"You are what you eat" is a phrase that may not be strictly religious in its origin, but it does reflect a biblical view of the nature of healthy living in Christian doctrine.

So it's not surprising that a new introduction to nutrition course is being viewed by Orange Church of Christ Pastor Jon Baker as very much part of his pastoral duties.

Hosted from the church's 69 Burrendong Way base from early October, the "NOURISH for Life" initiative is a free seven-week program with classes to be offered for both days and evenings for locals interested in learning more about how healthy eating can impact their lives in a positive way.

"I spent the last few years studying nutrition, and we're in a very poor environment, with social media and the like, to make key decisions about how we eat," Pr Baker said.

"Eating well offers us more energy, feel greater clarity, lose weight, and limit the likelihood of dozens of chronic diseases," he added.

While we're all well aware of how obesity has become one of the major health challenges in modern Australia, Pr Baker revealed that how we came to be in this sticky situation is not all purely down to chance, affluence, and technology.

"Hippocrates said that 'food can be our medicine', and we know that our body systems work best when we eat well," he added, quoting the ancient Greek father of the medical profession.

"Learn from science, the healthiest people in the world, treat your body as a temple to honour your creator."

He emphasised, however, that the course is no scold session over our eating habits, but will instead aim to increase participants' knowledge of food and nutrition in a fun, informative, and non-judgemental way.

"We are starting the free community essential nutrition course from early next month, and each week will look at different aspects of food and nutrition, from carbohydrates, fats, proteins, nutrients, fibre, and micro-nutrients and polyphenols (essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants).

"It's about having the information to respond to the culture and the world around us, to think about nutritional wholeness and making good choices," Pr Baker opined.

With the Bible stating in Corinthians: "Honour God with your body", he said that eating well is a Christian virtue which he has taken an increasing interest in.

"I recently completed a diploma of Culinary Medicine online from the United Kingdom's Culinary Medicine college run by well-known chef and healthy eating advocate, Dale Pinnock.

"It's about more than lifestyle, it's the culture that we live in, for instance, the petrol station near where I live; you won't see a single decent food item in there at all."

Partnering with Bank Orange, the course seeks to clear up the confusion around what healthy eating looks like, with statistics revealing that most illnesses these days are chronic and caused or contributed to by lifestyle factors such as our eating habits.

"The truth is that popular 'hacks' and shortcuts don't work, it's about diet overall and eating habits, food as it should be enjoyed," Pr Baker said.

"My approach is, how can we enjoy nature's bounty and eat foods that we do enjoy to feel a lot better," he concluded.

Places are limited and the course is free, but there is an opportunity to donate each week. For more information or to register, go to www.orangechurchofchrist.org/nourish; or call the church on 6362 0878.