“Fitting Food”

It seems that January may be the season of colds, flus, and “sniffles”…If this is the case for you or your family, you may be interested in this recipe:

Honey Lemon Ginger Tea ~ Well, actually, it’s just the mix…Stir about 2-3 spoonfuls with hot water, and sip as a tea.

My mom first introduced this to me several weeks ago, when I was at my parents’ house and feeling under the weather. Not only is it yummy and feels good on your insides, but the lemon and ginger also have natural healing properties to help your body get better more quickly 🙂

January also tends to be the time for New Year’s resolutions, especially in regard to eating and food. While I don’t make resolutions (although I do think about what kind of person I want to continue to grow into), something I read recently made me start thinking about food in a new way.

Mudhouse Sabbath is written by a woman who grew up Jewish, and then became a Christian. She writes in this book about several specific disciplines of the Jewish faith that are not regularly practiced by those of the Christian faith. The writer points out that, in some areas of life, the Jewish people seem to have grasped the concept of what life is all about. For instance, about eating kosher or “fitting” food, she writes:
“While Christians are not bound by the particularities of deuteronomic dietary law, we may still want to pay attention to the basic principle that underlies kashrut [appropriate food choices/ kosher eating]: God cares about our dietary choices…This God who is interested in how we speak, how we handle our money, how we carry our bodies–He is also interested in how we live with food” (Mudhouse Sabbath, by Lauren F. Winner, p. 20-21).
Of course, since I have recipes on my blog, this chapter about kashrut (fitting food) intrigued me. God created food to nourish our bodies. And the closer we get to what is called “real food,” the more we will benefit our bodies by feeding it what it was meant to have. In this chapter, the writer also mentions about eating seasonally, and how it gives a “rhythm” to eating. With the seasons comes certain kinds of foods. And while this may have been more evident back in the day when everyone grew their own food in their own gardens, as seasonal food shows up on our plates, it’s only natural that we would see that–in this season–God has provided this food. And for that we should be grateful.

Now this does not mean that I am going to start eating completely seasonally. But it does seem to give a reason to pause, to eat mindfully, and be thankful.