What tuh eat?

Sharina Gerald

We have just started Lent and many of us may be already wondering, “What tuh eat?”. While we may normally be able to quickly put together a balanced meal, in a time of fasting, it can become taxing. And if you’re like me, you may be trying to figure out how exactly your meals remain balanced in this period. However, do not be dismayed, there is help. To me, Lent presents us with an invitation to become holier by deepening our stewardship: towards our brothers and sisters, towards nature, towards our own bodies. One way of heeding this call is to pay attention to our diet and nutrition. To begin, we will explore four main themes: diet and balanced diet, nutrition, fasting and abstinence.

Our diet is everything that we eat and drink. A balanced diet is one where we have the correct amounts of all the required nutrients for health. This means that we are to strive, as far as possible, to moderate the types and amounts of food that we eat, as well as the frequency of eating, to avoid deficiencies and excesses.  What do fasting and abstinence have to do with this?

Fasting is the act of   intentionally reducing or completely avoiding food as well as drinks or other comforts for a specific period.  It is meant to foster spiritual discipline, self-control and religious devotion. Fasting as a spiritual discipline helps us to align our will to God’s by allowing us to self-empty and to purify our desires.  In the tradition of the Catholic Church, fasting is meant to help us grow spiritually by encouraging prayer, repentance, humility, and dependence on God. Fasting is binding from 18 years of age and the faithful may have one normal sized meal and two smaller meals (which together do not exceed a larger meal).

Abstinence on the other hand is voluntarily giving up specific types of food, behaviours, or pleasures rather than reducing the amount eaten. In Catholic practice, abstinence most commonly means refraining from eating meat on certain holy days (such as Fridays during Lent and on Ash Wednesday). In broader terms, abstinence may be extended to include giving up habits, luxuries, or activities as a form of spiritual discipline and self-denial. Abstinence is binding from 14 years of age.

As was mentioned already above, both fasting and abstinence are meant to purify us. When we reflect on our existing eating habits and lifestyle, we may note just how much of a difference fasting and abstinence may impact our well-being. We may observe that many of the widely available food options and combinations may already be putting us at a disadvantage since our mainstream diets tend to contain excesses of processed carbohydrates, trans saturated fats, sodium and a ton of additives for enhanced flavour and visual appeal. Many additives to ultra-processed foods are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors among the many other villainous roles they play in our bodies. At the same time, many food combos are lacking sufficient protein, healthy fats, dietary fibre and essential micronutrients such as iron, magnesium, Vitamins B12 and D.

During Lent, we are expected to abstain from meat, but it may not be financially feasible to purchase fish all the time as a suitable replacement. With this in mind, we see the need to become more intentional about our dietary choices not only during Lent but throughout the liturgical cycle. We may realise that in searching for meat and fish alternatives, we have to depend more on plant- based protein sources such as our peas, beans and nuts. Additionally, avoiding ultra-processed foods and foods with lots of additives and depending on more whole foods that contain enough of all the nutrients we need would be a bold step in the right direction. Foods like ground provisions, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains would prove to be useful than the more popular refined carbohydrates and processed vegetables. Some useful meal combinations include stewed lentils with provisions and fresh salad; dhalpuri with curried bodi, pumpkin choka; and varied fresh or green salads with chickpea or lentils added.

Now with this information, where does this leave us?

Lent is an invitation into the Holy of Holies. We are called to empty ourselves and to depend on the God who provides. We are called to exercise our creativity. Instead of being merely consumers, we can ask ourselves, “What good can I bring forth from the depths of my being?” The scripture says that we ought to make our bodies a holy and acceptable sacrifice (ref Rom 12:1). Through fasting and abstinence, we strengthen our wills and develop self-control. Utilising food in the right way, and not succumbing to its misuse and addictions, is one of the first ways we get to master ourselves. And it is through this self-mastery that we are able through the grace of God to stand rebuke the Evil One and to rebuke him.

May we be strengthened this Lent as we gain mastery over evil.