A couple months ago, I read a book about a healthy diet. The author promised if I just gave up grains, dairy, (except hard cheese), meat and out-of-season fruits, and nourished myself only on kale, broccoli, avocado, olive oil and nuts, I would live hale and hardy without heart disease, cancer, and arthritis into a ripe old age.
I drank the Kool-Aid — I mean olive oil — and tried the diet. I went all in. To this day, my freezer remains stocked with veggie burgers. I’ve become an expert on aged cheese and olive oil. Most of the diet, though, expired (pun intended) within two weeks, like a well-intended New Year’s resolution.
In Austin, food is king. From sushi to Tex-Mex-to barbecue, feeding Austinites is big business. Most restaurants have adapted to gluten-free and vegetarian diets, but I would guess the majority of our citizens continue to dine on Texas staples. For example, I’m not seeing less barbecue and bacon. Food is revered, memorialized in a photo and shared on social media. The internet has recipes for every kind of dish imaginable. But which diet, which foods, feed the soul?
We know from the Torah, that diet was very important in the Jewish faith. When the Israelites fled Egypt they complained, “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic we wanted.” (Numbers 11:5)
In their exodus, they were often forced to eat pork, and some died because they refused to disobey the strict dietary laws of their faith. The Jewish dietary rules are called kashrut. Though the origination of these laws might have been due to sanitary conditions, The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies stated: “Kashrut is a way of welcoming the holiness of Judaism into our daily lives. At each meal, we rededicate ourselves to the high standard of Jewish living and behavior.”
Halal dietary and slaughter restrictions are often compared to Jewish practice. It is an essential part of Islamic cultures and is closely tied to the faith of Muslims. Like adherence to the Kosher diet, consuming Halal meat not only fulfills religious obligation but also serves as an expression of devotion.
Hinduism encourages believers to eat vegetarian. Like Buddhists, Hindus believe that food affects both body and mind. Food is considered to be a source of the body’s chemistry, which affects one’s consciousness and emotions. There are three categories of food in the Hindu diet. Tomasic: Leftovers, stale, overripe and spoiled food is believed to produce negative emotions such as jealousy and anger. Rajasic: Meat, eggs, fish, spices, onions, garlic, hot peppers, pickles and other spicy foods are believed to produce strong emotional qualities, passion and restlessness of the mind. Sattvic: Fruits, nuts, whole grains and vegetables. These foods are believed to produce calmness and nobility, and increase magnetism. Or, as they say in Santa Fe, “energy field.”
On the other hand, in the New Testament we find a more laid-back approach to food, “Hear and understand. It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” (Matthew 15:10-11) The food experiences of Jesus had to do with people and service. He enjoyed wine at the wedding feast in Cana. He cooked breakfast for the apostles after the catch of 153 fish. He fed the 5,000. He ate dinner with Zacheus. Most important, he hosted The Last Supper and to this day Christians remember his life by the breaking of bread together in communion services.
After Jesus’ death, Paul addressed the issue of dietary laws and said, “Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, the Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience… whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (Corinthians 10:25-31)
The ancient Celts embodied this philosophy in their prayers. Based on these prayers, we believe the average Celtic tribesman and women probably said prayers and chants throughout the day: when working the fields, before meals, when preparing food, before sleep. Every activity was then infused with the spirit. “Be in the bread I eat and the work of my hands. Be in the water I drink and the life that I give.” (“God Beside Us,” John Birch)
Unfortunately, what we eat might not always be a choice. Soul food developed out of oppression but became a matter of cultural pride. The diet was fashioned by enslaved African Americans, who generated meals out of minimal ingredients. Slaves created soul food by merging their knowledge of West-Central African cooking methods with those of Native Americans and Europeans. During the enslavement period in the United States, the Black community typically received rationed portions of food on Saturday nights. They shared their rations on Sundays to have a feast that became a sacred and healing way to lift the spirits of family and community. This started the tradition of Sunday dinner. Just as Jesus did when he fed the 5,000, these enslaved people made plenty out of very little.
Each week I volunteer at our church to help those experiencing homelessness, or who are in the midst of a financial crisis. Among other services, our church offers a cooking class to teach our guests how to make healthy meals from inexpensive ingredients. These guests are grateful for any help, any food that can sustain them through their current trials. I suspect it would be very hard to eat vegetarian, gluten-free, Kosher or Halal when they are navigating through their current situations. Yet, despite their difficulties, they support each other by sharing food and tips on how to find help in Austin.
Back to the diet book I mentioned earlier, will abstaining from meat and grains make me a more spiritual person? Only if I make so. When food is healthy and grown with reverence for its environment and with care for those in our communities it provides genuine nourishment, body and soul. I’m going to remember the Celtic prayer and this scripture: “For the Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it… Whatever you eat or drink do all to the glory of God.” (Corinthians 10:25-31)
Diane Owens Prettyman attends All Saints Episcopal Church where she is a Daughter of the King, a member of Central Texas Interfaith, the Vestry, and a volunteer for Loaves & Fishes.
