Jesus cared about the health of people – this is evidenced by His many miraculous healings. He wanted people to be perfect, meaning not only mental and spiritual, but also bodily health. And yet, did Jesus preach healthy eating? I believe that I preached, and not so much in words as in deeds. The Bible contains hundreds of references to the rules of healthy eating, and Jesus followed them in His life.
Even inattentive readers of Scripture will remember many stories in which food is mentioned or put at the forefront. Jesus often taught key spiritual principles, providing food for analogy in examples. He participated in biblical feasts and festive feasts. At the Last Supper, he introduced the rite of communion, in which food serves as a sacred reminder of His death. Medicine and science confirm that we will be healthier if we eat what Jesus ate. He sets us an example of good nutrition, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.
Biblical Principles of Healthy Eating – The Value of Natural Nutrition
Would we be healthier if we ate naturally like Jesus did?
Medical research answers this question in the affirmative.
Almost seventy years ago, Dr. Weston Price published the astonishing results of his scientific research, which have not lost their relevance to this day. Dr. Price was a dentist and studied primitive ethnic groups isolated from the influence of Western civilization, such as rural communities in Switzerland and Scotland. These groups ate differently: some included fish, seafood, and game, while others ate meat and dairy products from domestic animals. Some ate fruits, grains and vegetables, including legumes, while others avoided plant foods; some preferred raw foods, others boiled or fried. However, all these types of food were united by the absence of the following types of food: refined (refined) products such as refined sugar or white flour, pasteurized or powdered milk, canned food and refined vegetable oil or margarine. And all diets included animal products and salt. Products were preserved by salting, drying or fermentation methods that did not reduce their high nutritional value.
Dr. Price studied seventeen ethnic groups, including the Eskimos of Alaska, some African tribes, the Australian Aborigines, the traditional American Indians, the tribes of the South Sea Islands, and the already mentioned rural communities of Scotland and Switzerland. He analyzed the diet in these groups and compared it to the American diet of his day. Don’t forget that “his time” was the 1930s and 1940s, when the nutritional value of American food was much higher than it is now.
Here’s what he found:
- All of these so-called “primitive diets” contained at least four times more minerals and water-soluble vitamins than American food.
- All of these diets contained at least ten times more fat-soluble vitamins than American food.
- Representatives of the studied ethnic groups had practically no caries, and they were distinguished by high immunity to diseases.
Dr. Price also had the opportunity to study communities that had recently gained access to Western-style food. He found that as soon as a civilization reached these isolated settlements, bringing with them refined foods high in sugar, the number of people developing dental caries began to increase rapidly. In addition, the number of children with congenital facial defects and other developmental anomalies, as well as the number of various diseases, both in acute and chronic forms, increased. The more purified and refined the food was, the faster the health of the population deteriorated.
Dr. Price concluded that the incidence of caries was due to malnutrition, which also led to the rapid development of diseases. He urged Americans to change their diet:
- include unrefined foods high in healthy nutrients in the menu;
- avoid refined foods;
- Eat foods in their natural state.
It was these principles that formed the basis of Jesus’ diet!
In this book, we present an approach to nutrition that involves predominant consumption of:
- unrefined food
- natural food
- pure water and organic food (no pesticides, fungicides and additives)
- foods that do not contain large amounts of sugar, fat, salt, chemical additives or preservatives
In other words, this book will tell you about how Jesus ate. If you really want to follow Jesus in all areas of your life, you must also pay attention to your diet. Being like Jesus in eating will require you to be determined to change yourself, to become who God made you to be, and to put your desires into God’s hands. In its turn. The Lord will reward you for your sincere actions by giving you vitality, health, and a sense of well-being. So, if you are determined to follow Jesus and start eating like Him, turn the page and let’s get started!
