“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”
Doug Larson
There’s a lot of eating plans circling around these days with names like “What would Jesus eat,” aka the Mediterranean diet, the Paleo diet, aka “What would a caveman eat,” and all the vegan and vegetarian diets built on what not to let-ever-cross-your-lips diets. There’s the Daniel Fast eating plan and the alternating day of fasting plan.
All my eating plan research came about as we were to host one of those special occasions that families often celebrate and would, at one time or another, be feeding everyone. So in an effort to get everyone’s food preferences, I polled some of the family members then searched the Internet for appropriate menus.
That’s when I found the foods that would and would not be appropriate to serve, and ran across a dozen or so different eating plans.
We have a Daniel faster in the family who is basically asking, “What would the Biblical Daniel eat?” In the eponymous book, chapter 1, verse 8 and following, Daniel asked the Babylonian food chief if he and his captive Israelite friends could eat only vegetables and grains and drink only water for 10 days and then see if they were not healthier than if eating the king’s food and drinking the king’s wine. The eating plan worked for the young men and is working for our family member who had been diagnosed with some health issues.
According to Health.com, undoubtedly the world’s healthiest eating plan is the Mediterranean diet. The eating plan includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, olive oil, nuts, seeds, soy, fish and lean poultry, all in moderation. The site goes on to say:
” … relaxed meals with family and friends are a core part of life in this region. The positive attitudes toward eating helps improve digestion and lower stress too.”
The Mediterranean diet asks, “What would Jesus eat?” It was noted that Jesus was an itinerant minister, and since he walked everywhere he went he more than likely got plenty of exercise, averaging at least 10,000 steps daily. Exercise is as important a health factor as consumption.
The Health.com site continues to say that people who cook their own meals at least five times per week are 47 percent more likely to be alive 10 years later, compared to those who rely more on processed foods.
Considering the food needs of my family, we’ll concentrate on the “super foods” which are proven to have no ill side effects but rather lift moods, lower cholesterol, and fight against cancer and heart disease. Super foods include beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, salmon, soy, spinach, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yogurt.
In my Momma’s day, I know she’d be serving black-eyed peas and turnip greens cooked in fatback with hot buttered cornbread, mashed potatoes and gravy, with a pot roast cooked all day long — topped off with a sweet potato pie.
Shannon Bardwell’s column appears in The Dispatch on Mondays. Email reaches her at [email protected].
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.