I’ve been involved in youth ministry for over a decade, and my husband’s a functional wellness doctor, so my life is Jesus & health. Honestly, sometimes, I worry my kids know more about diet & detox than they do about Jesus and the Church – they don’t, but I worry about it. And I’m going to make a bold statement:
The truth is that our ministries are being sabotaged by our diet. Next to prayer, our diet plays the biggest role in our ability to have the energy, brainpower, and emotional stability we need to be sustainable in ministry long-term.
Here’s the basic science of it:
90% of serotonin (“happy” hormone) and 70% of dopamine (“feel good” hormone) are made in the gut. These hormones go from the gut to the brain, where they are received and affect our mood. There’s a reason doctors refer to the gut as the “second brain”.
Our diet feeds the bacteria we have in our gut. This microbiome determines how well hormones are made, nutrients are absorbed and make up more than half of our immune system. Studies are showing a poor gut causes poor sleep, decreased brain function, poor immune response, and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety.
How many times have you felt wiped, struggled with sleep, or gotten sick after a youth event?
Yes, the preparation is exhausting, the sleepless nights are taxing, however, our body is designed to rebound from short-term stressors like these, provided, it is being adequately supported. That’s why what we eat is so important.
Here are 2 simple ways to start building a better microbiome today:
Yes, these foods are delicious, easy and fit nicely into a youth ministry budget, but they are making us sick, depressed, and stressed out. Sugar is a major contributor to the overpopulation of bad gut bacteria. This means decrease amounts of desserts, candy, soda, and juice.
A few years ago, I stopped serving chips, pizza, and candy every night and started provided better quality meals. The kids were so happy with the new menu, I’ve never heard a single complaint. Not only am I not sacrificing my own health, but I’m also not negatively contributing to theirs.
Science is now catching up with what our faith has been saying since the book of Exodus – fasting has benefits, spiritually & physically. Interestingly, one of the benefits is a gut microbiome reset. Bad bacteria can’t survive when you fast, so you can actually reset the good-bad bacteria ratio through one water fast!
Of course, Jesus calls and sustains us in this ministry, but we are not only spiritual beings. If we want to have a great ministry and continue to build the Kingdom, we have to care for our physical bodies just as regularly as our eternal souls.
Brittany Molda is a youth minister in the artic tundra of New Hampshire. She is married to a wonderful Catholic man, and has two beautiful daughters, and a mildly narcotic dog. In her free time you can find her drinking something warm while she watching the Mandalorian, or does a puzzle book.
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