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Introduction
Our modern society is plentiful with food, to the extent that people have become enthralled with it as a form of entertainment, and a major aspect of our social life. As we look to food as the center of our entertainment, we have forgotten the importance of a wholesome diet for physical and spiritual rejuvenation. Our fast-paced lifestyle along with modern business and advertising has blurred the relationship of food to our health. Yet, for all our technology and modern methods, we are plagued by a long list of contemporary diseases, many of them fatal,
which modern medicine cannot cure. Lung cancer, colon cancer, heart disease, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and other illnesses were not prevalent sixty-years ago and are directly linked to our diet and lifestyle (Meyerowitz, pg. 1-2).
Many [people] transgress the laws of health through ignorance and are in need of instruction; but the greater number of people know better (MOH, pg. 62, E.G. White). In a world of dollars and cents, and have it now attitudes, our food is full of growth hormones, preservatives, pesticides, artificial colors and flavors, and other indigestible chemicals that overload our kidneys, bowels, skin, lungs and liver. Pure air, sunlight, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water and trust in Divine power – these are the true remedies for all that ails mankind.
In taking God at His Word and following the whole Bible as our guide, every truth seeking Christian can be blessed to discover a health message that should not only be followed but also shared with others in our physically and spiritually dying world.
The health message as embraced by Seventh-Day Adventist Christians, directs man back to God’s original diet of fruits, nuts and grains. Just as automakers document the recommended maintenance services for your new car in an Owner’s Manual, God, our creator has documented in the Bible how to best maintain our health.
A back to basics diet that is void of animal flesh is God’s ideal for His perfectly made creation … mankind. God spoke into existence an abundance of herbs, grains, nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables to be food for us. Before sin entered the world, there was no shedding of blood
of any of God’s creation. God did not sanction the consumption of meat eating until after the flood when all vegetation was destroyed by the floodwaters. Along with the permission to eat meat, God gave specific guidelines as to the types of meats that could be consumed as well as the proper preparation. As Noah and his family prepared to enter the arc, they took two by two of
the unclean animals (those not to be consumed) and seven by seven of the clean animals, which
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God would later permit man to consume (Genesis 7:2 However it was never God’s intent for man to continue including flesh foods as a part our diet. Leviticus 11:1-47 provides an extensive list of foods that should not be consumed by mankind, including pork and shellfish.
These animals that are forbidden for consumption are scavengers, created by God to keep the earth clean. The Bible makes it clear in Genesis 9:4 that consumable meats should have the blood drained, in other words kosher meats. The blood is life and through the blood is carried all manner of diseases that attack the body. Departing from God’s original plan of a vegetarian diet
has brought nothing but various diseases and death to mankind. The vegetarian diet should progress to exclude the use of milk, eggs and cheese, as disease in animals increases. Every effort should be made to substitute other things that are healthful and palatable (MOH, pg.
179,White).
Eating right directly correlates to longevity, therefore it behooves individuals to eat right and live longer. Eating foods that have health promoting properties go far beyond just nutritional value. For example, eating an apple every day helps to keep cholesterol in check. You can protect your urinary tract and your memory with a daily dose of blueberries. Whole grains, which are the entire seed or kernel from wheat, oats, corn or rye, should be part of your healthy diet. Whole grains are good carbohydrates and are full of natural fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. Dietary guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration recommend three servings of whole grains a day to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes.
In addition abstaining from unclean foods, the Bible admonishes mankind to refrain from mind-altering substances such as alcohol (proverbs 20:1). In an attempt to justify the desire to drink alcohol, people have cited the story of the Wedding at Cana, recorded in John 2:1-11,
saying that Jesus made and consumed wine. However the water that Jesus turned into wine was the fresh unfermented fruit of the vine. Wine or grape juice in its unfermented state is wholesome and refreshing but once the fermentation process begins, it turns into an intoxicating drink. The Bible makes it clear that fermented wine should not be consumed when it states that,
“wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise ” Proverbs 20:1). Jesus provided no such beverage. Alcoholism has wrecked havoc on many homes, families and communities, resulting in poor health or fatal illnesses. Alcohol is the number one cause of accidents in America, and those whose lives are lost are typically the young
and the innocent.
