For those of you who receive The Word magazine, I hope you noticed the article by Rita Madden, MPH, RD titled “Eating in an Anciently Refreshing Way” in the December 2010 issue. It’s excellent and soon became a read-aloud for the whole family. It you don’t receive The Word, you can download the article in PDF here.
Since losing weight or eating healthier typically make the January resolution list, Ms. Madden’s thoughts here provide a great starting point for assessing how we think about eating, fasting and natural vs. synthetic foods.
She writes:
“Here is a tip: If God made it then it is a real food. If the food contains many synthetic, artificial and unnecessary ingredients, this food can be considered an imposter, and we do well to remember that God did not create us with the physiology to digest such imposters.”
"Gathering Wheat" by Daniel Ridgway Knight
I appreciate the author’s use of Holy Scripture and the writings of our Church Fathers to focus on the nature of gluttony and the beginning of self-control. I remember Fr. Scott telling me years ago when I was first a catechumen and had questions about fasting, that when we consider the sin of our first parents, Adam & Eve, it began with the temptation for food. Being disciplined to control what goes into our belly is the starting point for self-control in all other areas of our life.
* Reproductions of Mr. Ridgway's work available here.
