Seven Principles: Real Bread
God is intimately concerned with food, not only as a means he has ordained for the sustenance of man’s body, but as something which He Himself has invested with spiritual meaning. Food does have a real effect on physical health, a connection established by God to teach us earth-bound creatures that, just as our bodies cannot be nourished on junk food, so our spirits cannot be nourished on spiritual lies. As in the Scriptures, the emphasis here will be on the nourishment and health of the spirit.
I have chosen “Real Bread” as the first of seven essential principles for whole health; it is described in the Scriptures as the staff of life. Although I will be addressing bread specifically, I think certain important principles for good eating can be drawn from a contrast between whole-grain, life-supporting bread and refined, lifeless bread.
We hunger.
The experience of hunger is a gift. In the same way that warning pangs signal the need for physical food, an emptiness in their lives goads many to seek for satisfying answers about life and purpose. “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” [Deuteronomy 8:3, emphasis mine]
Hunger is a reminder of our finite nature. God does not hunger, for all the world and all its fullness is his [Psalm 50:12]. He is complete in himself. We however, experience a regular and constant need for food that reminds us that we are not self-sufficient but are continually dependent on a providential God. This complete dependence may not be immediately apparent in a well-stocked grocery store, but the farmer who produces the food (and the stuff of food) is intimately familiar with his final reliance on powers beyond himself. [First Corinthians 3:7]
Hunger means need. Your body is hungry; it needs bread. Your spirit is hungry; it needs Bread.
Learn about the physiology of hunger at the Answers website, HERE.
Has inappropriate dieting ruined your healthy appetite?
In his book Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition, physician Francis M. Pottenger, Jr. warns dieting women taking only 700-900 Calories daily that their inadequate caloric intake will upset their metabolism and lead to health problems. He notes, “Though it is medically possible to help the diet-starved woman, it is not simple. Their appetites might have failed, making a normal food intake a hardship.” He recommends bed-rest and a high-protein diet.
Although we all experience times of decreased appetite, marked or prolonged loss of appetite may be a symptom of serious disease, and should be investigated by your healthcare physician.
We need real bread.
We may seek satisfaction in the world but we will not find it. “He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knoweth that that day of darkness is ready at his hand.” [Job 15:23] “All her people sigh, they seek bread...” [Lamentations 1:11]
Just as our bodies do not thrive on junk food, so our spirits cannot be nourished on falsity. For a time we can be fooled into thinking we have found satisfaction in spiritual lies, just as we can quiet our physical hunger with Wonder Bread. In the end, however, we will realize our starvation.
“It shall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty….” [Isaiah 29:8.] “Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.” [Proverbs 20:17]
Wherefore do ye spend money on
that which is not bread?
and your labour for that which satisfieth not?
Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
[Isaiah 55:2.]
Why choose whole grains?
The following demonstrates the documented percentage of nutrient losses of refined wheat flour compared to whole wheat.
✦B6 82.3%
✦Zinc 77.7%
✦Magnesium 84.7%
✦Iron 75.6%
✦Calcium 60.0%
[These figures come from studies by Schroeder (1971) and Czerniejewski (1964)]
The stripping and bleaching of the refining process removes most of the fiber, and negatively affects the protein, vitamins, and minerals. Even enriched flour only replaces some of these nutrients, and not entirely. After refining, flour is little more than empty calories.
Why grind your own flour?
Once grain has been ground, the protective hull has been broken, exposing the delicate wheat germs and oil to the air. Rancidity occurs if the flour is not protected or used soon. In fact, that’s where store-bought whole wheat bread gets its bitter flavor!
Vitamins and minerals are said to dissipate once the grain has been ground. There is heated debate over how much is lost and under what circumstances. Some claim that up to 45% of these valuable nutrients are lost in the first 24 hours; up to 90% lost in the first 72 hours.
Freshly ground flours simply smell and taste better—much better! The flavor of the finished product in incomparable: substantial and complex when compared to the insipid and pasty white flour goods that require sugar and flavoring to be palatable.
If grinding your own grain is not possible at this time, look for tightly sealed containers of the freshest whole grain flour you can find. Use the flour within a week of opening the package; seal it tightly after use and store in a cool, dry place; it will keep even longer in the freezer. Better yet, eat grains cooked in their whole form.
Let us turn to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Bread of Life [John 6]. He who eats of that bread shall never hunger again. Likewise, our physical hunger should be satisfied with real food. Don’t quiet your body’s hunger with a mean trick of pale fluff. Give it real bread—a hearty, flavorful loaf made with whole grain.
God will provide.
“...[H]e that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, buy... without money and without price.” [Isaiah 55:1] This offer is made freely to all, but those whose hearts God has not softened by his grace will reject the gift as untrue, even impossible. “Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the tock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?” [Psalm 78:19-20]
To those who believe and ask God will not refuse food. “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?... If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” [Matthew 7:9, 11] “I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” [Psalm 37:25] “The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.” [Proverbs 13:25]
What is this bread of life? “Our fathers did eat manna in the dessert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my father giveth you the true bread of heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then they said unto him Lord, evermore, give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger...” [John 6:31-35, read the entire chapter]
Jehovah Jireh, the God who will provide, will provide for his people faithfully, but he measures his grace like the manna from heaven, day by day. That is why we should pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” [Matthew 6:11] Daily we should humbly acknowledge our dependency on Him, and confidently and gratefully rest on his provision.
“When thou hast eaten and art full,
then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God
for the good land which he hath given thee.”
[Deuteronomy 8:10]
Jehovah Jireh is indeed the God who will provide, but he usually chooses to do so through his blessing on man’s own exertions [First Corinthians 3:7-9]. As one sage reminded us, God feeds the ravens [Luke 12:24], but he does not throw the food into their nests. (See Proverbs 19:15 and elsewhere for the declaration that the idle will suffer hunger.) Although God remains the ultimate source of health or illness, He has granted to man the responsibility and the privilege of stewarding his own body. In the recognition that he is not his own, man should be motivated to care for the body that is God’s, that it would be available for His service. Part of this responsibility is attention to the food that is eaten, that it would be food that is life-nourishing. Again, this is done to God’s glory, not to the glorification of our own bodies.
How can man decide what food is best for his body?
Who would know better than the Creator what food will best equip our bodies? The Mosaic Code, including the dietary laws, has been fulfilled (fully, perfectly obeyed) by Christ so that no longer does our salvation depend on our fulfilling these laws ourselves. Nevertheless, the dietary laws remain applicable to our bodily health, just as the moral and social laws remain applicable to holiness and social order. Science is beginning to confirm the wisdom of God’s dietary laws; the laws were not arbitrary restrictions, but the Creator’s knowledge of what would be best for the bodies, souls, and spirits He Himself designed.
Let us break bread together.
God describes our spiritual restoration to his fellowship as sitting down with him to “sup,” to eat. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” [Revelations 3:20] This is a beautiful picture of our relationship to God, is it not?
Our word companion comes from the Latin word companis, literally “with bread” or “the one with whom I eat bread.” Sharing a meal with someone is one of the most intimate expressions of fellowship we can enjoy with others. Hospitality is a commandment (not a suggestion) always given in the context of brotherly love [ex. Romans 12:9, 13], love that naturally and necessarily results from love for God [First John 4:21].
It is no less with the sharing of Living Bread. “...The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” [First Corinthians 10:16-17] In remembrance of God’s gift of the Bread of Life that is Jesus, sustenance of our souls, we celebrate together the holy sacrament of the communion table. We break bread and remember the brokenness of his body that made us whole. “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” [First Corinthians 11:26]
If you are interested in learning more about the Scriptural doctrines concerning friendship and hospitality, I can recommend no better book than the Holy Word. Another excellent resource which I can highly recommend to you is Steve Wikin’s book Face to Face: Meditations on Friendship and Hospitality.
Photographs:
1.I made bread by hand this week, which I haven’t done for years—I routinely use the Bosch. After fifteen minutes of intense kneading you’re on your way to beautiful bread and beautiful arms. ;-) I decoratively slashed the loaves and gave them a cornstarch glaze before baking. Isn’t it purty?
2.The Kitchen Aid with its grain mill attachment grinds the wheat into a fine and fragrant flour.
3.The dough more than doubled in the first rising. I could even hear a soft crackling as I washed the countertop nearby! I was so proud at how beautiful it looked and how sweet it smelled! Making bread by hand has a special satisfaction that I had forgotten.
4.All that kneading yielded a loaf with a tender, even crumb.
Photographs and text © 2011.
Friday, March 25, 2011