What You Don't Know May Kill You

Those allergic to specific foods, such as peanuts or strawberries, avoid them. But sometimes the body’s reaction is not as obvious as red blotches or difficult breathing. For example, I know my joints swell and my sinuses clog during allergy season. I also know if I eat an excessive amount of sugary foods or dairy during allergy season, I am inclined to get a sinus infection. I obtained this knowledge by trial and error over a lengthy period of time. Do you know how foods affect your body?

Do you want to know how foods affect your body?

Sometimes I choose to stay ignorant so I can eat without guilt. I don’t want to know how a particular food affects my body because then I can’t use the excuse, “I didn’t know.” Have you ever said, “Don’t tell me how many calories are in this,” as you bit into a food item?

Newsflash: Whether you know the number of calories or not does not change how many calories you are eating. Whether you know a food clogs your arteries or not does not change whether the food will clog your arteries. “I didn’t know,” does not prevent a headache, heart burn, diabetes, or cancer.

Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance may kill you.

But, the truth will set you free.


Do you eat improperly simply because you are uninformed? Choose to know what you are eating as well as why you are eating it. Read the ingredients listed on packaged foods. Research. Know the benefits and detriments. Know how your body responds and reacts to different food groups.

Maybe you wonder where to start. Do a search for an item you eat frequently. Or research an ingredient found in an item in your cupboard. Look at what health food experts say about it—not just what is listed on government or weight loss sites. Read books. Ask others. Go to your local Farmer’s Market and ask the vendors about their produce.

What do you do to stay informed?

Book Recommendation: What the Bible Says About Healthy Living: 3 Principles that Will Change Your Diet and Improve Your Health by Rex Russell, M.D.

Rex explores Old Testament laws and why God wrote them. He spends most of the book examining and expanding on the following three principles of healthy living:

• Principle 1: Eat only substances God created for food. Avoid what is not designed for food.
• Principle 2: As much as possible, eat foods as they were created—before they are changed or converted into something humans think might be better.
• Principle 3: Avoid food addictions. Don’t let any food or drink become your god.