You have the power…writes Rabbi Laibl Wolf
Should we have a glass of wine with dinner (candles are optional) because it assists with digestion? Or is it wiser to pause 30 minutes after the T-bone, because drinks dilute the digestive juices?
Rabbi Laibl Wolf
Should we combine carbs with proteins to complement each other in the digestive tract? Or do they attract conflicting gastric juices creating wind and indigestion? Should we eat breakfast like a king to balance out the sugar/insulin equilibrium, or skip breakfast to maintain alertness and conserve energy for brain power rather than draining it with tedious digestive work?
Either side of these arguments can adduce research that supports their positions. So would truth please stand up! Or need it even bother?
The real problem is that we have disempowered ourselves. The seeming complexity of life, technologically and economically, has convinced us that our common sense is no match for professional expertise. So off we run to the nutritionist to command us what to eat, when, how, and why. Hey, we have been eating since apples were all the rage with Adam and Eve (Actually wasn’t an apple – just the choice of fruit for renaissance period painters). So why can’t we simply do what’s obvious: if it upsets our body billowing smoke in the tummy, burning fire in the chest, and dullness of mind – quit that food.
So the answer must be less obvious as we, reasonable creatures, continue eating that which harms us despite the uncomfortable symptoms. Perhaps it’s the result of a wily pharmaceutical industry and its very clever symptom-hiding magic. When pain is ‘out of sight, it’s out of mind’. Look at this chemical panacea squarely and you will agree: you are out of your mind.
The less obvious reasons for poor eating lie with the emotional quick-fixes that sugary and fatty foods provide. Emotional eating can become addictive. And emotions fool the mind. A sensible person would never eat food that harms the body and leads to early death. But when emotions take over, mind can goes AWOL.
And here’s the rub. The nutritionist knows not much about psychology. The psychologist knows not much about nutrition. And with few exceptions, many a doctor knows not much about either.
So the answer lies well and truly with you. Get in touch with your body again. No parts of you should suffer crying out in pain and shame. You are your best psychologist and nutritionist. The key lies in taking back your personal empowerment. Don’t spend so much time reading about contradictory research, faddish vogues, and easy fixes. You have four score and ten years of life. What percentage of your life should you spend experimenting on your body? Five percent? Even ten percent? That’s already many years. But don’t waste life longer in experimentation. Get it right for your body and get on with life. If drinking wine with dinner works for you – go for it. If it gives you heartburn then don’t. It’s as easy as that. No two bodies are the same nor do two bodies respond identically to the same food.
The Creator matched that which grows from the ground with those who walk its pathways. No mistakes there. The mistakes lie in that which finds its way on our plates.
You have the power.
