B'tzelem Elohim - in the image of HaShem. A deeper love is revealed to those created in the image of HaShem- Bereshis 9:6.
Jewish philosophy teaches us that our body does not belong to us, to do with it as we please. We borrow our physical body and must treat it with respect, keep it healthy. You physical- care is a duty rather than a choice.
" And you shall watch yourself very well, for you did not see any image on the day that HaShem spoke to you at Chorev from the midst of the fire.- Devarim 4:15
Our soul is a sacred vessel and placed inside our body, our body is a Divine verhicle who is requierd to perform mitzvos, Torah learning and chesed. The Rambam wrote in the Mishneh Torah that keeping our body strong and healthy is a direct way of walking the ways of HaShem.
Kashrus regulates what goes into our body, linking the physical nourishment to spiritual mindfulness and holiness.
Eating wholesome foods, in moderation and avoiding harmful process food is essential. Exercise to maintain a strong and healthy body. A diet of only meat and eggs- carnivore diet- is considered unhealthy and unbalanced. It lacks vital vitamins, fibers, antioxidants, and it is high in saturated fat. The health risks of such an unhealthy diet are : heart disease, kidney stones and digestive issues.
Ultra- processed foods are factory- made and contain extra sugar, unhealthy fats, and lots of Salt. The lack of fiber causes overeating, and is linked to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. All processed foods are stripped of natural vitamins and fiber. They are highly in additvers, artifical colours,and emulsifiers. They weaken fullness and makes you eat faster, without feeling full.
The mitzvah Shmiras haguf- Guard youself and guard your soul very carefully - Devarim 4: 9
Maimonides knew the importance of physical health in relationship to spirituality better than most. We should educate ourselves. Taking care of our body is a sacred duty.
The Frum Health Crisis Nobody Wants To Talk About.
Mendel Krashunsky is the founder of the Frum Health Club, a worldwide movement pushing Yidden to finally take their health seriously. He opens up about losing his father, an oligarch who lived a life of total luxury, to a preventable illness at just 38 years old, and how the grief sent Mendel into his own spiral of emotional eating that left him 70 pounds overweight and battling GERD before he'd even turned 20.
From there, Mendel and Nachi dig into why health gets treated as optional in frum life, even though it's a mitzvah straight from the Torah, covering ultra-processed food, GLP-1s like Ozempic, how to talk to kids about it, and the viral 10,000-steps-a-day challenge that's grown into a global movement with tens of thousands of followers. It's a raw, practical conversation about food, faith, and why taking care of your body isn't a contradiction to Yiddishkeit, it's part of it.