Delicious meals and great food with family or friends are essential pieces of our lives. In Singapore, food is even part of our national identity. Yet food has a far bigger role. It is very important for our faith, finances, health and care for creation.
Food and Faith
From manna in the desert and wine turned into water to the last supper and more, food shows up again and again in the bible. More than just descriptions of meals, though, the bible also provides insights into how to eat for a right relationship with God.
To start with, it’s important to realise that God provides the food we need. In Genesis 1, for instance, God says “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
Rather than consuming too much, we should eat the right amount. In Proverbs 23, for instance, we’re reminded that we should “not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor.”
At a time when many of us rush through our meals, we’re also encouraged to slow down and enjoy our meals. “Eat your food with gladness and drink your wine with a joyful heart,” we’re reminded in Ecclesiastes 9, “for God has already approved what you do.”
These and a multitude of other verses teach us what and how to eat.
Food and Health
What we eat plays a big part in shaping how healthy we are. While eating too much sugar, salt or fat can raise your risk for some diseases, for example, healthy eating can lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other conditions. Rather than eating unhealthily, we should remember what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10, saying “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Among the biggest culprits that cause poorer health and that we should reduce or avoid are meat and processed foods.
Diets high in meat in particular are linked to chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancers. On the other hand, the US National Institutes of Health found that people who eat diets high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish and unsaturated vegetable oils, and low in animal products, refined grains and added sugars, have a lower risk of death or disease.
More than 90 percent of people in Singapore eat meat, though, and they are highly unlikely to give it up. Even eating less meat, though, such as enjoying Meatless Monday or serving smaller portions of it, can improve your health. Eating fewer processed meats or plant-based proteins helps too, and choosing plant-based meats that have more natural ingredients and are less processed is preferable.
Additionally, ingredients in other highly processed foods that are high in saturated fats, added sugar, and sodium can lead to heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure.
Food and Finances
While the myth that eating better costs more persists, eating healthily with less meat as well as fewer processed or convenience foods can actually save money.
Researchers from Oxford University found that flexitarian diets with low amounts of meat and dairy reduced costs by 14 percent, for example, though vegan diets reduced food costs by an even higher one-third and vegetarian diets were a close second.
These and other studies show that cooking at home with natural ingredients and less meat, or choosing similar ingredients when we dine out, can improve our finances. Spending less leaves more resources to follow Proverbs 3:9, to Honor the Lord with your wealth.
Food and Creation Care
Along with affecting our faith and finances and health, food has a big impact on God’s creation. Agriculture and food practices cause more than 25 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to nitrous oxide from fertiliser, cutting forests for farming, methane from animals, burning crop residue, fuel for farms or transport, refrigeration, packaging and more. Meat is especially impactful, as it causes about 60 percent of the food system’s GHG emissions. Moreover, food waste causes about 8 percent of global GHG emissions.
Here in Singapore, more than 90 percent of food is imported and 813,000 tonnes of food is wasted annually. The food system contributes up to 29 percent of GHG emissions.
While we may think that what we do doesn’t make a difference, analysis by Project Drawdown showed that our individual actions can generate 25–30 percent of the total emissions reductions needed to avoid dangerous climate change. The actions with the highest impact among Drawdown’s top 20 for individuals are eating a plant-rich diet and reducing food waste.
If we care about creation and ourselves, then, we need to change what and how we eat.
Adopting a healthy Mediterranean-style diet rich in grains, vegetables, nuts and moderate amounts of fish and poultry can be effective in reducing emissions, the IPCC found. Researchers from Oxford University similarly found that transitioning toward plant-based diets could cut food-related GHG emissions by 29–70 percent and reduce deaths by 6–10 percent.
Swapping higher-carbon food for lower-carbon alternatives, such as having plant-based or poultry rather than beef or dairy just once a day, can reduce your dietary carbon footprint by more than 35 percent. Apps such as Impact Score can help with choosing foods with less climate impact.
Eating or freezing leftovers rather than throwing them away has a massive impact too. When we finish our meals, then, we should not waste the leftovers. As we’re reminded in the story of the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6, “When they had all had enough to eat, He said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
Eat Right for Massive Benefits
While eating natural or plant-based foods is often seen as costlier and harder, the benefits are clear. Choosing the right foods, and even not giving up meat entirely, can help your faith, finances and health as well as God’s creation.
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