First I’d like to start off by saying this is not a blog solely for Christians. This is for anyone that has dreaded carbs at some point in their life. Being a Christian myself I felt compelled to target them since they should know the word of God aka……the Bible.
We remember the trendy fad right? Remember all the “low-carb” (or “no-carb”) diets that had everyone getting on the band wagon? Food companies were certainly onboard as they pummeled us with the “low-carb” label on just about anything we could buy. Though some of the hysteria has worn down, there are still people who are fearful of the C word. Personally, I thought everyone was being foolish. America was looking at carbohydrates like public enemy number one and for what? Does the Bible have any answers on this? Yes. Are carbs really all that bad? Apparently, no.
The reason this topic is in my mind now is because recently I was reading an article called “5 Foods You Should Never Ditch When You Diet”. You can read that article HERE. Now can anyone guess what the number one food you should never ditch was? If you guessed bread, you are correct. That’s right, the evil incarnate itself, bread, is apparently a good thing. Who would’ve thought? The reason bread is a good choice is because it has…..wait for it……wait for it……CARBOHYDRATES! Carbohydrates apparently boost brain chemicals (i.e. serotonin) that curb your appetite. You feel happier and more satisfied. This is also the reason pasta was the number two food you shouldn’t ditch on a diet. Interesting, isn’t it? Oh what would the carb Nazis say about this?
Now the fact carbs curb your appetite might sound great to dieters, but it has also been a great asset to people throughout history struggling economically. Certain high carb foods like bread, pasta and rice were used as “fillers” in meals. This was a handy thing especially when you had a lot of mouths to feed. My mother for example, she can only eat beef stew over rice. Why? She was one of 9 children and that’s how they ate it. A little bit of beef stew (which was good for portion control of meat) and quite a bit of rice. They made food go along way with this method.
Sticking with bread as our carb of choice, let’s talk about other nutritional values of this wonderful food. No I’m not talking about that lifeless white bread that towers every supermarket shelf. That should be avoided like the plague! I’m talking about real bread. You know the kind with actual grains. The right kinds of white and brown breads can be a very good source of vitamin B (1, 2 and 3), dietary fiber and protein. Rye bread usually has more fiber than your common types of bread. Why is bread the enemy again? It isn’t really. That’s why we’ve been eating it since we can remember. Bread is as culturally diverse as we are. It’s a staple of life. We humans have been making bread ever since we learned how to make anything at all.
Speaking of rich history (and getting to the title topic), what does the Bible have to say about bread? I’m saddened to say that even Christians forgot the importance of bread in the Bible and fell for the publicized deception. When in doubt, consult the Bible. Do you know how many times the Bible mentions bread? I can tell you….a LOT. Jesus Himself was referred to as the “bread of life” (John 6:48). We remember other bread quotes don’t we? “Give us today our daily bread” (Mat 6:11) and “Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish” (John 21:13). Yes all those verses are coming back to you now. I mean, who could forget Jesus’ “breaking the bread”? (pictured on left) Well, if bread is worth mentioning in the Bible it should be worthy enough to eat, right? It seems a bit devious for someone to create a false carb pandemic when the word of God clearly shows the importance of bread in our lives. So I hope those of you reading this will rethink your standoff with carbs and enjoy. Have your holiday dinner rolls and eat them too. Merry Christmas!