Over the next four weeks, you’ll learn how to build a healthy plate, understand your body’s needs, and begin making choices that align with your values, your calling, and your God-given design. But more importantly, you’ll walk this journey with the Holy Spirit, listening in, checking in, and trusting that He cares about your health just as much as He cares about your heart.

Introduce your lesson with an optional, short summary. You can edit this excerpt in lesson settings.

Throughout this course, you’ll come across reflection and journal prompts designed to help you slow down, process, and put into words what you’re learning. These moments are intentional pauses—an invitation to not just take in information, but to truly let it sink in and transform how you think, feel, and live.

Let’s uncover the story you’ve been carrying about food. Answer honestly — there are no right or wrong answers. You’re not broken. You’re learning, and you’re being invited into a new story — one where food becomes nourishment, not punishment.

Keep track of how many A’s, B’s, C’s, and D’s to compare with the Results Breakdown after submission.

What Is Food Morality?

Many of us were raised in diet culture — where food came with a scorecard.

“Good” foods made us feel proud (but still hungry).

“Bad” foods came with shame.

We praised ourselves for salads.

We scolded ourselves for cookies.

What Is Food Noise?

Food noise is the mental chatter around food—cravings, compulsions, overthinking every bite, and feeling “off” when you're not snacking or grazing. It’s often rooted in:

• Blood sugar imbalances

• Emotional eating habits

• Hormonal shifts

• A history of restriction or dieting

• Boredom, exhaustion, or chronic stress

And if you’ve ever blamed yourself or felt shame for feeling this way, pause here. This isn’t about willpower. This is a call to listen deeper.

Long before pills and prescriptions, healing began at the table. God, in His kindness, filled the earth with healing plants, roots, and waters. Food wasn’t just for survival — it was sustenance for the whole person.

“The fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.”— Ezekiel 47:12

Water is life — literally. Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body depends on proper hydration to function. When we choose water and mineral-rich drinks throughout the day, we help our body regulate temperature, transport nutrients, flush out toxins, and keep our brain sharp.

Studies show that even a 1–2% drop in hydration can impair memory, focus, and mood.

1. Infused Waters (aka Spa Water at Home)

Add fresh fruit, herbs, and even veggies to your water for flavor and antioxidants. Some dreamy combos:

• Cucumber + mint + lime

• Strawberry + basil + lemon

• Orange + blueberry + rosemary

• Watermelon + mint

Let it sit in a glass pitcher or bottle for a few hours and sip throughout the day.

Your gut is more than just a digestion station — it’s an entire ecosystem. Home to trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms, this microbiome helps you break down food, absorb nutrients, regulate hormones, strengthen immunity, and even influence your mood.

In fact, scientists call the gut the “second brain” because of its direct connection to your mental and emotional health.

This week, we’re going to slow down and look at what it really means to “eat to nourish.” We’ll explore:

• The power of protein – how it builds, repairs, and sustains your body

• Fiber’s role – why it’s essential for gut health, fullness, and balance

• Carbohydrates – understanding which ones fuel well and why sourcing matters

• Healthy fats – why your body depends on them and how to choose wisely

Protein is one of the three macronutrients (alongside fat and carbohydrates) — but it holds a unique role.

Think of it as the body’s construction crew. It repairs tissues, builds muscle, supports hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters.

Without enough protein, the body simply can’t rebuild or recover. Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders.

It’s for moms. For healers. For the tired and the recovering.

It’s for you.

Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods — the roughage, the structure, the scaffolding.

But fiber doesn’t just “bulk up” your stool.

It’s fuel for your gut, a regulator of blood sugar, and a partner in hormone balance.

Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients (along with fat and protein), and they are the body’s preferred source of energy — especially for the brain and muscles.

But not all carbs are created equal.

There’s a divine difference between the life-giving carbs found in God’s garden… and the stripped, synthetic versions found in modern processed foods.

Let’s break it down.

Healthy fats are critical for your body to heal and thrive. Fat helps:

• Stabilize blood sugar (reducing insulin spikes)

• Balance hormones (most hormones are made from cholesterol and fat!)

• Support brain health (your brain is 60% fat)

• Absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K can’t be used without fat)

• Reduce inflammation when consumed from clean, whole-food sources

You don’t need to count macros or track every bite to live in vibrant health. My Healthy Plate Method makes it simple: Half your plate is protein, one-quarter is fiber-rich vegetables, and the last quarter is complex carbs. This visual guide takes the guesswork out of eating well, allowing you to make balanced choices wherever you are. Over time, this method becomes second nature, helping you build a lifetime of better food decisions without obsession or overwhelm.

The 80/20 rule is a way of living that gives your body space to heal without expecting perfection.

Here’s what it means:

• 80% of the time: You nourish your body with whole, healing foods that bring life and energy.

• 20% of the time: You leave room for flexibility — the birthday cake, the road trip snacks, the foods that feed your soul in other ways.

When we live this way, food stops being a war zone. Instead, it becomes a rhythm of grace.

What do you notice about your patterns this week?

How did it feel to allow space for grace?

Did you bounce back after a flexible choice — or spiral? Why?

What are 1–2 things you want to adjust next week?

Not all processed food is bad. Washing spinach is technically "processing." So is freezing fruit.

But ultra-processed foods go far beyond this—they’re manufactured products made mostly from ingredients you wouldn’t recognize in your own kitchen: additives, preservatives, refined sugars, cheap oils, flavor enhancers, and artificial colors or sweeteners.

In the 1960s and '70s, the tobacco industry began facing intense public scrutiny. The link between cigarette smoking and cancer had become undeniable. As lawsuits mounted and smoking rates declined, major cigarette companies knew they needed a new way to stay in business.

Because sugar isn’t just in cookies and cupcakes anymore—it’s hiding in nearly every processed food and your favorite drinks. Hijacking your energy, hormones, mood, and cravings. Understanding sugar helps you nourish your body without fear and take back your power from the foods that were never meant to control you.

Let’s walk through how to simplify the process, listen to your body, and create plans that fit your real life.

We’ll explore:

✨ The science of fasting and how it can work with your body instead of against it

✨ Popular diets (vegan, keto, carnivore) and what we can learn from each one

✨ The role of calories, stress, inflammation, and weight loss in long-term health

✨ How to taper your portions to match your body’s natural rhythms

✨ How to “fast like a woman,” syncing your eating and fasting windows with your menstrual cycle

Fasting is s an ancient rhythm of rest —

one that allows the body to repair, reset, and restore balance. Science is catching up with what Scripture and tradition have always known: strategic fasting can bring profound health benefits when done with wisdom and care.

🌿 The Big Picture: Nutrient Sufficiency > Diet Labels

No matter the method, the most important question is:

👉 Am I giving my body the nutrients it needs to heal, thrive, and serve its purpose?

We were taught: calories in vs. calories out — as if all food were equal and weight loss was just math. But the truth is far more complex and deeply tied to hormones, metabolism, quality of food, and your unique body.

There’s an old proverb that says:

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper."

When we understand that food is fuel, not just comfort or entertainment, we begin to eat with the rhythm of our bodies. Our energy demands are highest in the morning and early afternoon — as we serve, create, move, and parent. So it makes sense to front-load nourishment when it will actually be used.

You’re allowed to change your fasting window based on your cycle, energy, or stress level. You’re allowed to eat more when your body needs it.

You’re allowed to listen to your body — and still be on the path to healing.

Healing is not about perfect control. It’s about grace, rhythm, and trust — in your body, and in the One who made it.

Lasting weight loss doesn’t start with restriction. It starts with safety. Your body needs to feel safe enough to let go. That means:

• Reducing inflammation through whole, nutrient-rich foods

• Prioritizing rest + sleep

• Managing stress through prayer, breath, nature, community

• Balancing blood sugar with meals full of protein, fat, and fiber

• Gentle movement that supports, not punishes, your body

• Healing your relationship with food — eating to nourish, not control

You just walked through 30 days of reframing your understanding of food, dieting, and what it means to eat for nourishment. Take some time to review your takeaways.