OUR DAILY BREAD
“Give us
this day our daily bread”.
Matthew
6: 11
2 Timothy 3: 16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness”. The Bible has guidelines
for healthful living including foods to eat and food to avoid. God’s original diet for mankind is laid out
in Genesis 1: 29, “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is
the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat”.
Modern nutritionists know that fruit, vegetables,
grains, nuts, and seeds are all high in fiber and low in fat. The human body works best when fueled by
foods containing these nutrients. The
fat that is in plants is unsaturated—the good kind of fat. The high fiber content is good for
digestion. Plants are low in calories
and high in vitamins and minerals.
Remember when Daniel and some of his fellow captives in the king’s palace
begged to just eat vegetables and water instead of rich, fatty food from the
king’s table. Read Daniel 1 to see what
happened.
Animal foods, on the
other hand, have lots of saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease,
cancer, clogged arteries, and strokes.
God did tell Noah after The Flood, “Every moving thing that liveth shall
be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” (Genesis
9: 3), but later He gave Moses strict health laws. Regarding meat He told him (in Leviticus) to eat clean
animals. Unclean animals (pigs,
scavengers, carnivores, and shellfish) we now know are more likely to carry
disease-causing germs.
Meat does
provide us with muscle-building protein but by combining vegetable proteins
(legumes such as lentils, chick peas, kidney beans, pintos, etc.) with starch
foods (rice, potatoes, pasta, breads) we get a “complete” protein, energy, and
fiber. Fish also, provides lots of good
protein. Leviticus 11: 9-12 tells of
permission to eat any fish with fins or scales but not shellfish (which we know
today often contains poisons and toxins).
In
Leviticus 3: 17 God told Moses not to eat fat or blood. This command was most likely given for
health reasons. Saturated animal fat
leads to disease and blood is a breeding ground for germs.
Other
animal foods include cheese, eggs, and dairy products. Modern experts advise avoiding the saturated
fats in whole milk products. Stick with
skim and non-fat dairy items for calcium intake.
The Bible
even has something to say about sweets.
In Proverbs 25: 16 it tells not to eat too much honey. Moderation seems to be the key.
To pull
all these food guidelines together, have our children illustrate the Food
Pyramid chart in Bible Foods: Eating for Health Journal. Compare today’s food recommendations to the
Biblical admonitions: lots of grains, vegetables, and fruits, protein mostly
from beans, fish, and nuts, low fat dairy, and limited sweets and fats.
Have your
kids (and yourself) monitor their eating habits over a period of time. Pick random days to have them record in
their Bible Foods Journal what they eat. The next day have them make their own Food Pyramid chart for the
previous day to see how their eating habits compare to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture food guidelines at the end of their Bible Foods Journal.
Have your
children help you decide what foods and snacks they might possibly substitute
for more healthful eating. Find some
new recipes to replace some of your family’s less healthy ones. Together learn to cook and shop for
healthier snacks and meals. These new
recipes can be added to their Look What’s Cooking at My House Journal.
It can be
fun for the whole family to get together to cook. The children will be learning
life-long skills (cooking and cleaning up!), practicing their arithmetic when
measuring, building reading skills such as following directions as well as
developing hand and eye coordination and small motor skills. Food preparation also leads to self-confidence
and family bonding. Learn and enjoy!
We pray
you experience God’s abundance through these life changes,
Susan and Cindy
Download
Bible Foods Journal
Download Look What’s Cooking At My House
Hands and Heart
