Food on Friday: Tribute to My Healthy Husband

That is hummus.. very garlick-y hummus.

I never thought that the day would come when I would be able to applaud and rejoice at my husband's eating. But that day has arrived! I'll give you a bit of a background story and then tell you why I am so excited. When Chance and I first met, he wasn't a terrible eater. He played soccer in college, and so "Caf" meals were what his diet pretty much consisted of. He grew up in a home-cooked family, where dinner was served every night - what a blessing. But he still had his learning to do. One instance I remember well, on a trip we took to Wal-Mart together, Chance decided he wanted to purchase "grape drink". Yes, that's right "grape drink". To my amazement, Chance was unaware that grape drink had actually NO real grape juice in it, but was basically sugar and water and high fructose corn syrup in liquid form: yummy. Over the years of our friendship, dating, engagement, and finally marriage food/diet has been quite a point of contention. We have had different views on what a "healthy diet" is actually made up of, and argued about whether "organic food" is really better for you. Well in the last few months, I am proud to say that through the education of multiple food documentaries that advocated plant-based diets, showed the health risks of the American diet, and gave us a real look at what is in the food that we put in our bodies, my husband is a convert. No more will he be buying foods with ingredients that can't be pronounced, and no more will we have 'discussions' about my seemingly picky food choices. I am very happy indeed. And I think that our relationship just got a whole lot sweeter. It's great to be able to agree on what is going on the table and into our bodies. I love my husband dearly, and I appreciate the fact that (although it took some well-done documentaries to convince him) he now sees my point of view. We will still have our disagreements, but I am happy to say that our diet will likely not be one of them. Thank you Lord for good food that treats our bodies right! And thank you Lord for my healthy husband!

*Note: even if Chance continued to eat some junk food here and there, I'd still love him unconditionally, it just makes grocery shopping and cooking a whole lot easier.*

Quinoa (Keen-Wah) California Salad

This is a recipe that I got really into making the first year of Chance & I's marriage. It was the default "healthy" dinner (and it really is!). It is adapted from a salad recipe that was given to me by our former college pastor's wife. So I am calling this the "Quinoa California Salad".





Ingredients

2 cups organic baby spinach

1 cup red leaf lettuce (or romaine)

1/2 c. slivered almonds or candied walnuts

2 green onion stalks, slivered & sliced (use both green & white part)

1/4 c. red grapes, halved

1 green apple (Granny Smith), chopped

1 ripened avocado, sliced
A few shakes of Feta cheese (about 1/4 c.) 

1 c. cooked organic quinoa (use chicken broth instead of water for more flavor)

2 grilled chicken breasts (seasoned)

Dressing:
Juice from 1/2 of an orange
1-2 tbs. safflower or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. poppyseeds
1/2 tsp. organic, all-natural sugar
2 tsp. rice vinegar

Directions
Add all salad ingredients (after chopping + slicing) to a large bowl. I like to put the greens, spinach & lettuce, in first then all the add-ons on top because it looks so pretty that way! You can also add raisins to the salad, but the fruit makes it sweet enough. Serve with quinoa and chicken breast on the side OR cut up your chicken in bite-size pieces and add the quinoa on top of the salad greens! Add your own individual dressing, I hate soggy salads. And as a bonus this is a great salad to have at work as leftovers the next day.

Like I said before, this is our healthy to-go meal ... and for Chance that means his "detox" after a not-so-healthy lunch at the nearby Luby's Cafeteria - don't worry, I still love him :)

Healthy Habits Part 2, Food Rules - And Food That Rules [You]

Happy Tuesday! I mentioned back on Friday, that I want to do a series called Healthy Habits that will address the issue of a "healthy eating obsession" or better known as orthorexia.  There it is - the magical medical term - coined by a man named Steven Bratman, MD in 1996 (http://www.orthorexia.com/?page_id=2). He defines it as "a description for a type of obsession with healthy food that is psychologically or even physically unhealthy." (Steven Bratman, Orthorexia Home Page, 2012). Now, many of us have heard of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating -- but did you know that there is such a thing as an "unhealthy obsession with healthy eating?" It seems almost logically impossible. But in a culture such as ours, in which the marketing of private gyms, natural food stores, fad diets, and the ideal weight is constantly filling our heads, it is no wonder that there are those who obsess over being healthy.

Recently, I read an article on CNN.com regarding this very subject. The most common 'victims' of this non-medically recognized problem are, ironically, students of nutrition and health. Many times an interest in healthy eating can turn ugly when people begin cutting out food groups or restrict themselves from having certain "types" of food, such as processed meat or refined sugar. The problem can begin with a very positive change to one's eating habits. But, when one's eating becomes restrictive to the point of obsession, there is an obvious distinction between healthy eating and un-healthy 'healthy' eating. The article mentioned above, tells the testimonial of a girl whose orthorexia began as a result of health problems. Her doctor recommended that she cut out wheat, yeast, sugar and dairy to try and diagnosis her chronic stomach problems. When her stomach problems did not subside, she went to the extreme by cutting out all types and kinds of foods. She is quoted as saying, "I basically cut out everything from my diet. I convinced my mind that food made me sick."

Now that I have defined the problem in extreme cases, I would like to address what some of those 'symptoms' might look like in everyday life. A typical orthorexic often describes the difference [between their issue and that of an anorexic], as a lifestyle and rather than a concern about what one looks like. Unfortunately, these two things often go hand in hand. But for an orthorexic, it can be much easier to hide one's obsession because healthy eating is seen as worthy of praise, and commendable by the general public. I often hear people say to me, "Wow, how can you eat so healthy?" as if I have the super-power of eating healthy food. When one's eating habits are positively reinforced and applauded, those habits will be sustained and not deterred. We need to be careful that we are not encouraging an obsession that could be an unrecognized problem for a woman. As for the everyday symptoms, the term "food rules" applies.

"Food rules" are arbitrary rules that a person uses to enforce upon themselves a standard for their own diet. It is a way to keep yourself accountable regarding what you consume. For instance, a person may prohibit themselves from eating until 6:00pm or until they've run for 45 minutes. Their reward will be their meal. Again, this is not necessarily a bad thing, however these food rules can impose on the normality of one's life if the rules become what control you. I'll give an example of a positively used 'food rule' and then a negative one:

• [+] I know that I struggle with eating too much dessert. I tend to think often about what dessert I am going to eat that night, and daydream about how it will taste. I know that this is not a godly pattern of thinking, so as a rule for myself I decide to not eat desserts in the house. I am imposing on myself a rule so that I will not be encouraged to sin.
• [-] I know that eating too many desserts is not good for my overall health. Many treats contain loads of sugar and fat. Because I don't want to consume refined sugar that might have a negative effect on my body, I stay away from all desserts with refined sugar. Additionally, only organic or natural sugar is okay to eat because it doesn't contain all the chemicals that refined sugar does. I am only going to eat organic sugar. That means no birthday cake, no Starbucks if they don't have organic sugar, even if I have to party or coffee date. I don't care how much it costs, I am going to sacrifice for the sake of my health! And I am going to tell everyone around me that they too need to cut out refined sugars from their diet, even if other people disagree with me.

Do you see the difference between a positively-used rule and a negatively-used rule? We can put up standards for ourselves to deter us from sin, which is good! But we can also put up legalistic, arbitrary standards for ourselves that do nothing but harm to our thinking. Additionally, when we try to impose these standards on others, we can come off as legalistic, dogmatic, snobbish, and self-righteous. A person with orthorexic tendencies should be very caution when they see themselves limiting the types of foods they consume; one's motive should always be checked!

I hope that I've been able to give you a little hint into the mind and heart of the un-healthy healthy eater. This is a mind and heart battle for a great number of people, myself included, and for many who may not even realize it. I still need to daily surrender my eating to the Lord, and ask Him for wisdom to help me discern my motives and expectations that I put on myself. Remember, to not let your own standards and rules dictate how you eat -- let the Word of God be your guide as you put to practice its principles to "glorify God with your body."

[Remember to write me at kathryn.m.sumner@gmail.com or comment below if you have any questions, concerns, comments, or critiques! And thanks for visiting!]

Food on Friday : Healthy Habits, Part 1

A Moment Back in Time

This morning (when I began this post it was morning anyway), I want to discuss an issue that often goes under the guise of "healthy eating", but first let me share with you a story from my own life:

Fall 2008: I had just returned to college from a crazy busy summer of counseling at a Christian camp in northern Michigan (shout out to Lake Ann!). My diet, while at camp, had consisted mostly of Cliff bars and snow peas in the cafeteria with the occasional trip to the organic restaurant in Traverse City for some "real food".  Needless to say, I was looking very thin. Not unhealthily thin, just skinny, but normal for a diet consisting of mostly vegetables [or so I thought]. Here began my semester of the strangest eating habits I've ever experienced. I was a health food nut.. organic this, all-natural that. I racked up my grocery bills at Whole Foods and was mildly obsessed with peanut butter and carrots. My parents became worried that I was focusing so much on "healthy eating" while at the same time taking on an overwhelming amount of extra curriculars. Indeed, it was a recipe for disaster. If I didn't eat a salad for every meal, I would get frustrated. I started "cooking" for myself this semester, which really just consisted of throwing a bunch of vegetables in a bowl and calling it dinner. Ironically, as I became more overwhelmed and busy, I began exercising less and less. I became depressed and soon I was calling home wondering what I was doing 2,000 miles away from home. I felt isolated and like I had failed. I ate desserts and other foods in large amounts (i.e. binged) to try and cope with all of my stress. Most of all, I felt like I had lost control of my "healthy eating" which was terribly frustrating. I cried out to God on multiple occasions to help me to see what my problem was! I knew that how I was behaving wasn't normal, but I also didn't think it was very serious. 

After I went home for Christmas break, I had a breakthrough. I became vulnerable with some close friends who prayed with me regarding this season of depression and loss of control. During that break, I went on a retreat back to the summer camp I worked at and was confronted with the underlying issue: pride. I was too prideful to confess to anyone (let alone myself) that I was overly concerned about the kind of foods that I ate. When I became overwhelmed, the food I ate became an avenue of control and I used it to falsely believe that my life was under control. After that retreat, the Lord taught me that I needed to be honest & vulnerable with those around me, and willing to confess my sin and not let it fester. I went back to Florida with a new outlook and a readiness to fight this battle for real. 


As I began to examine my life, I noticed that this obsession of healthy eating was not just a habit but a lifestyle. Slowly, I added exercise back into my regular routine and was thankful that the Lord was giving me the desire to want to be healthy but not consumed. As God exposed my heart, He revealed to me how my relationship with food was tainted with many false ideas. I also had false ideas about my image, my body, and my relationship to exercise. I was encouraged that the Lord was showing me so many things, but I didn't really know where to go from there practically, besides attempting to "put to death the deeds of the body, so that [I] might live." (Romans 8:13) I saw the need for more specific, focused ways to battle this area of my life -- I wrote note cards with Scripture passages, had an accountability partner, and prayed often for God to help me in this area. All of these things did indeed help tremendously.


But I asked myself, "Do I have an eating disorder?". I puzzled over that question and came to the conclusion... no? So, if I didn't have an eating disorder per say, then why have I met so many other women who have dealt with the same issues? Again, I ask "Is this an ED?". Well, you will be curious to know that I have done some research on this topic of a"healthy eating obsession". I've even made a few enlightening discoveries. I would like to share those and other thoughts in a series on Healthy Habits. 


For now, let's ponder what Paul says in regards to eating meat sacrificed to idols (which may cause his brother in Christ to stumble): ""All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor... If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 30-31)


Do you adhere to a strict healthy diet? What is your motivation behind your food choices? Have you considered that this may be more than just an eating regime, but a lifestyle for you?


Stay tuned for Healthy Habits Part 2, Food Rules - And Food That Rules [You]