A few years ago, I read the small book by Michael Pollan called Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. It’s a little book that offers wisdom on how we engage with food. But the whole book is summed up by Pollan’s three simple rule for eating:

1. Eat food.

2. Mostly plants.

3. Not too much.

I was reminded of Pollan’s work a few weeks ago, when he was briefly featured in a story from 60 Minutes about the damage that ultra-processed food is doing to Americans’ health. The story examines how ultra-processed foods are literally rewiring our brains to eat more and more food that is less and less nutritionally beneficial.

Spiritually speaking, we live in an age of ultra-processed options. Quick-hit inspiration. Outrage disguised as conviction. Screens and social media designed to trigger our dopamine-fueled addictions. Endless commentary posing as wisdom. A steady stream of noise that keeps us stimulated but not formed. We consume more spiritual content than ever before, and yet many of us feel thinner inside.

Ultra-processed food is engineered to keep us craving more while never actually satisfying us. The same can be true of our spiritual lives. We scroll instead of pray. We argue instead of listen. We react instead of reflect. And beneath it all is a deeper hunger — for communion, for meaning, for the steady presence of God.

Real food takes time. It has texture. It nourishes slowly and deeply. The same is true of real spiritual practices. Scripture read patiently rather than scanned for quotes. Prayer that lingers. Worship that gathers us around Word and Table. Silence that feels awkward at first but eventually becomes spacious.

Perhaps the ache many of us feel is not a failure of faith but a sign that we are meant for something more substantial. The invitation is not to consume more — but to return to what is real. Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.

Spiritually speaking: seek what is true. Stay rooted. Pull up a chair and do not settle for spiritual junk food, but taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).

Grace and peace,

Rev. Tyler Tankersley