“Not all breads are created equal,” states a header from a Mayo Clinic newsletter. “Breads vary in their nutritional value.” Not that we don’t know this; but sometimes a low price or a specialty bakery item or a sweet tooth tempts us to wander from the truth.
Whole-wheat bread is the best. Made from whole-wheat flour, it is a good source of fiber that contains vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Wheat bread has the next-highest nutritional value, but it is enriched bread where some whole-wheat flour has been added, and contains smaller amounts of fiber and phytonutrients. White bread is enriched flour, and the nutrients it contains are additives.
Eating whole-grain breads or cereals may reduce the risk of colon cancer and other forms of cancer, lower cholesterol, decrease the chance of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and help relieve some menopausal symptoms.
It’s interesting, isn’t it, how Americans, the most overfed nation on Earth, are often still hungry after eating huge meals and after snacking in between meals. Scientists tell us this is because the body is not ingesting foods from which it can draw the nutrition it requires. Surprise! Junk food really is junk food. Eating food with fiber helps fill the stomach and gives people the needed bulk to keep the digestive system running smoothly.
In order to be healthy, we need to (among other things) learn to eat whole-wheat bread and buy cereals that are made from the whole grain. Experts recommend six to 11 servings of grain a day. One slice of whole-grain bread counts as one grain serving.
Christ said to His followers, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes after me will ever be hungry again” (John 6:35). This often is the spiritual “whole-wheat” bread that our famished souls lack. Nothing satisfies like the bread from heaven.
May I ask: Exactly how are you feeding on Jesus?
Five years ago, I was designing teaching material for 160 young women in India who were preparing themselves for ministry. I asked myself, What can I give to them that will feed their eager spirits? Then one morning I turned to the Gospel of Luke and began to read again about the life of Christ. There was healthy oat, wheat, rye and multigrain flour for the soul indeed.
How are you feeding on the Bread of Life? Could you find time to read from one of the Gospels, one chapter each sitting? Chew your food slowly. Take notes. Savor the taste.
Perhaps you are a hungry soul because you have been snacking too much on white bread.
Your Christian Blogger,
Karen Mains
Other projects involving Karen right now are: Working with teams of Christian women to design Retreats of Silence, in both 24-hours and three-days formats, through the aegis of Hungry Souls. Developing hospitality initiatives that train Christian men and women how to use their own homes in caring outreaches through the Open Heart, Open Home ministries. Launching the Global Bag Project, a worldwide effort that markets sustainable cloth shopping bags to provide sustainable incomes for bag-makers in developing nations. Researching the impact of listening groups while overseeing some 240 small groups over the last three years. Experimenting with teleconference mentoring for wannabe (…better) writers. Designing the Tales of the Kingdom Web site.
