Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Lent

It's Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent.

as always, here's my group's instillation of an art project depicting Lent:



this year i'm giving up Soda. well, soda made with High Fructose Corn Syrup. i'll struggle to read the labels and avoid the extra calories and try to eat more healthy, more local, and without corn, which is pretty much in everything including all aspects of your happy meal, your applesauce, your soda (unless you go with Pepsi and Mt Dew throwback), your beef (corn fed ones, not grass fed) your chicken (grain fed not free range). but it's good to note that Lent isn't about giving something up, although that is a good practice, it's about taking something on. I'm taking on trying to be careful and mindful of what i eat. fast a little more, stop overeating like most Americans do.

are you going to give anything up? What areas in your life need improvement? What can you do better or can you focus on something you're already doing to promote justice for these 40 days?

6 comments:

Yael said...

Luke,
If you buy food products and soda with a hekhsher "Kosher for Passover" you will easily be able to avoid ingesting any food containing corn without having to scrutinize labels.

We go through this every year since corn is considered chametz and not allowed for Pesach.

Sabio Lantz said...

Hey Luke,
Good luck with Soda !
I just posted on giving us Stats.

BTW, I think a substitute corn-free soda would defeat the purpose. It reminds me of how Lieberman (VP candidate with Gore) would have his aids put the ticket in the subway machine for him so he could feel he was obeying some Sabbath rules when traveling in DC on Saturdays.

Soda has many other negative affects too:
1) leaches calcium
2) sets up desire for high carb
3) raises insulin which is inflammatory

Nothing good about soda except when safe water is not to be had. Fanta saved my life in Pakistan. Smile

Luke said...

Sabio, you'd get along with my wife. She says not to substitute either... but isn't that life, always looking for loop-holes? don't you guys know that i'm the exception to the rules ;-)

because of you two, i'm going completely soda free.

Kate said...

I was just going to comment, "No soda period!" but I can see that's already been taken care of. When my Sunkist runs out, I'll see how long I can last, too.

Yael said...

Well, then...

First paragraph of a new book I started reading today, "We will survive only if we learn to treat ourselves, our neighbors, and our planet with greater wisdom, compassion, and caring. We will survive only if we learn to replace the current climate - of fragmentation, suspicion, and self-interest that has our plant warming, countries warring, and loving relationships waning - with more hopeful visions."

If you want to believe that a Jew following Jewish traditions is 'defeating the purpose', according to your definition of purpose I suppose, go for it. Not much more I can say. I pointed out an easy way for someone who said they desired to avoid consuming corn syrup to avoid consuming corn syrup.

Why do I even bother?

Luke said...

"If you want to believe that a Jew following Jewish traditions is 'defeating the purpose', according to your definition of purpose I suppose, go for it."

WTF? what is that about? feeling alienated or ignored, Yael?

i'll be happy to look for kosher labels, strange thing is, RC cola has one and it's filled with corn. is there a different symbol to look for?