Eat This, Not That!

by Freeman Palmer | published on Oct 29, 2026

Jesus answered, “You are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” – John 6:26-27a (NIV) 

I confess to a love/hate relationship with food. The food I should hate for health reasons is the food I love – plentiful with calories, carbohydrates, and cholesterol. Even in October my mind’s eye is looking past Halloween and considering the calorie-laden holiday season. The brand Eat This Not That, created by former Men’s Health editor-in-chief David Zinczenko, reminds us that food choices have consequences for our health, for good or for ill. 

This is also true of our spiritual food choices. Every day, we consume substantially more than food. We are fed intravenously with news events, viral opines on social media, and 24/7 information via texts, emails, apps, and videos that can take up hours in a heartbeat. We feed ourselves with our relationships, vocations, activities, and desires.  

We can consume a lot. And a lot can consume us. 

When Jesus reminds us in his own inimitable way to “Eat this, not that,” he’s not saying that food is unimportant. It is! Jesus is pointing to our spiritual consumptions. He wants our relationship with God to be about more important than our physical needs and human desires. 

The “this” Jesus advises us to eat is Jesus himself. “I am the bread of life,” he declares. Choosing “this” spiritual food means choosing Jesus – choosing faith over fear, truth over deception, generosity over greed, love over hatred, and eternal values over temporary pleasures. It means choosing Jesus as if our lives depended on it. Truth be told, they do. 

May we choose to eat this: the grace, truth, and love of Christ. That choice will be a healthy one. For life. 

Prayer
Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven, feed us now and evermore. Amen.

Freeman PalmerAbout the Author
Freeman Palmer serves as Conference Minister for the Central Atlantic Conference UCC.