Nutrition and God's Creation - by Kelly Ellis

Hello! I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Kelly, and I’m a Registered Nurse with a BSN, and am also a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (or BSN, RN, CDCES for short!) Many of you know me as Sammy’s Mimi. I wanted to share what has been on my mind as I consider this Season of Creation as it relates to the Earth Ministry and Saint Benedict’s.

Looking at the eco-church model, I wanted to shed some light on how this can also relate to the foods we eat and how we consider our food. God gave Adam and Eve everything needed in the Garden of Eden, and after they were banished, their descendants continued to grow and cultivate food for centuries, up until the industrial revolution, as a matter of fact. As a society, we have grown accustomed to grocery shopping for most of our food, and depending on the individual’s budget, might splurge on some treats, but overwhelmingly, good, healthy and nutritious foods are generally more expensive than non-nutritious and sugar-laden “junk food”. It’s common to see the less financially advantaged not only shop with coupons, but go for foods like chips, ramen, soups, cookies, and choosing only a few fresh fruits and vegetables to accompany their meals because this is what they can afford to help fill their bellies. Purchasing whole, natural foods and knowing how to cook them is not as common. People used to grow everything for their families, and give their gardens adequate hydration, nutrition, sunlight, and kept as free from pests as possible.

Doesn’t that ring true for us as God’s creation, too? Fueling our bodies purposely isn’t always easy. Type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity… These things were not common even 40 years ago like they are now. Many consider these ailments “normal for many adults” but the truth is, people are being diagnosed with all of these things earlier and earlier. Food additives and preservatives are changing God’s creation. Food isn’t just fuel. It also helps with the production of serotonin in the gut, where most of this important neurotransmitter is actually made. Does this mean that all prepackaged food is bad? No. I’m not good with “always” and “never” statements, because rarely are they truth when it comes to discussion about eating a healthier diet.

When you envision a garden, do you mostly see vegetables with some fruit? That’s actually how our bodies tend to function best. Balancing our macronutrients, like carbohydrates, proteins and fats, with micronutrients, like good sources of vitamin C, E, magnesium, etc., is just as much of an art as it is a science. Some things resemble what they are good for, like walnuts are great for the brain, unless you’re allergic! Carrots are good for your eyes, tomatoes are good for your heart, beans and legumes are good for the kidneys. Ginger is wonderful for the stomach. God designed all these things with a purpose.

A big question for everyone to consider is this. How do you show respect and appreciation for God’s creation with the food you eat and how you treat your body? I know I have a ways to go to be doing much better with my own journey with this. It’s not a question to shame or guilt you, it is something to ponder. So many people use food as a drug to help them feel better by eating too much, or look a certain way by withholding it. Food caries a lot of emotion with it. Smells are one of the biggest triggers for memories, and our limbic system in our brains can hold some of those memories for decades. Celebrations centered around sharing large platters of food is a common scene. As a diabetes educator, I help people learn to balance their blood sugars by focusing on what and how they look at food, and what they’re eating.

Balancing food, medication, hydrations, and activity levels are the science behind it. Looking at the personal relationship we each have with food and considering God’s part in it is separate, but nonetheless important. Everyone is a work in progress, and I’m not here to judge or shame anyone. God made us in His image and He means the best for us, just as He wants the best for the rest of His creation. The choices we make about food can daily contribute to either worsen or better or health, just like those choices affect the rest of God’s creation.