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Eat with Joy: Redeeming God's Gift of Food
Food is the source of endless angst and anxiety. We struggle with obesity and eating disorders. Reports of agricultural horror stories give us worries about whether our food is healthy, nutritious or justly produced. It's hard to know if our food is really good for us or for society. Our relationship with food is complicated to say the least. But God intended for us to delight in our food. Rachel Stone calls us to rediscover joyful eating by receiving food as God's good gift of provision and care for us. She shows us how God intends for us to relate to him and each other through food, and how our meals can become expressions of generosity, community and love of neighbor. Eating together can bring healing to those with eating disorders, and we can make wise choices for sustainable agriculture. Ultimately, redemptive eating is a sacramental act of culture making through which we gratefully herald the feast of the kingdom of God. Filled with practical insights and some tasty recipes, this book provides a Christian journey into the delight of eating. Come to the table, partake of the Bread of Life--and eat with joy.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2012
21 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 11, 2018
Each paragraph of this book longs to be a chapter; each chapter its own book. There is, of course, a place for the book that gives a sweeping overview of a broad area of inquiry, but the drawback of such texts is that by necessity arguments sometimes must be simply asserted rather than made. It is left to the reader to do additional research to determine whether she agrees, or else accept or reject the author's assertions based on her preconceived opinions more than by the evidence here offered. As a stand-alone volume this gives only a cursory exploration of many important questions; it is better seen as an appetizer for a wider body of literature.
See also: The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection; The Spirit of Food: Thirty-Four Writers on Feasting and Fasting Toward God; An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life; The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals; Seeking the Straight and Narrow: Weight Loss and Sexual Reorientation in Evangelical America; Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity.
See also: The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection; The Spirit of Food: Thirty-Four Writers on Feasting and Fasting Toward God; An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life; The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals; Seeking the Straight and Narrow: Weight Loss and Sexual Reorientation in Evangelical America; Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity.
May 4, 2021
A first for me in the genre of contemporary practices dealing with food (albeit my sweet Wendell Berry is in a league of his own). This book covered a ton of mindfulness techniques when it comes to approaching food, the largest being that it is truly from a Creator. It is unmistakable that food tastes good, there was intention with that, therefore it is a very good thing to enjoy it.
Definitely a blogger writing style, Rachel Marie Stone holds the reader's hand and walks with us through the ways to be aware of what we are eating, how we are eating it, what it takes to eat "well", and also debunks the diet culture that Western society has fallen into a hypnosis over. This was a radical reading about food. There is a sense of freedom I have leaving this book in the finished pile. Something about the words are neither condemning nor encouraging about the evils that food perspectives have left behind, but instead they allow a space to question the ways we do things.
Very much so an introductory book to the theology of food.
Definitely a blogger writing style, Rachel Marie Stone holds the reader's hand and walks with us through the ways to be aware of what we are eating, how we are eating it, what it takes to eat "well", and also debunks the diet culture that Western society has fallen into a hypnosis over. This was a radical reading about food. There is a sense of freedom I have leaving this book in the finished pile. Something about the words are neither condemning nor encouraging about the evils that food perspectives have left behind, but instead they allow a space to question the ways we do things.
Very much so an introductory book to the theology of food.
April 16, 2021
This is a joyful work. It would be an error to read this work as an extended theological treatise or a philosophical defense of certain topics related to food (it’s rather strange to expect that when each chapter finishes with thanksgiving prayers and recipes). However, Rachel Marie Stone offers a good introduction to a vast topic that is very readable, exciting and covers a wide amount of topics, from dieting fads to animal justice. It’s rather interesting to see a popular work engaging with slow food, Norman Wirzba, Wendell Berry, and European movies all at the same time. Even though some of its suggestions may be of limited relevance to contexts foreign to USA-Canada, this is a valuable contribution (and, if I may add, sorely needed in Portuguese!)
March 27, 2022
An interesting take on what it means to eat intentionally and with a Kingdom-centered mindset. She made interesting points about why we should consider what we eat, where it comes from, why we eat it, and how we eat it. However, there were many times that I felt like blanket statements were used to simplify complex topics and instead of working through different problems that may arise with her statements she chose to dismiss them with more of a “well this won’t work for everyone.” While these are undoubtedly not easy questions to answer I feel like the answers she gave could have been developed further in the book. That being said, it definitely got me thinking about how to be more intentional about my diet and how my food choices can bring praise to God as well as reflect Christ.
October 8, 2020
2 out of 5 Stars. I would not recommend this book.
I picked it up, thinking it was a Biblical view of eating and a Biblical way of attacking my eating disorder, but it was not. Eat with Joy is less about eating disorders and more about the world's food problems.
"How can we 'eat with joy' when so much suffering and injustice exists, seemingly at every level of modern food production? The first thing to do is open our ears, eyes, and hearts to the stories of people who are poor." pg. 60
I reviewed each chapter, listing what I liked and didn't like about each. The first section was great, but I had a few problems with the others. There was one chapter I didn't even finish.
Introduction
Conflicted Eating: Our Complicated Relationship with Food
The Church needs a stance on health and fitness. Unless I missed it, Stone does not present a view, but she has a good point. I have talked to a few individuals who want to know what the Bible says about food and eating, but I think this book isn't.
Joyful Eating
God's Intent for How We Relate to Food
As I read through this chapter, I got excited. I thought I had found a book about Biblical eating. The following quotes are ones I highlighted because I wanted to share them with you!
"The garden [of Eden] is picturesque, fragrant and shaded by "every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food" before any person exerts herself, suggesting that perhaps we eat because God, having prepared for and welcomed us as honored guests, loves to feed us." pg. 25
"Adult interference (as well as the druglike effects of junk foods) can interrupt children's God-given ability to self-regulate." pg. 37
"Guilt and anxiety are too frequently our dining partners. There are complicated reasons for this, perhaps even some things we should feel guilty about, which is why eating's pleasure must be "extensive...not dependent on ignorance." But joyful eating starts with an attempt to recognize food, and ourselves, in light of God, our Creator, and Christ, our Bread of Life. Food is a sign of God's love - and there is no room for fear in love, for love casts out fear." pg. 39
Generous Eating
Serving the Needy, Loving Our Neighbors
One major red flag of this book is the misuse of some Bible verses. I do not claim to be a Biblical scholar, but a few simple Google searches can give me the information I need to understand the Bible. Stone is a Christian who uses the Bible to justify her beliefs and actions instead of using the Bible to form her ideas and guide her actions.
Matthew 25: 31-40, "...just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did to me."
More often than not, this verse is used out of context. A charity uses it to guilt people into supporting their ideology, not by a pastor encouraging his congregation to care for the needy in any way they see fit. And the passage isn't even about charity!
https://medium.com/@renaenicole1/usin...
Stone uses it in "Eat with Joy" this way:
"They [meatpacking workers in "The Jungle"] live without decent housing or access to medical care. They are immigrants, fearful of government authorities, and unaware of their rights. A hundred years later, they are the same people cutting and packing most of the meat we eat." pg. 54
"I'm not saying Jesus is into redistribution per se, but surely he's on the side of reasonable bathroom breaks and wages people can live on." pg. 56
God cares about what is going on in His world. He weeps for every injustice, every wrongdoing, and every person who suffers in any way. Then why didn't Jesus free all the slaves when He was on earth? Because Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins, not our oppressors.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't care about sweatshop workers in China making Nike shoes. I'm not saying that you shouldn't support one cause or another.
I'm saying I can still be a Christian and not support certain ideologies or non-profits. I'm saying that Jesus won't guilt trip me into supporting redistribution of wealth by talking about the least of these.
Here is a pitchfork, have at it.
Communal Eating
How Meals Bring Us Together
This book inspired me to eat more with friends. I usually eat breakfast and lunch alone, and supper, I eat with my husband, but too often we watch TV while eating. While reading this chapter, I texted a friend, and we ate together! I want to share more meals with friends and family.
"Our English word companion comes from the Latin for "with" (com) and "bread" (panis) - a companion is one with whom you eat your bread. food being as importantly generative of relationships as it is to bodily growth, eating together is a universally important human activity." pg. 67
When Stone discusses communal eating, she doesn't touch on how our family affects how we eat and form food patterns. She talks more about how eating together brings us joy and improves our health. "That it's all about creating and sustaining relationships." pg. 74
"If eating together is so much a part of being human, and if extending our tables to those who are different from us is such an essential part of living Jesus' good news, what can it mean for our overall health - spiritual, physical, and emotional - that even shared family meals are on the decline?" pg. 71-72
Restorative Eatings
How Eating Together Heals
Finally, a chapter about eating disorders! I enjoyed the discussion of the Maudsley approach to eating disorder recovery. I want to do more research on the topic and watch the documentary discussed in this chapter.
"Surrounding herself [anorexia patient] with healthy eaters proved helpful in a way that focusing on her fears in the company of other ill women at Renfrew couldn't." pg. 94
Family-based Treatment/Therapy (FBT) or the Maudsley approach ensures that "you sit down for three meals and two snacks a day with your anorexic loved one and eat with them." pg. 95
One huge misconception people have is that if you aren't in a hospital for your disordered eating, it isn't severe or worth resolving. That's not true! Every eating disorder is severe and needs to be addressed, whether it's stress eating or anorexia, severe or mild.
"Most of us won't get clinically diagnosable forms of eating disorders, but we'll get the bite-sized version that gets hold of us best when we're just too alone. North American food culture has strayed far from the communal table and its traditions. Our freedom to eat whatever, whenever, however (it used to be considered rude to eat between meals or alone) has scared us alternately into secretive snarfing or starving." pg. 102
The Fat Acceptance/Body Positive/Health At Every Size Movement is all the rage right now, so I wasn't surprised to find it in this book. I am not a part of this movement, nor do I endorse it. I don't want to get into my thoughts here, because that's not the point of this review. I will say that size doesn't determine fitness level or healthy habits, but it impacts risk factors for certain diseases.
"This despite several important but ignored facts: not everyone who is obese is unhealthy, not everyone who is obese has binge eating disorder, and not everyone who binges uncontrollably ends up obese." pg. 99
Sustainable Eating
Wise Choices in Stewarding the Land
I didn't make it through this chapter. It mainly discussed human roles as they relate to nature and God's creation. I'm all for taking care of God's creation, but Stone and I don't see eye to eye on stewarding the land. I stopped after reading the following:
"Being ruminants, cows are great at converting plants unsuitable for human consumption - grass - into food - meat. Today, though, it's the rare and lucky cow that gets to live and die eating grass - the vast majority of them live in crowded, filthy, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) eating genetically modified corn mixed with antibiotics and other questionable substances, emitting methane gases and filling giant 'lagoons' with their excrement, which in turn create runoff that seriously pollutes that water around them - because it's cheaper (again, in supermarket price only) to raise beef this way." pg. 113
I am from rural Iowa, and both my grandparents are farmers. They would have many problems with this statement, including accuracy and correctness. I am not an expert, so I'm not going to comment any further; just know that you could paint sunrises in a bad light if you tried hard enough.
Creative Eating
Food Preparation as Culture Making
"A recent bestseller, Made to Crave, follows in this line, seeing all cravings for food as essentially dangerous and potentially sinful because we are "made to crave" God. For Lysa TerKeurst, the ideal is to eat only the healthiest food possible - the pleasure of eating is in this view an intellectual pleasure of doing the "right thing" for one's body." pg. 135
"This kind of cooking - cooking that is motivated by an idea, rather than by the wondrous materials of food - is a kind of asceticism, an exaltation of an idea (in this case, healthfulness) over pleasure, and indeed, over the sensory experience of food and eating. This approach to food is, as Robert Farrar Capon wrote, an "intellectual fad, imposing a handful of irrelevant philosophical prejudices on a grandly material business."" pg. 136
"One reason I object to the notion that God is most pleased by "healthy eating" is because what constitutes healthy eating is not agreed on in all times and in all places and, indeed, is a new concept." pg. 137
Stone counter's Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave and argues that eating should be pleasurable. I see a little more nuance: food shouldn't be your only pleasure. At the height of my eating disorder, the only joy in my life was food. It took a long time to change that.
Any pleasure is dangerous. I understand enjoying food the way it was meant to be enjoyed, by actually tasting it. Still, I also appreciate the emotional high it can give some people and how dangerous that is to our mental and physical health.
CS Lewis said, "Pleasure, money, power, and safety are all, as far as they go, good things. The badness consists in pursuing them by the wrong method, or in the wrong way, or too much... Wickedness turns out to be the pursuit of some good in the wrong way."
"By giving loving consideration to our food, eating can become an act of worship as we regard what God has made and appreciate it for what it is, both in its independence from us and for the delightful use that we can make of it." pg. 141
In this chapter, Stone talks a lot about "eating as worship," going as far as to say, "But I do think that knowing more about the food you eat, how it's raised and prepared makes eating it a fuller and more pleasurable experience. Such awareness and attention is, to my [Stone's] mind, Godlike." pg. 141 I, on the other hand, don't believe we need to know exactly how our food got from the farm to our table to be close to God. That's not how I worship, so this chapter was a little lost on me.
Stone touches briefly on food as an idol, which is excellent, but I needed more discussion on that! Like I said before, the pleasure of eating became an idol to me, and if I had known that, my recovery might have been a lot quicker.
"If we stop to think about what McDonald's is selling - cheap, highly processed food - we know it's unhealthy for us and destructive to the planet. But the kind of pleasure it offers is the kind that depends on ignorance, not understanding. It is focused on consumption, while pleasurable, it isn't joyful eating. So I believe that to eat with joy, we must eat creatively, and to do that, it's a good idea to learn how to cook from scratch, encountering the wonders of God's creation and human agriculture while creating your own bit of kitchen culture." pg. 145
I don't want to cook from scratch, nor can I. Don't get me wrong, I would love to! But I don't have the time, energy, or motivation to do so. For me, it would be like learning to sew - I would use it once every blue moon, but otherwise, I would have bragging rights.
Redemptive Eating
Putting Best Practices Together in the Real World
"Nestle writes: "The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient science is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of the food, the food out of the context of the diet, and the diet out of the context of the lifestyle."" pg. 158
The nutrient-by-nutrient science is when a new study comes out that proves a particular nutrient to be healthy, and everyone jumps to include this nutrient into their diet. The study doesn't account for the food, diet, or lifestyle surrounding that nutrient.
"Eating whole, unprocessed foods - fruits, vegetables, and whole grains - in something close to their "natural" states (i.e., not "fruit snacks," not "veggie chips") is fairly uncontroversial. But beyond that, as Michael Pollan argues persuasively in his book In Defense of Food, diets of astonishing variety - vegetarian, carnivorous, omnivorous, and everything in between - can be very healthy. In any case, isolating this or that "good" or "bad" nutrient is less than helpful." pg. 158 - 159
I'm glad Stone touches on nutrition in this way because I don't think it is talked about enough. Food isn't inherently bad or good; certain foods have advantages and disadvantages. As long as you eat a balanced diet of whole, unprocessed foods, you are healthy.
"The international poverty and justice advocacy organization Oxfam estimates that for every dollar the developed world gives in aid, it takes away two dollars through unfair trade. This doesn't mean that you can do away with child sponsorship if you're drinking fair-trade coffee, but it does mean that it's worth considering whether those candy bar fundraising efforts for charity aren't at cross-purposes. When you consider that most of these imported items are luxuries - not necessities - it seems (at least to me) all the more imperative to make every effort to purchase the fairly traded variety. Voluntarily avoiding foods that are known to come to us via the suffering of others is a small sacrifice to make for the sake of loving God and our neighbors." pg. 162
I will not deny that unethical practices are going on worldwide, but again I can still be a Christain and not support this cause. If I had the power to change this injustice, I would, but at the moment, I'm going to enjoy my coffee.
"As Wendell Berry says, a vegetable garden solves several problems while creating no new ones." pg. 163
I picked it up, thinking it was a Biblical view of eating and a Biblical way of attacking my eating disorder, but it was not. Eat with Joy is less about eating disorders and more about the world's food problems.
"How can we 'eat with joy' when so much suffering and injustice exists, seemingly at every level of modern food production? The first thing to do is open our ears, eyes, and hearts to the stories of people who are poor." pg. 60
I reviewed each chapter, listing what I liked and didn't like about each. The first section was great, but I had a few problems with the others. There was one chapter I didn't even finish.
Introduction
Conflicted Eating: Our Complicated Relationship with Food
The Church needs a stance on health and fitness. Unless I missed it, Stone does not present a view, but she has a good point. I have talked to a few individuals who want to know what the Bible says about food and eating, but I think this book isn't.
Joyful Eating
God's Intent for How We Relate to Food
As I read through this chapter, I got excited. I thought I had found a book about Biblical eating. The following quotes are ones I highlighted because I wanted to share them with you!
"The garden [of Eden] is picturesque, fragrant and shaded by "every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food" before any person exerts herself, suggesting that perhaps we eat because God, having prepared for and welcomed us as honored guests, loves to feed us." pg. 25
"Adult interference (as well as the druglike effects of junk foods) can interrupt children's God-given ability to self-regulate." pg. 37
"Guilt and anxiety are too frequently our dining partners. There are complicated reasons for this, perhaps even some things we should feel guilty about, which is why eating's pleasure must be "extensive...not dependent on ignorance." But joyful eating starts with an attempt to recognize food, and ourselves, in light of God, our Creator, and Christ, our Bread of Life. Food is a sign of God's love - and there is no room for fear in love, for love casts out fear." pg. 39
Generous Eating
Serving the Needy, Loving Our Neighbors
One major red flag of this book is the misuse of some Bible verses. I do not claim to be a Biblical scholar, but a few simple Google searches can give me the information I need to understand the Bible. Stone is a Christian who uses the Bible to justify her beliefs and actions instead of using the Bible to form her ideas and guide her actions.
Matthew 25: 31-40, "...just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did to me."
More often than not, this verse is used out of context. A charity uses it to guilt people into supporting their ideology, not by a pastor encouraging his congregation to care for the needy in any way they see fit. And the passage isn't even about charity!
https://medium.com/@renaenicole1/usin...
Stone uses it in "Eat with Joy" this way:
"They [meatpacking workers in "The Jungle"] live without decent housing or access to medical care. They are immigrants, fearful of government authorities, and unaware of their rights. A hundred years later, they are the same people cutting and packing most of the meat we eat." pg. 54
"I'm not saying Jesus is into redistribution per se, but surely he's on the side of reasonable bathroom breaks and wages people can live on." pg. 56
God cares about what is going on in His world. He weeps for every injustice, every wrongdoing, and every person who suffers in any way. Then why didn't Jesus free all the slaves when He was on earth? Because Jesus came to earth to save us from our sins, not our oppressors.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't care about sweatshop workers in China making Nike shoes. I'm not saying that you shouldn't support one cause or another.
I'm saying I can still be a Christian and not support certain ideologies or non-profits. I'm saying that Jesus won't guilt trip me into supporting redistribution of wealth by talking about the least of these.
Here is a pitchfork, have at it.
Communal Eating
How Meals Bring Us Together
This book inspired me to eat more with friends. I usually eat breakfast and lunch alone, and supper, I eat with my husband, but too often we watch TV while eating. While reading this chapter, I texted a friend, and we ate together! I want to share more meals with friends and family.
"Our English word companion comes from the Latin for "with" (com) and "bread" (panis) - a companion is one with whom you eat your bread. food being as importantly generative of relationships as it is to bodily growth, eating together is a universally important human activity." pg. 67
When Stone discusses communal eating, she doesn't touch on how our family affects how we eat and form food patterns. She talks more about how eating together brings us joy and improves our health. "That it's all about creating and sustaining relationships." pg. 74
"If eating together is so much a part of being human, and if extending our tables to those who are different from us is such an essential part of living Jesus' good news, what can it mean for our overall health - spiritual, physical, and emotional - that even shared family meals are on the decline?" pg. 71-72
Restorative Eatings
How Eating Together Heals
Finally, a chapter about eating disorders! I enjoyed the discussion of the Maudsley approach to eating disorder recovery. I want to do more research on the topic and watch the documentary discussed in this chapter.
"Surrounding herself [anorexia patient] with healthy eaters proved helpful in a way that focusing on her fears in the company of other ill women at Renfrew couldn't." pg. 94
Family-based Treatment/Therapy (FBT) or the Maudsley approach ensures that "you sit down for three meals and two snacks a day with your anorexic loved one and eat with them." pg. 95
One huge misconception people have is that if you aren't in a hospital for your disordered eating, it isn't severe or worth resolving. That's not true! Every eating disorder is severe and needs to be addressed, whether it's stress eating or anorexia, severe or mild.
"Most of us won't get clinically diagnosable forms of eating disorders, but we'll get the bite-sized version that gets hold of us best when we're just too alone. North American food culture has strayed far from the communal table and its traditions. Our freedom to eat whatever, whenever, however (it used to be considered rude to eat between meals or alone) has scared us alternately into secretive snarfing or starving." pg. 102
The Fat Acceptance/Body Positive/Health At Every Size Movement is all the rage right now, so I wasn't surprised to find it in this book. I am not a part of this movement, nor do I endorse it. I don't want to get into my thoughts here, because that's not the point of this review. I will say that size doesn't determine fitness level or healthy habits, but it impacts risk factors for certain diseases.
"This despite several important but ignored facts: not everyone who is obese is unhealthy, not everyone who is obese has binge eating disorder, and not everyone who binges uncontrollably ends up obese." pg. 99
Sustainable Eating
Wise Choices in Stewarding the Land
I didn't make it through this chapter. It mainly discussed human roles as they relate to nature and God's creation. I'm all for taking care of God's creation, but Stone and I don't see eye to eye on stewarding the land. I stopped after reading the following:
"Being ruminants, cows are great at converting plants unsuitable for human consumption - grass - into food - meat. Today, though, it's the rare and lucky cow that gets to live and die eating grass - the vast majority of them live in crowded, filthy, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) eating genetically modified corn mixed with antibiotics and other questionable substances, emitting methane gases and filling giant 'lagoons' with their excrement, which in turn create runoff that seriously pollutes that water around them - because it's cheaper (again, in supermarket price only) to raise beef this way." pg. 113
I am from rural Iowa, and both my grandparents are farmers. They would have many problems with this statement, including accuracy and correctness. I am not an expert, so I'm not going to comment any further; just know that you could paint sunrises in a bad light if you tried hard enough.
Creative Eating
Food Preparation as Culture Making
"A recent bestseller, Made to Crave, follows in this line, seeing all cravings for food as essentially dangerous and potentially sinful because we are "made to crave" God. For Lysa TerKeurst, the ideal is to eat only the healthiest food possible - the pleasure of eating is in this view an intellectual pleasure of doing the "right thing" for one's body." pg. 135
"This kind of cooking - cooking that is motivated by an idea, rather than by the wondrous materials of food - is a kind of asceticism, an exaltation of an idea (in this case, healthfulness) over pleasure, and indeed, over the sensory experience of food and eating. This approach to food is, as Robert Farrar Capon wrote, an "intellectual fad, imposing a handful of irrelevant philosophical prejudices on a grandly material business."" pg. 136
"One reason I object to the notion that God is most pleased by "healthy eating" is because what constitutes healthy eating is not agreed on in all times and in all places and, indeed, is a new concept." pg. 137
Stone counter's Lysa TerKeurst's Made to Crave and argues that eating should be pleasurable. I see a little more nuance: food shouldn't be your only pleasure. At the height of my eating disorder, the only joy in my life was food. It took a long time to change that.
Any pleasure is dangerous. I understand enjoying food the way it was meant to be enjoyed, by actually tasting it. Still, I also appreciate the emotional high it can give some people and how dangerous that is to our mental and physical health.
CS Lewis said, "Pleasure, money, power, and safety are all, as far as they go, good things. The badness consists in pursuing them by the wrong method, or in the wrong way, or too much... Wickedness turns out to be the pursuit of some good in the wrong way."
"By giving loving consideration to our food, eating can become an act of worship as we regard what God has made and appreciate it for what it is, both in its independence from us and for the delightful use that we can make of it." pg. 141
In this chapter, Stone talks a lot about "eating as worship," going as far as to say, "But I do think that knowing more about the food you eat, how it's raised and prepared makes eating it a fuller and more pleasurable experience. Such awareness and attention is, to my [Stone's] mind, Godlike." pg. 141 I, on the other hand, don't believe we need to know exactly how our food got from the farm to our table to be close to God. That's not how I worship, so this chapter was a little lost on me.
Stone touches briefly on food as an idol, which is excellent, but I needed more discussion on that! Like I said before, the pleasure of eating became an idol to me, and if I had known that, my recovery might have been a lot quicker.
"If we stop to think about what McDonald's is selling - cheap, highly processed food - we know it's unhealthy for us and destructive to the planet. But the kind of pleasure it offers is the kind that depends on ignorance, not understanding. It is focused on consumption, while pleasurable, it isn't joyful eating. So I believe that to eat with joy, we must eat creatively, and to do that, it's a good idea to learn how to cook from scratch, encountering the wonders of God's creation and human agriculture while creating your own bit of kitchen culture." pg. 145
I don't want to cook from scratch, nor can I. Don't get me wrong, I would love to! But I don't have the time, energy, or motivation to do so. For me, it would be like learning to sew - I would use it once every blue moon, but otherwise, I would have bragging rights.
Redemptive Eating
Putting Best Practices Together in the Real World
"Nestle writes: "The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient science is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of the food, the food out of the context of the diet, and the diet out of the context of the lifestyle."" pg. 158
The nutrient-by-nutrient science is when a new study comes out that proves a particular nutrient to be healthy, and everyone jumps to include this nutrient into their diet. The study doesn't account for the food, diet, or lifestyle surrounding that nutrient.
"Eating whole, unprocessed foods - fruits, vegetables, and whole grains - in something close to their "natural" states (i.e., not "fruit snacks," not "veggie chips") is fairly uncontroversial. But beyond that, as Michael Pollan argues persuasively in his book In Defense of Food, diets of astonishing variety - vegetarian, carnivorous, omnivorous, and everything in between - can be very healthy. In any case, isolating this or that "good" or "bad" nutrient is less than helpful." pg. 158 - 159
I'm glad Stone touches on nutrition in this way because I don't think it is talked about enough. Food isn't inherently bad or good; certain foods have advantages and disadvantages. As long as you eat a balanced diet of whole, unprocessed foods, you are healthy.
"The international poverty and justice advocacy organization Oxfam estimates that for every dollar the developed world gives in aid, it takes away two dollars through unfair trade. This doesn't mean that you can do away with child sponsorship if you're drinking fair-trade coffee, but it does mean that it's worth considering whether those candy bar fundraising efforts for charity aren't at cross-purposes. When you consider that most of these imported items are luxuries - not necessities - it seems (at least to me) all the more imperative to make every effort to purchase the fairly traded variety. Voluntarily avoiding foods that are known to come to us via the suffering of others is a small sacrifice to make for the sake of loving God and our neighbors." pg. 162
I will not deny that unethical practices are going on worldwide, but again I can still be a Christain and not support this cause. If I had the power to change this injustice, I would, but at the moment, I'm going to enjoy my coffee.
"As Wendell Berry says, a vegetable garden solves several problems while creating no new ones." pg. 163
August 12, 2022
some real good things in this book! but also some interesting nutrition takes that made me question a lot of the foundation.
November 30, 2013
Rachel Marie Stone’s book is a feast for those who care about how society views food and food ethics. I'm a guy who tends to eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants and somehow never manages to gain weight so you might be wondering why I decided to read this book. After all, my story is very different from Stone’s who, in the introduction, describes her own conflicted feelings with food as she was growing up. Generally speaking, I have not felt any anxiety about eating food throughout my life and do not suffer from either anorexia or obesity. But I liked Eat With Joy because it is very relevant to the conerns of calling, community, and culture.
With respect to calling, Stone reminds us that part of what it means to be a Christian is to recognize our dependence on Christ, who sustains and nourishes us spiritually. Just as we are called to be dependent on God to satisfy our spiritual hungering, so too does He provide for our physical needs. From a position of receiving food gratefully and joyfully, we are then in a better position to fulfill another aspect of our calling: sharing and generosity. Unfortunately, many of the poor in American society are undernourished, not so much from a lack of food but from too much junk food. It is important that Christians make wise choices in their shopping habits, considering the effects of their purchases and be willing to provide food that is more wholesome to those less able to afford it.
Chapters 3 and 4 look at the role and importance of eating in community. Stone goes beyond the argument of how critical family meals are to the well-being of children and also reminds us of the role that eating with others played in the early church. I think she hits the nail on the head when she connects eating generously with eating communally. Unfortunately, far too many people are eating alone, and this is paving the way for dysfunctional and unhealthy eating, leading frequently to eating disorders. Stone proposes that by eating together, we learn to extend grace to one another and to begin to find healing.
Eating sustainably connects most closely with culture as our lack of sustainability reflects what we value most. Our ability to modify crops and to place animals in concentrated animal-feeding operations is both a result and a cause of a culture that values uniformity and efficiency above humane-treatment of animals and diversity in plant life and foods. Finally, food is intrinsic to culture I enjoyed her enthusiasm for cooking food and the realization that the simple act of cooking is a part of culture making.
Overall, Rachel Marie Stone’s book is a refreshing antidote to the chaotic state of our society today and how it views and relates to food. The table prayers, recipes, and points for action at the end of each chapter also remind one that our joyful eating is to be done in the presence of Christ and with one’s whole being: heart, soul, mind, strength….and stomach.
To read more thoughts and ideas and additional book reviews, feel free to check out my blog (Stadtmenschblog.wordpress.com) here: my link text.
With respect to calling, Stone reminds us that part of what it means to be a Christian is to recognize our dependence on Christ, who sustains and nourishes us spiritually. Just as we are called to be dependent on God to satisfy our spiritual hungering, so too does He provide for our physical needs. From a position of receiving food gratefully and joyfully, we are then in a better position to fulfill another aspect of our calling: sharing and generosity. Unfortunately, many of the poor in American society are undernourished, not so much from a lack of food but from too much junk food. It is important that Christians make wise choices in their shopping habits, considering the effects of their purchases and be willing to provide food that is more wholesome to those less able to afford it.
Chapters 3 and 4 look at the role and importance of eating in community. Stone goes beyond the argument of how critical family meals are to the well-being of children and also reminds us of the role that eating with others played in the early church. I think she hits the nail on the head when she connects eating generously with eating communally. Unfortunately, far too many people are eating alone, and this is paving the way for dysfunctional and unhealthy eating, leading frequently to eating disorders. Stone proposes that by eating together, we learn to extend grace to one another and to begin to find healing.
Eating sustainably connects most closely with culture as our lack of sustainability reflects what we value most. Our ability to modify crops and to place animals in concentrated animal-feeding operations is both a result and a cause of a culture that values uniformity and efficiency above humane-treatment of animals and diversity in plant life and foods. Finally, food is intrinsic to culture I enjoyed her enthusiasm for cooking food and the realization that the simple act of cooking is a part of culture making.
Overall, Rachel Marie Stone’s book is a refreshing antidote to the chaotic state of our society today and how it views and relates to food. The table prayers, recipes, and points for action at the end of each chapter also remind one that our joyful eating is to be done in the presence of Christ and with one’s whole being: heart, soul, mind, strength….and stomach.
To read more thoughts and ideas and additional book reviews, feel free to check out my blog (Stadtmenschblog.wordpress.com) here: my link text.
January 12, 2017
I absolutely loved this book! It gave me a whole new perspective on food, whether that be enjoying it with other people or making it. So many different areas she covers on food. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as impactful as it was on me! Definitely recommend.
March 27, 2017
Ever since I first tripped over this book with its beautiful name promising at such a great blessing and the beauty of the words made from actual food I was charmed into wanting to dive into its pages. But at the time I was truly unable to afford to get the book while no one whether used bookstore, digital book carriers or even libraries seemed to carry the book thus having me to constantly put it on hold time and time over again along with two other cookbooks that I have been wanting to get my hands on.
Anyway through some good fortune I stole from my bf I was able to have a bit to splurge on getting a book or two while I chose this was the time for it. After waiting so long and having such high hopes for it I am sad to say that this book is definitely not for me although I think I have a fellow church sister who may be more interested in the subject matter as well as the suggested practices within the book.
What I did enjoy from the book was that each chapter had at least two recipes of various types for trying whether it was peppermint bark, cinnamon rolls, ratatouille or so much more with a few that I am definitely wanting to try although with a few changes for some. Secondly although I found that each chapter includes prayers that are from all kinds of resources while either rhyming or not I was more enchanted with the Points For Action that gave all types of suggestions to the reader on how to implement some parts of the chapter in their life or giving reminders to not take food so seriously.
Otherwise although there were a lot of good points the book seemed very repetitive to me while I am sure that it could have been cut down to a quicker and more interesting read while still keeping its major points. Along with all the extra add-ons in each chapter it made for a very long and in some cases an uninteresting read.
All in all though it is truly great to see someone willing to remind readers that God can be worshipped through such daily activities by enjoying what He has provided us and taking the chance to savor our blessings. Otherwise I cannot truly find a saving grace to recommend this book to anyone else unless they have already showed a passion for the subject(s) found within.
Anyway through some good fortune I stole from my bf I was able to have a bit to splurge on getting a book or two while I chose this was the time for it. After waiting so long and having such high hopes for it I am sad to say that this book is definitely not for me although I think I have a fellow church sister who may be more interested in the subject matter as well as the suggested practices within the book.
What I did enjoy from the book was that each chapter had at least two recipes of various types for trying whether it was peppermint bark, cinnamon rolls, ratatouille or so much more with a few that I am definitely wanting to try although with a few changes for some. Secondly although I found that each chapter includes prayers that are from all kinds of resources while either rhyming or not I was more enchanted with the Points For Action that gave all types of suggestions to the reader on how to implement some parts of the chapter in their life or giving reminders to not take food so seriously.
Otherwise although there were a lot of good points the book seemed very repetitive to me while I am sure that it could have been cut down to a quicker and more interesting read while still keeping its major points. Along with all the extra add-ons in each chapter it made for a very long and in some cases an uninteresting read.
All in all though it is truly great to see someone willing to remind readers that God can be worshipped through such daily activities by enjoying what He has provided us and taking the chance to savor our blessings. Otherwise I cannot truly find a saving grace to recommend this book to anyone else unless they have already showed a passion for the subject(s) found within.
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January 27, 2025Eat with Joy is all about food and eating. It’s a Christian perspective on the joy of food, the redemptive practices that can come through food. The chapters names (which more or less describe it) are: Conflicted Eating (our complicated relationship with food), Joyful Eating (God’s Intent for How We Relate to Food), Generous Eating (Serving the Needy, Loving our Neighbors), Communal Eating (How Meals Bring Us Together), Restorative Eating (How Eating Together Heals), Sustainable Eating (Wise Choices in Stewarding the Land), Creative Eating (Food Preparation as Culture Making), and Redemptive Eating (Putting Best Practices Together in the Real World). I mostly agreed with what she said, and I think I’ve adopted a lot of the same principles (think: Faller family dinners, being taught and learning to cook myself, gardening, and Michael Pollan). What I liked about the book was the accessibility – she recommends making small, attainable goals, like eating as a family one more time per week, instead of asking you to change your whole lifestyle. My only complaint with this book is that it reads like a blog, which makes sense since she’s a food blogger! After each chapter it includes steps for action and some nice recipes. Overall: a digestible J, short, and lovely book.
October 3, 2025
So this book helps you to be mindful of what you eat. Reminding you that choosing NOT to eat something for the sole purpose of trying to look a certain way is not God's plan for you and you're disrespecting the gift He's given you.
But also not to eat just for the sake of eating, using it to fill a void. Constantly making unhealthy choices is also disrespecting His gift. Instead, make smart choices with your food: Where did it come from? Will it honor your body? Does it honor our earth and its inhabitants? Are you doing too much or too little?
You do not need to be a woman, and probably not even a Christian, to appreciate the message, but both will help. All you need is a body and a desire to be a good steward of it, others, and the planet.
Please, please read this.
But also not to eat just for the sake of eating, using it to fill a void. Constantly making unhealthy choices is also disrespecting His gift. Instead, make smart choices with your food: Where did it come from? Will it honor your body? Does it honor our earth and its inhabitants? Are you doing too much or too little?
You do not need to be a woman, and probably not even a Christian, to appreciate the message, but both will help. All you need is a body and a desire to be a good steward of it, others, and the planet.
Please, please read this.
February 24, 2019
2.5 stars. This book wasn’t what I expected... after listening to an interview with the author on a podcast, I really expected it to be a biblical approach to intuitive eating. It had tiny bits of that scattered through, but it had a disproportionate amount of words spent on attacking the food industry. She also seemed to be unrealistic about everyone’s ability to garden, eat locally, and avoid fast food and convenience foods (this is said as someone who cooks most meals from scratch and grows a garden). It had some really beautifully-written portions, but I wouldn’t recommend it to just anyone.
August 13, 2018
The first chapter was amazing and really struck home for me. However, as a whole, the book was only ok. It didn't dramatically change my life and I even disagree a little bit with some of her points- but these disagreements are minor and related to application of biblical statements rather than a disagreement over her reading of Scripture. Actually, I've been thinking a lot about our relationship to food as Christians and I have come to slightly different conclusions than this writer. Conclusions which were solidified in my minor disagreements with the author.
May 2, 2018
3.5 stars. I have mixed thoughts on this book. Some of the chapters I really liked and others I found too preachy and somewhat annoying. She really bashes McDonald's and although I know they aren't perfect in the food industry, they seem to take the most criticism because they are the largest. I think she is also somewhat unrealistic in all of us being able to buy local food, grow our own food and go with the seasons on food.
May 4, 2018
This examination of our relationship to food is a worthy endeavor. Americans, most especially, would do well do stop and think about our abundance and how it's made, how we treat it, and how we think about it. While I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions, I'm glad she gave me a way to think about the food that I eat and serve. Nice recipes are included.
February 26, 2018
A comprehensive reflection on food from a biblical and sociological perspective
January 5, 2020
Meant for an American audience and tried to do too much without really making its argument well. I felt guilty instead of joyful at the end of most chapters.
November 3, 2020
Great book for discussion groups. Lots of food related topics addressed. Also appreciate the author sharing blessings for meals and also some delicious recipes.
April 6, 2016
A few years ago, when I first saw the word "foodie," I was amazed that anyone would admit to loving to eat. It seemed vaguely sinful. But as I've read other books about how communal eating meets deep human needs, I've been forced to rethink that.
Food writer Michael Pollan states that even though our nation is the most health-obsessed in the world, we are the least healthy. Eat with Joy: Redeeming God's Gift of Food grabbed my attention because it attempts to find the middle ground between gluttony and compulsive calorie counting.
Stone contends that our obsession with health keeps us from appreciating God's grace expressed to us through food:
Why did God make eating so pleasurable? The biological explanation - food is pleasurable so that we'll eat - is legitimate in its place, but it doesn't go far enough. It doesn't explain Le Cordon Bleu and fine wine, or chocolate for that matter... I suspect and prefer to believe that God made eating sustaining, delicious and pleasurable because God is all those things and more. (p. 24)
According to Stone, our emphasis on nutrients and calories robs food of its true purpose, which is to remind us of God's goodness. So a cherry is not a shiny orb of tangy sweetness grown from a beautiful tree blossom, but a five-calorie delivery system for antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, iron, fiber and magnesium. (p. 138)
My favorite quote from the book: Food is the daily sacrament of unnecessary goodness, ordained for a continual remembrance that the world will always be more delicious than useful. (p. 152)
While I appreciated Stone's insights, I was a little put off by some of the side issues in the book such as food justice. If you want a less technical book on the joys of eating in community, I highly recommend Shauna Niequist's Bread and Wine. (reviewed here)
P.S. I just happened to be reading a food-themed novel and enjoyed this quote that coincides with the ideas in Eat with Joy. The protagonist loved old recipes because they were "less concerned with fat or antioxidants. They were unselfconscious and more concerned with being tasty than being hip. They were food without an identity crisis." (from A Table by the Window, p. 238)
Food writer Michael Pollan states that even though our nation is the most health-obsessed in the world, we are the least healthy. Eat with Joy: Redeeming God's Gift of Food grabbed my attention because it attempts to find the middle ground between gluttony and compulsive calorie counting.
Stone contends that our obsession with health keeps us from appreciating God's grace expressed to us through food:
Why did God make eating so pleasurable? The biological explanation - food is pleasurable so that we'll eat - is legitimate in its place, but it doesn't go far enough. It doesn't explain Le Cordon Bleu and fine wine, or chocolate for that matter... I suspect and prefer to believe that God made eating sustaining, delicious and pleasurable because God is all those things and more. (p. 24)
According to Stone, our emphasis on nutrients and calories robs food of its true purpose, which is to remind us of God's goodness. So a cherry is not a shiny orb of tangy sweetness grown from a beautiful tree blossom, but a five-calorie delivery system for antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, iron, fiber and magnesium. (p. 138)
My favorite quote from the book: Food is the daily sacrament of unnecessary goodness, ordained for a continual remembrance that the world will always be more delicious than useful. (p. 152)
While I appreciated Stone's insights, I was a little put off by some of the side issues in the book such as food justice. If you want a less technical book on the joys of eating in community, I highly recommend Shauna Niequist's Bread and Wine. (reviewed here)
P.S. I just happened to be reading a food-themed novel and enjoyed this quote that coincides with the ideas in Eat with Joy. The protagonist loved old recipes because they were "less concerned with fat or antioxidants. They were unselfconscious and more concerned with being tasty than being hip. They were food without an identity crisis." (from A Table by the Window, p. 238)
August 23, 2013
Rachel Marie Stone contends that we are often conflicted about one of the most basic of human activities--eating! We all get hungry, we all want to eat good, tasty food, yet we complain about weight, calories, the kinds of things in our diet. Following authors like Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver, she adds a Christian perspective on food as a gift from God to be enjoyed in its appropriate place in our lives. What I love about this is that Stone emphasizes things like the healing power of sharing food in community, the richness that comes to our experience when we slow down to really enjoy the taste and texture of the things we eat, what is added to our lives when some of the food we eat is food we've grown ourselves or otherwise has not been processed before we've prepared it. She also writes thoughtfully about becoming aware of how our food is raised and produced and particularly the care of animals that produce our milk, eggs, and meat.
What I also like is that this author is realistic about how change occurs--in baby steps. She does not call for drastic steps or make one feel guilty about what they are not doing. Rather, she suggests practical steps like starting with one "prepared from scratch" meal a week.
Each chapter concludes with wonderful prayers that can be used before meals, several recipes, and action points from the chapter. At the conclusion of the book, she quotes Norman Wirzba, saying that food is "God's love made edible." Reading this book just may make that love more real to you.
What I also like is that this author is realistic about how change occurs--in baby steps. She does not call for drastic steps or make one feel guilty about what they are not doing. Rather, she suggests practical steps like starting with one "prepared from scratch" meal a week.
Each chapter concludes with wonderful prayers that can be used before meals, several recipes, and action points from the chapter. At the conclusion of the book, she quotes Norman Wirzba, saying that food is "God's love made edible." Reading this book just may make that love more real to you.
August 8, 2013
This book has some great thoughts about enjoying food as we seek to be faithful in caring for creation. She is not a vegetarian, but she encourages practices that are respectful of the animals used for food. "Highly processed foods - like fast food - are destructive to people's health, cruel to animals and damaging to God's creation...A meal from McDonald's can't speak clearly of God's love and provision for creatures because of the many, many injustices involved at every stage of production. In contrast, by purchasing and preparing fresh food that graces your plate and nourishes your body speak more clearly of the sustaining hand of God, which turns the days and seasons and , with the help of people, coaxes food from the earth - a beautiful thing. Yet at the same time, I would say that for the sake of love, better the occasional meal shared with friends at McDonald's than organic salad in bitter isolation" ( 162-63).
October 28, 2013
A rewarding read, well-researched and documented, useful for anyone wishing to explore humanity's relationship with food from a distinctly Christian perspective. Stone delves into areas such as health and nutrition, social justice, sustainability, food preparation, communal eating, celebration, and stewardship, all based on the premise that food is a gift from God, and that the Giver intends for us to delight in it. Each chapter ends with mealtime prayers, recipes, and ideas for action. A group discussion guide is also included, along with suggestions for further reading. I recommend this for anyone wishing to foster a positive, wholesome, joyful attitude toward food within their family, church, or community; but especially for those who tend to take food for granted, and for those at the other end of the scale who are deeply concerned but feel helpless in the face of a global food system that seems out of control. To all these readerships, Eat with Joy is good news.
November 30, 2013
I'm so glad more Christian writers are writing about food as a gift of God, not as something to control or manage. Rachel Marie Stone, one of the writers for Christianity Today, has written an amazing little book about what it means to love God through what we eat. What a concept! When we enjoy the food He has given us, we are choosing to be grateful instead of unsatisfied. I'm really tired of seeing books like "the Daniel Diet" or other so-called Christian diet books that simply reinforce the idea that women (or men's) bodies are not good--even books like "Made to Crave" still reinforce this idea that it's not that we should be craving food, we should be craving GOD. Well, yes, but God created food to be good! When we savor and enjoy good food as gifts from God, food addictions and harmful body image do not follow. Stone goes to the heart of the issue, not just the 'control your bodily urges' talk I've heard and read a million times. Highly recommended!
February 16, 2014
I've already passed this book on to others - I really enjoyed it. At first I couldn't read it without thinking how to use it as a book for my congregation to use as a Bible study (I'm a pastor) and I worried about each line -- what would they think about this claim or that claim. But when I set all that aside and just read it for my own enjoyment and to provoke my own thoughts, I realized that I don't have to worry about what others think -- it's about making choices according to my own values -- which ultimately is what Stone sets out as a critical component of making good choices as we eat. I didn't agree with everything she said or every decision she makes about eating, but her basic theology of eating was spot on and her style allowed for disagreement over the details. An important book for living our lives in concert with our faith and values.
December 29, 2015
This is a really challenging book about how we approach food and eating. Stone does a fantastic job at making you stop and think about your food, where does it come from, how can heal relationships, how can it help you better understand God?
There are a lot of challenges in the book that I just have a hard time thinking I could actually do. It's probably more than an excuse than anything, but these are important things as Stone points out that they aren't done just to have a healthier life, but to combat the worldly way of living that we may not often know we need to see in our eating habits.
Stone is very balanced too. She's not obsessed with nutrition noting that that science is fairly new, but rather turns to the scripture and justice itself to promote a more godly way of approaching food.
There are a lot of challenges in the book that I just have a hard time thinking I could actually do. It's probably more than an excuse than anything, but these are important things as Stone points out that they aren't done just to have a healthier life, but to combat the worldly way of living that we may not often know we need to see in our eating habits.
Stone is very balanced too. She's not obsessed with nutrition noting that that science is fairly new, but rather turns to the scripture and justice itself to promote a more godly way of approaching food.
April 4, 2014
Great examination of the relationship between faith and food. Each chapter could probably be expanded in to a book of its own. As such, I often wished Stone could have delved more in-depth in to the issues she presented. While I appreciated hearing more of her story, I also wish she had included stories of people with healthy relationships to food, as I couldn't always relate to her personal example or the stories she included. (I'm no paragon of virtue, nor is my family a pillar of moral excellence when it comes to our eating practices but I've never struggled with an eating disorder and we've always viewed food as something to enjoy.) Still, it's a great overview and hopefully the start of more exploration on the topic.
May 3, 2014
I opened to the first page of Eat with Joy with high hopes. Over the past seven years, my weight has ricocheted from one extreme to another, having now settled somewhere around "normal." Yet food continues to be a source of anxiety for me; peace is not something that I associate with my eating habits.
Eat with Joy by Rachel Marie Stone touches on several points about healthy, responsible, and joyful eating as intended by God, but it is not an all-encompassing book. It was a good place for me to start, however, as I begin my journey to make peace with food, and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to break free from the negative messages surrounding food that are so typical of modern American society.
Eat with Joy by Rachel Marie Stone touches on several points about healthy, responsible, and joyful eating as intended by God, but it is not an all-encompassing book. It was a good place for me to start, however, as I begin my journey to make peace with food, and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to break free from the negative messages surrounding food that are so typical of modern American society.
February 16, 2015
I wanted to love this book. The writing was superb, the premise was thought provoking, and there were great nuggets to ponder. Overall, it was a good read. However, I felt in that her application of the belief that God has created food for our enjoyment rather than simply nourishment, personal conviction was presented as God's will for everyone. There can be a fine line between the two, but in this instance specifically, eating locally and cooking from scratch felt to me like personal interpretation rather than God's intent for the world.
I definitely will be making some mind and practice changes regarding food after reading this book, just maybe not all the ones presented as the best way to apply biblical truth about food.
I definitely will be making some mind and practice changes regarding food after reading this book, just maybe not all the ones presented as the best way to apply biblical truth about food.
December 26, 2015
Eat With Joy attempts to broaden our national focus from food as a means of health to one that sees food as a blessing from God. When we limit food to what is nutritionally best, we can lose other benefits from eating, especially our joy.
The difficulty Rachel Marie Stone faced in writing this book is that of balancing joy with justice. Much of our contemporary food culture has injustices wrapped up in it, injustice to fellow humans and to animals. Stone ties our joy with treating others well but guilt is the easier emotion to feel.
In the chapters on eating with others and on cooking creatively it is easier to understand how one can eat with joy. Stone successful wraps the book up, though, with encouragement to make small, doable changes.
The difficulty Rachel Marie Stone faced in writing this book is that of balancing joy with justice. Much of our contemporary food culture has injustices wrapped up in it, injustice to fellow humans and to animals. Stone ties our joy with treating others well but guilt is the easier emotion to feel.
In the chapters on eating with others and on cooking creatively it is easier to understand how one can eat with joy. Stone successful wraps the book up, though, with encouragement to make small, doable changes.
July 20, 2013
Things I particularly appreciated about this book:
[] The prayers for meals at the end of each chapter.
[] The recipes at the end of each chapter.
[] A fascinating chapter on eating disorders and "how eating together heals." She mentions a therapy for eating disorders (essentially, the family sitting together and eating in an extremely intentional and loving environment) that I'd never heard of, and that is apparently very effective.
[] Her encouragement to strive for high ideals (like eating locally), but also to do things in moderation so you don't just completely abandon principles out of frustration.
Nice to read a book with a biblical basis for creation care, sustainability, etc.
[] The prayers for meals at the end of each chapter.
[] The recipes at the end of each chapter.
[] A fascinating chapter on eating disorders and "how eating together heals." She mentions a therapy for eating disorders (essentially, the family sitting together and eating in an extremely intentional and loving environment) that I'd never heard of, and that is apparently very effective.
[] Her encouragement to strive for high ideals (like eating locally), but also to do things in moderation so you don't just completely abandon principles out of frustration.
Nice to read a book with a biblical basis for creation care, sustainability, etc.
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