Changing Your Palate

I know…it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post, but it’s a new year and a new season in my life and I hope to practice my writing discipline on a regular basis.

One thing the Lord has been working through me is regarding my palate. Did you know, what we eat in our childhood determines our default palate and this default palate determines our cravings? I was raised on sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. There was sugar in our cereal, the donuts we ate every weekend and the processed food we set at our table. My father also owned a vending machine business, so you know what that meant? A refrigerated truck filled with chocolate and candy. I was the envy of all my friends and neighbors.

I was raised in the 60’s and 70’s when we didn’t know the damage sugar could do to our bodies. I wasn’t really aware how this palate has slowly destroyed my colon and led to years battling with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Decades of not being able to digest food properly has led to doctor hopping, supplement experiments, and just general ill-health. I didn’t notice it right away. It was a slow, gradual decline; kind of like putting a frog in a pot of water and turning on the heat. The frog doesn’t notice the heat gradually increasing until death is eminent.

It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with food allergies (one of them being sugar) and put on a specialized diet did I remember what it felt like to be whole again. My body came back in alignment with God’s original plan for my health. I also noticed I didn’t crave sugar any longer and my palate changed the longer I maintained healthy choices.

Then came Christmas. Adult children, Christmas cookies (did I mention I was allergic to sugar?), baking, holiday pot lucks at work, more Christmas cookies…you get the picture. My health went on a steady decline and I didn’t notice until two months later that I was back at square one (remember our frog?).

In God’s infinite wisdom, or sense of humor, He created us a triune being. So if our physical palate is determined by what we eat, our spiritual palate is determined by what we feed our spirit. What affects us physically is also an indication of what affects us spiritually. Are we in the Word? In His presence? Are we staying away from sinful or unhealthy lifestyles and decisions that taint our spiritual palate?

Our palate guides decisions, physical and spiritual, propelling us away from spiritual or physical health, or toward it. When my physical palate craves sugar and carbs, and I submit to those cravings, my body reacts with poor digestion, inflammation, pain, and malaise.

When my spiritual palate feels lazy, and I submit to what it craves, adopting old sinful or unhealthy habits, it also, will respond with malaise, indifference, and a slow, steady decline until spiritual death is eminent.

In Proverbs 3:7-8, it says “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.”

We can change our palate and what we crave - body, soul and spirit.