Dietary Confessions

• Motivated primarily by my sweet tooth, lack of groceries, and a low level of motivation, I made peanut butter and chocolate chip scones for supper one night this week. My justification: Protein and antioxidants are good for you, right?



• In trying to present balanced meals to my family, I sometimes allow myself to count popcorn as a vegetable.



• I really admire friends who abide by strict dietary restrictions.



• I sometimes wonder if certain dietary restrictions would benefit any of my family members, but I'm scared to really pursue what that might look like.



• I have not become proficient in cooking either Ukrainian or Ethiopian dishes.



• I believe half of our family would be quite happy as vegetarians (and part of me would really like to try it, for various reasons), but I can't imagine that the other half of the family would be too excited about giving up regular and substantial servings of meat.



• I often crave a "texture" of food.



• I have no idea how I will keep food in my house when my children are teenagers.



• I often think about the food the boys ate before they came to our family, and I feel humbled. I think about what people eat around the world, and I feel a strange mix of gratefulness and grief.



• Meal prep is often exhausting and solitary work. I don't enjoy that. Meal prep is often creative and sacrificial work. I love that. I'm not sure what makes the difference.



• I really wrestle to maintain the balances between the creative and the practical, the nutritious and the efficient, the special and the simple, feasting and fasting. And I know food can easily be an idol. In one of my favorite books of all time, Your God is Too Safe (I'm re-reading it right now), Buchanan writes, "I don't just like food; I love food. And our culture loves food. I am a man of stuffed lips, and I live among a people of stuffed lips." I identify with that.

If any of the above resonate with you, and you've found a way to feel more satisfied with your approach to diet, I'd love to hear what worked for you! Thanks!