WHAT WOULD JESUS EAT?
(excerpt, watch for link to complete article)

"What Would Jesus Eat?"

"What would Jesus [fill in the blank]?"

Among evangelical Christians, that's been a popular question in recent years. At first, the question was simply "What Would Jesus Do?" shortened to "WWJD" on bracelets and bumper stickers. The acronym reminded people to think about what Jesus would do before acting in a given situation.

But since then, "WWJD" has morphed into commands for specific areas of life. "What would Jesus drive?" the recent anti-SUV campaign. "How Would Jesus Raise a Child?" a new release in the Christian bookstores.

And last summer: "What Would Jesus Eat? The Ultimate Program for Eating Well, Feeling Great, and Living Longer." There's also a companion, "What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook."

Dr. Don Colbert

The author of both, Dr. Don Colbert, is a family physician in a practice of more than 20,000 patients in Orlando, Florida. Seeing people "making the same dumb mistakes," getting the same diseases after years of choosing fast and processed foods, Colbert says, he wanted to educate people about how better nutrition can ward off disease.

But with a title like "What Would Jesus Eat?" and with some of the corresponding content of Colbert's book, he has done what other nutritionists have not usually done: he has raised nutrition to a religious and theological level.

A recent check of Christian bookstore shelves revealed that food, nutrition and dieting are popular topics of books in the "Christian Living" section. Yet most Christian authors don't go so far as to mix food and theology. We looked at several Christian books that keep food to an "eat this and you'll feel healthier" approach.

The more theological road

So why did Colbert take the more theological road?

"I thought I'd go back to the training manual--the Bible--and see what Jesus ate. Lo and behold, Jesus ate the healthiest diet ever developed, the Mediterranean diet."

Colbert's primary goal, then, was to promote healthful eating habits, but looking to the Bible for his subject matter at times propelled his book into theological waters.

What did Jesus eat?

(Please finish reading the entire article at Post Gazette.)

A recipe for hummus

This is a variation on Dr. Don Colbert's recipe for hummus, which is one of his favourite foods in the "What Would Jesus Eat?" diet plan. His version involves buying dried garbanzo beans, soaking them, and then cooking them until they've softened a bit. We couldn't find dried garbanzo beans, so we substituted canned ones, uncooked.

2 cups garbanzo beans (one 15-ounce can plus part of a second one)
1/2 cup tahini (see note)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 2 medium lemons
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Puree in food processor until smooth. Store in refrigerator. Serve with pita bread, crackers, vegetables or other dipping snacks.

Note: Tahini is a sesame seed paste typically found in health food stores.

"What Would Jesus Eat? The Ultimate Program for Eating Well, Feeling Great, and Living Longer"

Shop and dine responsibly

Dr. Don Colbert, author of "What Would Jesus Eat?" and a corresponding cookbook, offers many suggestions for making healthful food choices. Here are a few:

  • Ask yourself, "Why do I eat this?" and "Would Jesus eat this?"
  • Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store, loading up in the produce section and choosing mostly fish in the meat section. Avoid the processed foods typically found in the centre aisles of the store.
  • Eat at least half "living foods" (grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds), and avoid manmade, processed, high-sugar or high-fat foods.
  • Sit down and eat a leisurely meal. This aids digestion and helps to avoid eating from the vending machine.
  • Go out to celebrate special occasions, but do not keep chips, cakes and other unhealthful foods around the house.
  • In a restaurant, look for the healthful items on the menu. Order steamed, unbuttered vegetables and plain baked potatoes as side dishes and skip dessert.

Book information

"What Would Jesus Eat? The Ultimate Program for Eating Well, Feeling Great, and Living Longer" and "The What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook", both by Don Colbert, M.D., are published by Thomas Nelson and are sold at Christian bookstores and by online booksellers such as This link goes off-site.Amazon.com and This link goes off-site.Christianbook.com.

Author information

Rebecca Sodergren, who grew up in Forward, is a Wichita Falls, Texas, freelance writer. This book review appeared in the This link goes off-site.Post Gazette on November 13, 2003.

What did you think of this article? Do you disagree with anything the author said? Did s/he overlook anything important? Send me an e-mail or use a contact form to have your say.

Please note: I have collected a variety of articles like these from the internet. I do not necessarily agree with all of the information in the article or the site from which it came or any resources it may reference, but thought it might be good food for thought.


 
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