In my pursuit of rest and life balance over the past four years, one of the most significant changes I made was in the area of diet. I followed a paleo diet for a while, then switched to keto. I dropped wheat, flour, seed oils, most sugar added, and processed foods from my diet. The results have been greatly beneficial.

However, over the past several months I have noticed I’ve been less vigilant in my choices and have consumed foods that I had previously eliminated from my diet. Usually, I am careful to read the ingredient list and make wise choices. For whatever reason be it the Christmas season, Thanksgiving, convenience, stress, or laziness on my part I have regressed a bit and recognize that it’s time to regroup and resist reverting back to unhealthy eating patterns.

As I write this post, we are four days away from ringing in the new year. A perfect time to relaunch and regain control. Wanna live healthy in 2024? Avoid AI. You might have read or heard previous posts about my concerns about AI and ChatGPT and think this is what I am referring to when I say avoid AI. Well, I still have significant concerns about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its effect on our well-being, especially the ethics. However, in this instance AI stands for (Artificial Ingredients)

There will always be a debate about diet and food. There’s Keto, Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean, Paleo, Low Carb, Carnivore, DASH, Atkins, Whole30, and of course the SAD (Standard American Diet.) Avoiding added sugar, seed oils, and processed foods should be something we can all agree on. But I think regardless of what eating plan you are on it’s time to take it a step further and avoid artificial ingredients period! How about we simply eat real food, where the list of ingredients is 2 to 3 and you can pronounce them! While I’m at it I’m also taking a look at healthcare products that I use on my body such as deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, and soap and taking the natural ingredient route rather than those containing potentially harmful chemicals. Other things to consider as we go into the new year is the use of plastics or Styrofoam that can leach into our foods.

Now you might be thinking Ralf, you’re getting a little radical on us. Come on dude, live a little! You only live once! To which I respond, yes, I do want to live, and I want to live well! And to those who say you only live once, well that’s a whole different conversation that I’d be happy to engage with you on if you want to contact me. By the way I eat whatever I want!  I’ve just changed what I want.

As a follower Jesus, I believe I have the responsibility to take care of my body.  Mark 12:30 says, And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. To love God with all our strength, then, is to love God with all our being, which involves the whole man or woman, both body and soul. Scripture says “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

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