God and Your Diet
During the life of Moses, after the people of Israel had been delivered from slavery under the hand of the Egyptians, God provided the descendants of Abraham a law that would set them apart from the nations of the world. This law is known as the Levitical Law. This set of rules covers many areas of life and it provides instructions to the Isrealites on what to eat.
God provided many instructions on what animals to eat and what animals not to eat. He even gave instructions on what part of the animals were to be offered and burned for sacrifices. These sacrifices were done to atone for mistakes and sins that the people of Israel would do, whether intentional or unintentional. Since these sacrifices were dealing with sin they needed to be absolutely perfect, hence God being specific.
The good news is that Jesus became a sacrifice for all sin! Since He is the perfect and spotless lamb, there is no need for any further sacrifices for our sins! God even teaches us that as believers food is not what defiles us, rather what we say and do defiles us. Although as Believers in Jesus we do not have to abide by the Levitical Law and restrict what we eat to remain clean, God’s way of eating provides a better way of living and health for those who follow it. Let’s dive into foods that God wants us to eat that will promote our health!
- Unclean foods harm your body
Before we dive into the foods God wants us to eat, we have to address the bad foods that He wants us to avoid. God tells us in His Levitical Law that there are meats and other forms of food that are considered “unclean”. These include pig, camel, hare/rabbit, badgers, crabs, shrimp, lobster, exotic birds, and all winged insects. I know a lot of those foods do not sound pleasant at all. However there are a few that taste delicious while destroying the health of your body. Although I (like millions of Americans) enjoy eating bacon, it is one of the worst things to put into your body. When you eat bacon, you eat a large portion of fat that was never designed to be put into your body. This fat is then stored in multiple areas of your body.
This stored fat is a major cause of many different diseases. The diseases that stored fats cause include heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. God in His Love told His people to not consume this fat due to it causing all of these health issues and diseases. Is it a sin to eat bacon? No. Is it bad for your health and longevity? Absolutely! That is why we should avoid bad fats like bacon and consume better fats like avocados! Changing this piece of our diets will cause our heart health to improve greatly.
- Clean foods God wants You to eat!
Just like He defined what was unclean, God tells us about foods that are clean and what we are encouraged to eat. God says that the foods He wants us to eat include fruits, seed-bearing plants like beans, squash, tomatoes and corn, leafy vegetables like lettuce and kale, and any animal with a cloven hoof. This is a very wide range of foods we are encouraged to eat. But what are some examples of foods that we can eat?
An excellent example of clean meats to eat is Lamb. This meat is derived from the most revered animal in history. Lamb is highly revered due to the fact that Lamb was the animal slaughtered for the Passover meal in honor of God sparing those who had the Blood of the Lamb on their door-posts. Lamb is meat from a young sheep at the age of one year or younger. Due to the young age of the animal, the marble fat content is much lower than that of other meat varieties that cause heart disease and obesity. Organic lamb richly provides B vitamins, zinc and protein. Lamb is an excellent choice of healthy red meat.
- Health benefits of Raw Goats Milk
It is a majorly known fact of how beneficial milk is to the body. However, raw milk is significantly better for you. Raw milk is full of vitamins and minerals that help develop healthy dental fluid flow and aid in maintaining strong teeth. This milk is loaded with magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin K2, and yes, calcium.
Research studies have been done to compare the properties of cow’s milk to that of goat’s milk. In this study, it was discovered that goat milk could be more beneficial to the human body. Unlike the common cow’s milk, studies on goat’s milk suggest that it could prevent diseases like bone demineralization and anemia. Goat’s milk also has properties that help with minerals like iron and magnesium in metabolic and digestive properties.
- Why Mom always told us to eat our vegetables
During the time the people of Israel were exiled from their homeland and were forced to live in Babylon, a man by the name of Daniel chose to eat God’s way rather than man’s way. Daniel and his friends requested to eat only vegetables rather than the diet of the Babylonians. This act of eating only vegetables not only helped Daniel and his friends have better health, but they were noted as being stronger and in better physical condition as well.
Of all the foods God encourages us to eat, vegetables are clearly the most nutrient-dense and safe to eat. Vegetables are the only food group that have virtually no risk of eating “too many”. There is even evidence from the National Cancer Institute that vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and radishes can help prevent cancer. These vegetables can do this because they are full of glucosinolates. These glucosinolates are chemicals that fight cancer cell growth, inflammation, infections and toxicity from carcinogens. It makes sense to me now why Mom told me to eat my vegetables!
- Further benefits of a Levitical Diet
The Biblical way of eating is heavily influenced by the teachings of Leviticus and Dueteronomy where the foods that are acceptable in those passages are the only things that you eat. The four classifications of eating food in the Levitical law are the foundation of eating Biblically. Although eating tree-seeds, fruits, vegetables, field plants, and clean organic meats seems great to many people, what benefits can we expect to receive from eating off of God’s menu? According to Jordan Rubin, the author of the Maker’s Diet, You can lose weight when eating food God’s way. A diet high in unprocessed food, vegetables and fruit is the best diet to lose weight. These raw and natural fruits and veggies carry less calories and are easier for your body to digest rather than the processed foods that are more commonly consumed.
Rubin also states that some of our ancestors that ate food God’s way lived to God’s expected life span of humanity: 120 years. Although it’s not an absolute guarantee that everyone will live to 120 years by only eating these foods without any other lifestyle changes like Chiropractic care and exercise, a diet in raw vegetables, clean meats, and fruits cause little to no health complications which lead to a longer life-span. There is also data that demonstrates that after consuming processed foods and the body being in a state of imbalance, our bodies will show signs of sluggishness, illness and depression. Eating these foods that God encourages us to will balance hormones and improve balance and mood.
There is no denying God’s omniscience and sovereignty. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows You and how your body functions. With this kind of health coach in your corner, following His diet plan will lead to His perfect will of health and healing in your life!