becoming an obsession. One of my goals when I gave birth to my daughter was to make sure I didn’t contribute to the body image issues society would inevitably give her. In an effort to meet that goal, I have focused on nutrition education rather than trying to follow the fad diets, but there are so many conflicting messages about food it is impossible to unravel the contradictions.

Katie Farrell has been able to turn her past struggles with eating disorders into an avenue to help others with their struggles. When I read Nourish, I was impressed by how she approached health. She not only addressed physical health but also included spiritual and emotional health for a complete approach. In fact, her philosophy begins with a spiritual component that emphasizes a personal relationship with our Creator. It begins with a godly mindset.

“A mind defended with God’s Word has the power to be renewed until it conforms to the image of Christ.”

The reality is the enemy uses food against us. Food can become an addiction, whether we eat too much or too little. And unlike other addictions, we can’t live without food. In C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters, the topic of gluttony is addressed in a way I had never encountered before. I had always defined gluttony as eating too much, but Lewis points out that gluttony is making food an idol in any way. With this definition, being too picky, obsessively counting calories, even refusing food that someone has lovingly made could be considered gluttony.

“I have found that it is only when we actively engage in a partnership with God that the impossible suddenly becomes possible.”

Farrell’s book contains guidelines for diet and exercise along with copies of healthy recipes, but everything is approached from a spiritual perspective first. Each chapter includes a prayer and tips for nourishing the soul. The thought-provoking questions help us to analyze our motivation for eating and exercising so they stay in their proper place and don’t become idols that hinder our relationship with Christ. In fact, Farrell even teaches us how to eat as an act of worship!

If you have struggled with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and you would like to make sure you are keeping God at the center of this area of your life, I encourage you to read this book. It has changed the way I look at healthy eating and will be my go-to manual again and again as I walk this journey.