When it comes to food, I can be down right opinionated. I think it should fulfill the required nutrients that protect us from disease and discomfort. I have self-proclaimed that becoming a vegetarian was the best thing I could have done for my cooking. Yes, it’s healthy, but it also made me a more interesting cook. I became more creative in presentation and more conscious of foods that offer things a body needs—like fiber and protein and vitamins. But over time I’ve come to realize that every morsel of food has the power to provide us with what we need should we view it with graciousness and blessings.
Today, I bake more often than I cook because I can share my treats with my classes and neighbors. I like the challenge of taking a standard recipe and injecting some extra special ingredients to feed the healthy hearts of my recipients. In a way, these small acts of baking are my attempts to extend a blessing—a gift to those whose lives have touched mine.
And isn’t that what our food is—a blessing? In so many ways our food gives us strength—either through nutrients or through pleasure or both. For many, saying grace at the beginning of a meal is a customary way to extend thankfulness for the bounty of beautiful food. But truly it is all beautiful. When we bless the smallest serving or the largest portion, the well-balanced creation or the bag of potato chips, it does something to change the way we perceive and receive our food. Food is our energy source and a source of our serenity. When we extend our graciousness towards it—no matter what it is—we can appreciate that it feeds our bodies and our souls.