For over a decade from his pulpit here at Oak Hill Baptist in North Mississippi, the Rev. Michael O. Minor has waged war against obesity and bad health. In the Delta this may seem akin to waging war against humidity, but Mr. Minor has the air of the salesman he once was, and the animated persistence to match.
Years into his war, he is beginning to claim victories.
The National Baptist Convention, which represents some seven million people in nearly 10,000 churches, is ramping up a far-reaching health campaign devised by Mr. Minor, which aims to have a “health ambassador” in every member church by September 2012. The goals of the program, the most ambitious of its kind, will be demanding but concrete, said the Rev. George W. Waddles Sr., the president of the convention’s Congress of Christian Education.
We have never had so much access to food and knowledge about nutrition and yet, diet and health are declining faster and faster.
Our food is processed, laden with increasing amounts of salt and sugar, and lacking in basic nutrients. Meanwhile our children have exchanged kicking a ball about and bicycling for computers and xboxes. Then again there are the regional problems. Their cuisine and cooking habits are not some of the best things the Scots have given the South.
It is good to see churches giving a lead like this.
The South could surely plead guilty, but it is not alone. I’m from the Northeast, and my heritage is English, German, and Italian…don’t think I didn’t have ALL kinds of fun in NY delis, but that was back when I played two varsity sports, had a fast metabolism anyway, and wanted to eat the world.
Now things are a little different after multiple children, and I should probably work at pulling off the last 20 lbs. on a 5’7″ frame. I’ll do that as the kids get back to school. The tough part is, I think, too many don’t understand that they can still enjoy all the food if they have a grip on PORTION SIZE. Case in point, the other day I happily dragged my spouse(he was happy, too) to a Czech place; North and Central TX are full of those and even my Amish ancestors would have approved. I loved the food in there, and it was pretty healthy. I got a sampler and ate about half the sausage(ie, half of one) and kraut, and had one serving of stuffed cabbage(with rice and lean beef)–that, plus a large unsweet tea, was enough, and it was wonderful. But I will say that I could have easily eaten another whole platter of the stuffed cabbage, but that would have been unnecessary gorging, so I said “no”. We loved it all, but made sure we ate healthy portions and took home two “doggie bags”, which we ate as leftovers the next day.
Enjoy the food, all, but it doesn’t always need to be “SuperSize Me”. I’ll give them some credit, the French understand this. Although the reason is debatable–personified by a French friend and his wife, who’s American. I once commented that they really seemed to be good examples on this score–but the husband believed it was because the French are so body-and health-conscious, and his wife thought it was because the food in Paris and France was SO expensive!! Either way, it doesn’t pay to act like the Roman Empire of gluttony, about to fall. YUCK…