Cultivating an Ordered Relationship with Food: An Interview with Ellen Roufs of Made Whole Nutrition

Lifestyle

Jun 24

By Sarah White,

Ellen Roufs at Made Whole Nutrition is one person who is making strides in adjusting peoples’ attitudes toward food. She offers tons of helpful, educational, and practical handouts on topics ranging from how to eat seasonally to “20 Tips for Eating in a State of Receiving.” She also offers tools to help you find your why in eating intentionally, which is a huge hill to climb, but one worth the sweat. She is also an example of a big life tip that has helped me: Iron sharpens iron. Who do you surround yourself with? Are they people who love food, who know about Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, who perceive the gift that is the Eucharist? Or are they on a handful of diets throughout the year, always attaching morals to eating, and critiquing their eating habits constantly?

Iron sharpens iron. Friends who point you closer to Christ through the gift of food are the kind of iron you want around! They will help you on your journey to learning how to eat and drink liturgically, just like this series. My husband’s genuine love of cooking and food has made a huge difference in my own love for cooking and eating it. The friends who see food more as a Eucharistic gift and less of a way to micromanage your physical body are the ones I more often choose to hang around. We need proper iron around us—for our path to sainthood, and for our daily lives in general.

Below is an interview with Ellen about her mission on this very topic, as well as her inspiration.

Sarah White: Ellen, what was your inspiration for Made Whole Nutrition?

Ellen Roufs: There is something uniquely healing about FOOD: look at Scripture, look at the Eucharist…The source and summit of our faith is a meal! If the Lord chooses to come to us through food, it makes sense that we should invite Him into the very human, everyday experience of eating. I began Made Whole Nutrition as a way to journey with other women as we seek healing and freedom in our relationships with food.

SW: In your opinion, what does an ordered relationship with food look like?

ER: An ordered relationship with food is eating foods that honor your body. Most of the time that means filling your plate with whole, nutritionally wealthy foods, but you can also choose to honor your body with an occasional treat (and not feel guilty about it)! A healthy relationship with food leads to greater order, healing, and freedom.

SW: What are some first steps to take in pursuing an ordered relationship?

ER: The simplest thing you can do to pursue an ordered relationship with food is to pray before you eat. The typical memorized meal prayer is nice, but I challenge you to go one step further. Ask the Lord to join you in that moment, thank Him, and tell Him any thoughts or feelings you have about your food or body. (This is a game changer, ladies.)

The next thing I challenge you to do is to stop thinking or speaking of foods as “good” or “bad.” Instead, think of them as “everyday/nourishing” or “sometimes/treat” foods. Before eating, ask yourself “how will this make me feel?” rather than “how will this make me look?”

And remember that the Lord is using everything in your life (including your breakfast) to heal and make you WHOLE.

Recipes

Taken from the cookbooks Drinking with the Saints and Cooking with the Saints

(Editor’s Note: Though these days have already passed us by, these saints can certainly be celebrated all summer long, and beyond.)

Saint Ephrem the Syrian, June 9

Saint Ephrem led a quiet life, but one with great impact. He was born in modern-day Turkey, and was baptized into the Catholic faith at age 18. He wrote many poems and hymns, and founded a theological school in Syria. Throughout his life, he became known as a homilist and a great fighter against heresies. He was ordained a deacon, and you can celebrate his life with some super-delicious Syrian food:

Kifta (Syrian Beef Meatloaf)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds ground beef

2 large onions, peeled and cubed

4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced

6 plum tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef and cubed onions, and season the mixture with salt and pepper. Put the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan. Spread the meat mixture on top, and cover with sliced tomatoes.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the meat and potatoes are cooking through. Remove from the oven, and serve hot.

Saint Barnabas, June 11

Saint Barnabas was the man who introduced Saint Paul to Saint Peter in Jerusalem. He went with Paul on his first missionary journey, and then returned to Cyprus when Paul began his second journey. He was martyred in Cyprus shortly thereafter, and his body was discovered with a copy of Saint Matthew’s Gospel. He has been referred to as the patron saint of sidekicks, and to honor him, you can make a drink called:

The Sidecar

1 ½ oz brandy

½ oz triple sec

½ oz lemon juice

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice and shake forty times.
Strain into a cocktail glass and serve.

Saint Anthony of Padua, June 13

Saint Anthony is a doctor of the Church and was a priest of the Franciscan order. He was also referred to as “Arca Testamenti” or “a living repository of Scripture” by Pope Gregory IX, after the pope heard him preach. He is widely known as the patron saint of lost things because he raised so many lamentations after his precious copy of the Bible had been stolen, that the Devil, unable to take it any longer, told the thief to return it. To celebrate him, I recommend bringing back a drink that may be an old-time favorite, and lends itself to a variety of additions (e.g., alcohol, vanilla, citrus). My choice would be: