Fuel your brain well.
What you eat can affect (in a big way) your cognitive function. As clergy, we need our brains to function as efficiently as possible so we can serve others well. The brain requires a large amount of glucose in relation to the rest of the body, but it is vital to eat the right kinds of foods to fuel your brain.
Kelly advises, rather than making drastic changes to your diet, “focus instead on eating more vegetables, leafy greens, fruits and lean proteins. What you should cut out, though, are refined sugars—like in regular soft drinks, table sugar, baked goods and sneakier sources like ketchup, white bread, breakfast cereal, flavored yogurt, salad dressing and more.”
When we consider a perspective of brain health in regard to a richer and fuller ability to minister to others, it takes on a new level of importance. How much more longevity could you experience in your ministry if you took these steps to a healthier brain? How might God be calling you to care for yourself in this way? It’s not too late to take a tangible step today by putting these pointers into practice.
To learn more about the worth of our physical bodies, see the following resources:
Laura Kelly, The Brain: Your Body’s Most Important Muscle. John J. Ratey. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Stacey Feintuch, “18 Sneaky Sources of Added Sugar You Don’t Realize You’re Eating.”
This article originally appeared here.
