Nutrition

Dr Horst Müller teaches that the body cannot feed itself. It tells us when it is hungry, and we decide what to give it. As he puts it, “The body itself cannot lie; its signals are correct” (Why Do We Get Sick?, page 18). Our part is to listen, and to choose well.

He also teaches that every part of us works like a channel: it takes something in, uses it and passes it on. Good food taken in becomes strength given out, for work, for family and for other people.

Every day the body wears a little, and every day it is repaired. The material for that repair comes from our plates. That is why food matters so much, and why small, steady choices add up over a lifetime.

The food God gave in the beginning was seeds, grains and fruit. Ellen G. White took that as the pattern for a healthy diet, and she asked for it to be prepared simply.

The Bible tells of a young man named Daniel, far from home in Babylon, who asked for plain food and water instead of the king's rich meals. After ten days, he and his friends looked healthier than the young men who ate from the king's table (Daniel 1:15).

Fill most of your plate with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, lentils and nuts. Choose foods that look much as they did when they were grown. Go easy on sugar, salt and heavily processed foods, and keep them for now and then.

There is no single right menu for everyone. What suits a farm worker in winter will not suit an office worker in summer, and your doctor may have advice that is just for you. You do not need to change everything at once. Small, steady changes are easier to keep than big ones.

Dr Mark Sandoval points out that we cannot make our own food, any more than we can make our own air. We can do our part in the garden, but the life in the seed is not ours to give. Growing even a little of your own food, a pot of herbs or a row of beans, is a good reminder of where every meal really comes from.

Regular meals at regular times help the body settle into a rhythm. Sit down to eat, eat slowly, and stop when you are satisfied rather than full. Try to finish your last meal of the day well before bedtime.

Meals are also for sharing. Eating with others, and giving thanks before you begin, turns an ordinary meal into something more.

Healthy food does not have to be dull. A table set with care, colourful food and good company make a simple meal a pleasure, and a thankful heart makes it better still.