Base Temptations

I was out running errands yesterday and I heard an interesting thing on Christian radio I had, oddly, never considered. In the first temptation of people (Adam and Eve), Satan used food ("Ooooo! Lookey! A delicious piece of fruit!")...and when he first tempted Jesus in the desert, He tempted Him via His appetite ("Turn these stones to bread!") He could have said,"Eve! Dip your hand in this crystal clear stream and you'll be like God!" or "Pick this perfect flower and tuck it behind your ear and you'll be like God!" Or even with Jesus, he could have tempted Him with the angels saving Him first or giving Him the cities as far as the eye could see...but no--I think he knew a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to base temptations.

The radio message went on to say how our bodies are temples and we have to take care of them (blahblahblah) and fill them with good things so we are in better health and, in turn, can serve God more effectively. I do know this to be true from a physical standpoint and also a spiritual one. Granted, I generally suffer from a lack of food, but for the last few months I have tried to consider more consciously what I put into my body. Example: I used to make this weird mush stuff for breakfast. Raw bran, pumpkin, oatmeal, yogurt, half a banana...nuke the whole lot, pour on some soy milk, and be good to go. I could probably have used it to Spackle holes in the wall or paste projects together, it was so heavy. When I got sick over the summer, I could no longer stomach such a concoction...so I started having plain fruit instead. And I started focusing on how cool God is to have created such perfect foods as fruit. They come ready to eat, in their own packages. They have natural sweetness, tartness, texture...you don't have to add a thing! (and the fiber content ain't a bad thing either!) Currently, I'm "on oranges" and when I peel one I really do think to myself, "Thanks, God, for a ready-made-meal".
Yes, I am tempted by food. All day. Every day. And, unfortunately, I overcome that temptation 99% of the time by going to extremes ("Boo on you, Satan! I'm not not gonna eat at all!") which, if I'm honest, kinda gives Satan a win in a way. I know there's a balance somewhere and, by God's grace, I'll find it. But it sort of annoys me that of all things that Satan could have used to tempt folks, the original one was with food...and I think he found that it worked or else we wouldn't have the ridiculous diet industry and obesity epidemic that we have now.
And it's a Catch 22, right? We have to eat or we'll die. It's not like going on the wagon or avoiding casinos if you have a gambling problem or choosing NOT to go to the mall because you'll be tempted to spend too much money you don't have. We have to eat. Granted, we don't have to eat candy or potato chips or McDonald's or that heavenly Veal Maryland they serve at the Crab Trap that's topped with jumbo lump crab meat and cream sauce served over pasta (whoops!) I think anything God gave us via the land is good...and although I'm not going to become one of those granola/tree hugging "raw food" folks (which is fine for them) I might just put a little more work into my veggie garden this year, or maybe make a few healthier choices when I'm eating out (maybe...not quite ready to make that covenant yet!)