Proper Diet

An important part of our reform message is a proper diet. God has provided daily food, which promotes health and gives strengthens us. Much of the suffering and sickness in our world is caused by eating unhealthy foods, which poison our system.

In the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy books, God has given us clear instructions in regard to the foods that we should eat. General guidelines have been given which apply to everyone.

Counsel that applies to everyone is not to use sugar, much salt, meat foods, tea, coffee, rich pastries, and so forth.
Sister Ellen White also recommends a different diet to those who do heavy manual work versus those who do light, sedentary work. Also, some have weak, sensitive digestive systems which cannot tolerate some foods that may be well digested by another person.

Additionally, there are foods that digest easily, and others that do not such as raw vegetables, beans, nuts, coarse graham flour and so on.

All these instructions we find in the books, Counsels on Health, The Ministry of Healing and Counsels on Diet and Foods.

Sometimes we hear of new kinds of diet recommendations which are not supported by the Bible nor the Spirit of Prophecy. We must be very careful with them. Today the popular New Age movement brings out healing methods and diets which are not supported by the word of God or the Testimonies. One such erroneous New Age idea teaches a different diet to people with different blood groups or different personalities. God gave one diet only to man in the beginning and today after 6,000 years we still follow it; and this diet is proper and maintains our optimum health. Increasingly, even modern research supports the original diet that God gave to man as the ideal.

In the wilderness one kind of Manna came down to feed the people and there was no sick among them.

Special combinations of foods may be required at times when people suffer from an illness or are deficient in minerals or vitamins. People who are anemic or lack calcium need to eat foods that supply their deficiency. Children and adults have different food requirements as well. This information may be found in the health books written by Ellen White.
Before we recommend or present to people something new we must carefully study it thoroughly. This includes obtaining positive proof for it from medical experts in our church. It must also be in complete harmony with the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.

“The abuses of the stomach by the gratification of appetite, are the fruitful source of most church trials. Those who eat and work intemperately and irrationally, talk and act irrationally. An intemperate man cannot be a patient man. It is not necessary to drink alcoholic liquors in order to be intemperate. The sin of intemperate eating, eating too frequently, too much, and of rich, unwholesome food, destroys the healthy action of the digestive organs, affects the brain, and perverts the judgment, preventing rational, calm, healthy thinking and acting. And this is a fruitful source of church trials. Therefore, in order for the people of God to be in an acceptable state with Him, where they can glorify Him in their bodies and spirits, which are His, they must with interest and zeal deny the gratification of their appetites, and exercise temperance in all things. Then may they comprehend the truth in its beauty and clearness, and carry it out in their lives, and by a judicious, wise, straightforward course, give the enemies of our faith no occasion to reproach the cause of truth.” Test. Vol. 1, p. 618-619.

Proper diet is an important topic that all need to study carefully. Our salvation depends on our eating habits. Our first parents ate forbidden food and today it continues to be as much a sin for us to indulge in unhealthy foods that God prohibits.

May the Lord give us all wisdom in regard to the healthy diet, and proper ways to heal the sick, which Heaven will approve of.
AMEN.

Timo Martin, Canada