Holy In, Holy Out

After eating greens with every meal for two years, Lilia Grundy applied her healthy eating formula to her spiritual lifestyle.

Greens for Breakfast

As I reached for the spoon to scoop out my first green breakfast, comprised of broccoli and oatmeal on the side—I thought to myself, really? As in, how am I going to consume greens first thing in the morning when I’ve never even enjoyed eating breakfast?

I repeated the statement in my head that I heard from the health influencer I was following. “Soon enough, your body will begin to crave greens for breakfast,” she cheerily said.

I didn’t believe it, but I pushed on, and after a month of sticking to my 50/50 plate (half of my plate filled with vegetables and the other half filled with healthy carbs) for mealtime, I did in fact begin to enjoy (and look forward to) greens for breakfast.

The fascinating thing is that our bodies are equipped to crave healthy food. A study published by the journal Neural Plasticity shows how a healthy regimen of good eating and physical fitness can train the brain to enjoy healthier options.

Following my plant-based diet now for two years, I can attest to the fact that I actually salivate for broccoli and kale! Okay, so I know not everyone will buy in to greens for breakfast, but what if our family and friends strived to maintain not just bodily health, but more importantly, spiritual health?

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Just Say No to GIGO

There’s a term used in computer science called "garbage in, garbage out." This concept states that nonsense (garbage) input data produces nonsense output. Similarly, as I tell my daughters, if we feed our bodies less-nutritious food all the time, we’ll suffer the consequences.

This concept got me to thinking that a formula could be applied to our souls: Holy In = Holy Out.

If I crave the good stuff for mealtime, by feeding my body good stuff, what if I fed my soul holy things?

I became purposeful in how I was “feeding” my soul. What was I watching on TV? What was I listening to for music? What was I reading versus scrolling through on my social media apps?

The more I became focused on the holy things—visiting Adoration weekly, attending daily Mass, listening to uplifting music, opting for PureFlix over Netflix films with the family—the more my soul craved these things.

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Feed on Light

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.” (Matthew 6:22-23)

It’s a work in progress for me, building a healthy and holy body. I still love my desserts and enjoy wine on the weekends. And yes, I’ll watch the occasional trendy chick flick, but it’s different now. I don’t consume anything without recognizing the repercussions. So I find myself more thoughtful in my choices.

Click to tweet:
The more I became focused on the holy things, the more my soul craved these things. #CatholicMom

I encourage Catholic Mom friends to try implementing the Holy In = Holy Out formula and pass it through a 90-day test. I am confident that our bodies and spirits will begin to naturally gravitate toward the Light.

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