"Enjoy a variety of food"--Hedonism or Healthy Habit?

The health writer Lawrence Lindner tells of a committee that gathered to hammer out the wording of the United States Dietary Guidelines in 1995. One committee member suggested that the first guideline read "Enjoy a variety of foods" — language that was rejected as "too hedonistic." (In the end, Mr. Lindner wrote, the committee "opted for the apparently less giddy 'Eat a variety of foods.'")

Where on earth did we get the idea that ENJOYING FOOD was hedonistic? Think about it. Did the God who created strawberries, morel mushrooms, orange roughy and the variety of other fruit, fungi and fish that are delightfully delicious expect us to eat them without enjoyment? Didn't this loving God who gives every good and perfect gift also create taste buds?

"But," I hear the diet-conscious consciences protest, "enjoying good food isn't healthy." Oh, really? Check out Harriet Brown's opine about research done in the 1970s showing that we absorb more nutrition from appetizing, appealing food than from bland or unfamiliar food.
"We're hard-wired to enjoy food; it's a survival mechanism," she states.

I've experienced this first-hand the last year. When I love what I eat, I am satisfied with less food. I am satisfied with a little vichyssoise, a little fresh salmon, a little fettucine alfredo, a little grilled pineapple w/honey sauce. Scarfing down a whole box of cheap cookies doesn't even begin to quench my craving for real food.

Bon appétit! Thank the Lord above for the good food He gives as you enjoy every mouthful. I'm baking a butternut squash tonight... can't wait to taste it. :)