Organic Food

[lightParticipant]

What do you all think about eating organic and natural food versus conventionally grown food? It seems as though it is necessary to eat naturally what God has provided to us, rather than food that has been artificially maintained through chemicals and other means. I sort of see it as similar to how we don’t use medicine and all of its chemicals. However I don’t want to spend all my time thinking on what I am eating.. so what do you guys think?? And what does Christian Science in general have to say about this?? thanks!

[GordonParticipant]

I know that Mrs. Eddy gave more thought to the way in which food was prepared than the actual food itself. She had cooks who worked for her at her home, and while she said she gave very little thought to the “pleasures of the table,” she did require that the meals the cooks prepared expressed certain qualities, like wholesomeness for instance.

I don’t often have time to make or pack any meals for myself at work, so usually what ends up happening is one of two things: either I buy those $1 meals you can get from the freezer section in the grocery store, or I end up getting fast food. But fast food (even the “ritzier” fast food places with $10 meals) gets old pretty quickly, and the $1 TV dinners aren’t exactly stellar, either. The other day at work I was sitting at lunch and noticed that one of my coworkers just had a homemade ham and cheese sandwich, and a small bag of cheetos. Something about the small portion (compared to a fast food meal) and the homemade bread really seemed appetizing, so last night I bought some bread, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and other ingredients and decided that it’s worth it to me to take the time in the morning to make sandwiches.

While that may seem like “giving thought to what I eat,” which Jesus advised us not to do, I think there is something to be said about wanting to find a sense of balance and wholesomeness in meals.

I’m not sure that what I’m saying here is particularly Scientific, but I hope that helps some. I don’t think one type of food makes you inherently more spiritual than another — in any degree. The less thought we give to food, the better. But I also think you want to find a sense of balance in your own thinking about it.

[AmyKeymaster]

I like the idea of natural food. To me, it’s more normal and normal means less undue attention for the most part. Like Gordon indicated, the balance can be satisfying.

I try not to balk at food that isn’t what I’d necessarily choose when I don’t have a choice. It’s not always easy, but I’m making strides. “Take no thought” and all that. ;)

[AmyRioModerator]

If we found ourselves in a situation where we had no choice about what we could eat, I believe our understanding of Christian Science would keep us from being harmed by something that the world might term “not nutritious” or “bad.” But having the choice, I prefer to eat food that tastes good. When I was a kid, there weren’t nearly so many pesticides on food and there certainly wasn’t any genetic altering. The food definitely tasted better. So I’d have to say I prefer organic food for the most part. Not because I’m afraid of chemicals, but because natural tastes better.

[RebekahParticipant]

There is a great t4t podcast called “Pray, think, eat: Taking some thought for what we eat and drink” with Nate Frederick and Margaret Rogers, C.S.B. I looked for the audio on the site but couldn’t find it. I still have the podcast in my itunes, so if you have it too maybe you could find it there.

In it topics like vegetarianism, organic and locally grown foods, and drinking alcohol are discussed. I myself try to eat wholesome foods, but wondered if I was taking too much thought for what I ate. I know it was very helpful for me to listen to the ideas brought out in the chat. I especially liked what Margaret Rogers said about Jesus’ teaching “take no thought for what you eat”. She relates it as “take no anxious thought for what you eat.”

She also points out that, just as this very site attests, and just as Mrs. Eddy wrote in S&H, “The time for thinkers has come.” Its not telling you WHAT you must think, but that you MUST think. The thing that I love most about CS is that it is completely grounded in Love and morality. So I see taking thought for the things I eat as prayerful consideration of what is the most loving and principled thing to do.

One way our family deals with this is to grow our own veggie garden. If there is one vital thing I have learned from growing my own food, it is never grow more that 2 squash plants at a time, unless you are willing to feed all neighbors within a mile of your house ;) he he.

[LisaParticipant]

I think the t4t podcast “Pray, Think, Eat” is really good as well. Here’s a link I found:

http://tmcyouth.com/media/podcasts/time-4-thinkers/pray_think_eat

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