My Love/Hate Relationship with Food

Learning Gratitude for God's Good Gifts

Food is one of God’s good gifts. He designed it to nourish our bodies, sustain our strength, and even provide enjoyment. But like all good things, we spoil it when we expect too much from it.

I love food and I hate food. I love the way it tastes and smells. I love the anticipation of chicken quarter being pulled off the smoker. But my love for it can extend too far—if unguarded, my heart can begin to want something from food that food cannot actually provide. And so I hate food because it lets me down and frustrates my goals. And, as I have already suggested, the problem isn’t food—it’s my heart.

When Food Becomes an Idol

Food is necessary for life, but we can often turn it into something more. We look to it for comfort, distraction, and even a sense of control. When we feel stressed, tired, or overwhelmed, eating becomes an easy escape. A good meal or a favorite snack promises satisfaction, a moment of relief from the pressures of life.

But food was never meant to meet those needs. It can temporarily soothe hunger, but it cannot fix deep sorrow. It can provide energy, but it cannot give lasting peace. It can be a delight, but it cannot provide the joy that only God can give.

Paul describes “enemies of the cross of Christ” in Philippians 3:19 as those “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.”

When we expect food to do more for us than it was created to do, we inevitably find ourselves enslaved to it. We overindulge, not because we need more nourishment, but because we are seeking something food cannot provide.

Lewis Bayly’s words offer a needed correction: “Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat.” Instead of seeing food as something to satisfy the cravings of our hearts, we must see it as a means to an end—something that serves our body, rather than something we serve.

Idolatry of food is not just about eating too much. It can also take the form of eating too little. The world idolizes control over food just as much as it idolizes indulgence. Fasting from food can be a good and biblical discipline, but when we refuse to eat out of fear, obsession, or a desire to manipulate our bodies into a certain image, we are making food an idol in a different way. We may think we are rejecting food’s power, but we are actually giving it even greater control over us.

In both overeating and undereating, food becomes a means of trying to gain something—whether comfort, control, or a sense of self-worth—that only God can provide.

When Food Lets Down

When we have the wrong mindset and heart attitude about food, no matter how much we enjoy a meal, it never will never satisfy beyond momentary enjoyment. And often the physical benefits of good food can’t overcome this. Instead of feeling better after eating, we feel worse—either because we ate too much, ate unwisely, or used food in the wrong way.

This leads to frustration. We set goals for better health, we make plans to be disciplined, but our misplaced affections for food get in the way. We grow angry at ourselves for lack of control. We become discouraged when our plans for self-discipline crumble in the face of simple cravings. And so, our love for food turns into resentment— toward food itself, toward our own weaknesses, and toward the constant struggle of self-control.

Proverbs 23:1-3 warns against being ruled by appetite and reminds us that food—though good—can be deceptive when misused: “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For they are deceptive food.”

Just as we can resent food for tempting us to overeat, we can also resent it for making self-denial so difficult. When we idolize control, food becomes an enemy that threatens our self-made rules. We refuse to enjoy what God has given because we see food itself as the problem. But the problem isn’t food—it’s our own sinful desires.

The Path to Gratitude

If we cannot love food too much, nor hate it when it lets us down, then what is the right way forward? Scripture points to gratitude. 1 Timothy 4:4-5 says, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”

Gratitude allows food to take its proper place. Instead of making it an idol or an enemy, we can receive it as a gift. We can enjoy it, but we don’t have to be enslaved by it. We can steward our bodies with discipline, but without legalism or an always-underlying sense of guilt. We can appreciate the taste of a good meal without looking to it for joy, and we can deny ourselves unhealthy indulgences without resentment.

Psalm 104:14–15 speaks of how God provides food to sustain man and “wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man’s heart.” Meals can be moments of fellowship, celebration, and joy. Think of the way breaking bread together fosters community, whether around the family table, at a church potluck, or even in the fellowship of the Lord’s Supper.

Food also tastes good. God could have made all food merely functional—plain and unremarkable—but instead, He created a world full of flavors, textures, and scents that make eating an enjoyable experience. A well-cooked steak, a fresh piece of fruit, or a warm loaf of bread—these things are good, and they point us to the kindness of our Creator.

Gratitude teaches us that food is not the problem—our hearts are. And when we thank God for our daily bread, we are reminded that He alone is our true satisfaction. Food is a blessing, from the hand of the Giver.

So we continue to work toward a better food-attitude. Not love, not hate—just gratitude.