Episode 14 Transcript
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Welcome to your daily bread with co hosts, Abbie Stasior and Hannah Calhoun. We're here to be your weekly source of spiritual nourishment, guiding you to find food freedom in a deeper connection with Christ. As we explore the intersection of faith and nutrition, these bite sized episodes will help you heal your relationship with food and your body through practical advice, biblical wisdom, and heartfelt encouragement.
And as a disclaimer, we are not pastors, but passionate registered dietitians and sisters in Christ, offering our insights to support you on this faith filled journey to a healthier, more fulfilling life. Join us by taking a seat at our table as we break bread and allow God in to break the chains of diet culture.
Hello there. Today we are touching on a touchy subject and that is almond moms. You might feel a little convicted here. Abbie, you want to, you want to give our listeners a quick definition of what an almond mom is or almond person? Yes. So because it can be, you know, anybody can be. And an almond person, this is someone that is so tightly bound to diet culture, truly.
And sometimes this manifests by someone like simply only eating an almond and being like, you know, eat one almond, like I'm full. Like that's, I think where that like that term stemmed from, but it's someone that definitely is a chronic dieter and they really don't eat that much. And typically almond moms, almond people are.
Known for being very judgmental and critical of other people's eating choices of other people's bodies. They, they are very judgmental and are pretty vocal about it. Yes. And their point of view, it's very, very negative. So we're, we're kind of comparing them to modern day Pharisees, which, you know, I, Pharisees, obviously all over the Bible, but I feel like Pharisees really lit up for me.
Um, when I watched The Chosen. Pharisees I think were kind of taboo for me, but the Chosen really brought them to life. These are the most judgmental people, and they are really religious, and they are really trying to keep up with the law and make sure everyone is following the law of the Old Testament before before Jesus.
So they are very judgmental people, not following the law, even though they are not perfect themselves. And this is why we need Jesus because we, we aren't going to be perfect. So they are just kind of looking down on everyone, very like outwardly casting judgment on people and just not, they just don't have the spirit of Jesus.
So mom and moms are very much the same way. So we're going to be reading. We're going to be reading from Matthew 5, 48 to kind of outline this for us. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?
do not even pagans do that? Be perfect. Therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect. Yeah, and I feel like, you know, people can take that last bit of like, be perfect, therefore as your heavenly father is perfect, and kind of twist it according to our puny little human fleshly brains and make it like a worldly perfection.
And, you know, but that's, we're not, we're not called to worldly perfection, we're, we're called to be like our Heavenly Father, who is love, who is holy, who is all knowing, and you know, we, we as Christians know that we will not, like, reach that level of holiness and perfection until we are in His presence and made new in Heaven.
Um. Amen. Amen. But every day we are being renewed, you know, when, when we are his children, when we are seeking him, we are being renewed day by day. Um, and we, we should strive to be holy and perfect, um, but not, you know, have a holier than thou type of attitude toward other people. Right. And I think that's what this verse is, is really getting at it.
You know, this is when Jesus is talking about like blessing your enemies, you know, praying for those who persecute you and, um, love your enemies. And that was such a counter cultural statement. And unfortunately, I feel like it, it still is. And what Jesus is highlighting here is that. It's very easy to be nice to the people that agree with you, the people that have the same lifestyle as you, the people that have the same beliefs, we see that in today's society.
It's easier to get along with people sometimes of the same religion or have the same political beliefs or you're from the same hometown or whatever, all of these different things that we're the same. It is so much harder to send love to and to accept. People that are are different than you, but that's really what what we are called to do and to not Cast judgment on them just because they're different and like in the context that we're speaking You know comparing this to people who have a very elitist mindset when it comes to food nutrition physique You know, like, some people get really uncomfortable by people in bigger bodies, and they, they kind of poo poo them and say, like, well, they're obviously lazy, they're obviously not trying hard enough, they're obviously sitting on the couch shoving cornflakes in their mouth all day, they probably, like, Eat a whole box of donuts and like all of these like they don't care about their body They don't care about their health.
It's like all of these judgments that you know We don't know if that's true or not about that person um, and so it's it's that Like, oh, you, you don't eat only grass fed beef and this and that, like, you know, what kind of eggs do you buy, what grocery store do you shop at, you don't eat organic, like, produce, and it's just, like, very elitist, very, you know, holier than thou, very, like, I'm better than you, and, you know, people can do all of those things, um, because maybe that's, that's what they believe in, but it It's about doing that kind of like minding your own business type of thing and not casting judgment and condemnation on other people who don't shop at the same grocery store as you do.
And um, you know? And don't look the same as you. Because honestly, two people could eat the exact same way and eat the same exact food and then look completely different. Yeah. Yeah. Same, you know, exercise routine, all of that, and look completely different. Yeah. Um, yeah. So I think it just stems from a lot of assumptions.
And you could, you know, look at someone that's in a larger body and make all of those negative assumptions, but you don't know if that's true. Like, I just know with the clients that, I coach, I have clients that are 250, 300, 350 pounds. They have a healthier lifestyle than my clients that are in, what's considered an underweight or normal BMI category.
Yeah. Because they are moving their body in a way that feels good. They're nourishing themselves adequately. They are journaling and meditating in the morning. And if they're Christian, they're spending time in the word there. They're hydrating. They're getting enough sleep.
They're managing their stress, their meal, prepping, like they're doing all of these health behaviors, but just by looking at someone, you wouldn't know that. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, and, and, you know, I think all of us know what it feels like to maybe show about, like, a holiday event, for example, or a reunion, and, and have someone give you the eyes of, like, oh, you look like you put on a few pounds, like, what's going on?
And, that hurts, you know? Like, why, why is that anyone else's business? And do we really care that much about other people's, like, is it really about health? It's, Are we having the same concern for people who are friends who are drinking a lot every weekend? Or is it, or you know, do we have the same concern for people who are losing a lot of weight rapidly?
Or is it only when people look like they've put on a few pounds that then suddenly we're just so concerned about their health? Oh yeah. When I was at my lowest weight, that's literally when I had my eating disorder and I was, I was chronically ill with all of my gut health issues. I literally wasn't absorbing nutrients and that's when I got the most compliments on my weight.
Because I was the thinnest I ever was. People didn't look at me and see that I was unhealthy. They were like lifting that up and praising that. Oh, it's so messed up. And also if you're at a party or something, you didn't see that person for a while and it looks like they put on a few pounds, you have no idea.
They might still be eating really well and exercising. Maybe they just started a new medication. Yeah. That is having them gain weight. Yeah. Antidepressants, anti anxiety, you know, different, um, psych meds, um, you know, different steroid medications can, can, can have those side effects. Um, maybe they're going through a really hard time in their relationship.
Maybe they're going through a divorce. Like, you know, there's things that we just don't. No, that can, that, that can contribute to a person's body size. It's not always, oh, they let themselves go.
They don't care. They're not trying hard enough. They're really unhealthy now. Uh, we really don't, unless we have the full complete picture, we really truly do not know. Um, Matthew 7, verses 3 through 5, um, says, Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye when All the time there's a plank in your own eye. You hypocrite. First take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. So we've all got, you know, this is obviously talking like spiritually, but yeah, we, nobody's perfect.
Abby and I are not perfect. No, we don't have all the answers. You know, um, and that's why we know that we are in no place to judge or think that we are better or trying harder, none of us have the right to have, like, a holier than thou attitude towards other people, and we are called to be like our Heavenly Father, and how did Christ treat Those who were different when he was on earth.
How did he treat them? You know, and that should be our standard for how we treat others Absolutely. He drew near to people that were different than them. He sought to understand them Sought to to love them. He didn't turn up his nose to them, turn away from them. But that's really what the Pharisees are doing.
That's what we see in almond moms doing in society is kind of turning their nose up to people that are eating differently from them or having processed foods and aren't eating as perfect as or as clean as they think people people should be. So it's very. very prideful. Um, and there's just no grace. I feel like with almond moms, with Pharisees, this is right.
This is wrong. This is healthy. This is unhealthy. And there's, there's no like gray, so that's why we really need to model Jesus and not be modeling these Pharisees because Jesus gives. And we are, we are meant to be modeling him. And so going back to the verse is be perfect.
Therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect, I think we can get really caught up in that word. Perfect. Like, Oh, well, shouldn't, shouldn't we be perfect? Shouldn't we be eating super clean? And it's like, no, if you actually look at the translation of perfect in the Bible, so none of these translations in the Bible are perfect.
So you really got to make sure you are. Doing your due diligence and looking at different translations, getting back to the Hebrew, looking at the Greek translations. So the Hebrew word translated as perfect is to meme. Hopefully I'm pronouncing that right. Uh, it means whole, sound, , healthful, having integrity.
And the Greek translation is um, teleos. Which means complete and entire. So it doesn't mean perfect or, like perfect I think without flaw, no blemishes. But that's, that's not what it means. It means wholeness, complete. And, and also having, having integrity as well. And we are made complete with Christ. Over time, we are through our sanctification process and we need that because we obviously have planks in our own eye.
We are sitting. We are not perfect beings, but we are made perfect in time with Christ. We need him and his grace. If it was possible to be perfect with the law and follow every single thing, we wouldn't have needed Jesus. But with the Pharisees and their religious law, it was impossible to follow. Nobody was doing it.
The Pharisees weren't even perfect with it. So that's why we, we need Jesus. So we need to actually use Him as a model. Love others how He loved people. Not trying to be like the Pharisees, very black and white, healthy or unhealthy. Hmm. Yes. Yes.
Thank you for joining us on this episode of your daily bread. We hope you found inspiration and practical guidance to nourish your body and soul. Remember the journey to a healthier relationship with food and a deeper connection with Christ is ongoing and we're here to support you every step of the way.
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As we conclude today's episode, we encourage you to take what resonated with you into your quiet time with God, allow God to reveal to you any changes that you can make for his glory, trusting that you are fearfully and wonderfully made in his image. Stay tuned for our next episode where we'll continue to explore how God's word helps us heal our relationship with food in our bodies Until then may you find both physical and spiritual nourishment and may you be filled with his peace and joy.
God bless
