These shifting winds of fad diets, nutritional “expertise,” and food-industry advertising have exposed the science behind it all as confused at best, and often corrupt. (For example, you know that reassuring stamp on food boxes from the American Heart Association? Food companies pay handsomely for that endorsement.) Is there any true authority on diet? There is one that you probably have never considered. Yet it’s likely you already have a copy. It’s the Holy Bible. “The human mind and body is the most perfectly designed mechanism ever produced from earthly material substance,” educator Herbert Armstrong wrote in Why Humanity Cannot Solve Its Troubles. “Our Maker sent along with His product [human beings] His operation manual [the Bible]. But this world’s bestseller has been the most ignored, distorted, falsely interpreted and least understood of all books.” The Bible is our basic instruction manual! Each of us is limited to acquiring material knowledge through the five senses. But to live happily, peacefully and healthily, we actually need a spiritual knowledge base. The Bible doesn’t contain all knowledge, but it does contain the “foundation of knowledge,” as Mr. Armstrong described it. And God’s instruction manual is not silent on the topic of diet. What’s On the Menu? The Bible tells us what we should eat. In the very first chapter, God is recorded as saying to man: “I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat” (Genesis 1:29). Does that mean we should be vegetarians? A study of 1Timothy 4:1-5, Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 shows that a balanced diet should include the right meats. But the indication is that it should lean more toward the flora than the fauna. Applying biblical principles to diet shows that we should strive to eat whole, fresh foods instead of the edible food-like substances that fill grocery store shelves. For example, all aspects of the intricate ecosystems of our planet were “very good” when God created them (Genesis 1:30-31). But men have long operated under a belief that we can improve the nature of many organisms. What does the great Creator and master Engineer think of such efforts? “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). To most food companies and consumers, it seems right to genetically modify, process, refine and “enhance” foods with laboratory science and technology. It seems right. But mechanical and chemical processes typically strip the natural food of many nutrients. Processed and refined foods also have a high glycemic index, which means we digest them quickly, absorb their calories quickly, and feel hungry again soon after. Whole, fresh foods nourish our bodies the way they were designed to be fueled. They are more expensive because they’ve been raised or grown less intensively and with more concern. But we should try for the highest quality we can afford. This usually means avoiding packaged items, white rice, white bread and most crackers. That Thing Is Your God? The Bible also tells us how to eat. Several passages show that it’s good to enjoy your meal (e.g. Psalm 104:14-15; Isaiah 25:6; Ecclesiastes 8:15; Genesis 18:5-8). But the Bible stresses moderation more. “Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it” (Proverbs 25:16). Too much of even a healthful food can wreck our health. Other passages about moderation include Deuteronomy 21:20; Proverbs 23:20-21; 25:27; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Ezekiel 16:49; Philippians 4:5; and 1Corinthians 9:25. Moderation, in eating and in all other areas, is a vital ingredient for godly, healthy living. Failure to moderate is probably the number one problem of modern consumers. In recent decades, portion sizes served both in America’s homes and its restaurants have grown. The surface area of the average household dinner plate has increased 36 percent since 1960. Our average restaurant meals are four times larger than they were in the 1950s. The people of Okinawa, Japan, are among the longest-living and healthiest on the planet. They subsist mostly on whole foods like whole-grain rice, fresh vegetables, and fresh fish. And they also moderate. For generations, the Okinawans have followed a principle called “Hara Hachi Bu,” which means eat only until you’re 80 percent full. Applying this principle can help us all. Many of us tend to eat until we are 110 percent full, but our Creator says destruction is the outcome for those “whose God is their belly” (Philippians 3:19). Appetite is complex, but research shows that if we stop eating before we feel completely full, within 15 or 20 minutes we will generally feel satisfied. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God,” the Apostle Paul said (1Corinthians 10:31). Limiting portion sizes can help us to eat in a mindset that enlarges God’s glory, rather than enlarging the “glory” of our bellies. Like a Yo-Yo The chief allure of most weight loss programs is that they don’t require us to alter our eating habits for very long. In many cases, a dieter is working hard and tenaciously holding to the prescribed regimen for the designated duration. By the time the diet period is over, he is seeing stark results. But a few months or years after the diet has ended, he’s back to using the hole he punched into his belt after that especially bountiful 2008 Thanksgiving season. Eventually he reaches a breaking point once again. He invests in a diet program again, loses weight again, and gains it back…again. And so the discouraging, expensive and unhealthy cycle goes. Why do so many get stuck aboard that yo-yo diet pattern? Because we generally feel, at the end of a time of restraint and self-discipline, that we deserve a reward. We feel like our good behavior means we’ve earned the right to finally return to what feels best, and to what comes easily. I sacrificed and got what I wanted; now I want some relief from all this discipline! The Bible shows that improvements we make in our lives must be permanent. In Galatians 6:9, God inspired the Apostle Paul to say we must not become “weary in well doing.” He knew that we have to battle the human tendency to burn out, but said that “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” If the improvement in behavior—whether related to physical or spiritual health—is temporary, then its reward will also be temporary. In 19 places, the Bible mentions “backsliding” into old bad habits or sins after having gained ground in overcoming them. That is our natural tendency. Instead, we need consistency and progress. Rather than undertake some brutal, unhealthy 17-day extreme diet and then return to our former eating habits, we should make more basic, permanent lifestyle changes that we can live with. Health is built by many factors besides diet. But consistently eating a balanced, healthful diet of moderate portions is the single best way to maintain a healthy weight. The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3John 2). Jesus Christ said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). God’s will is for us to lead a life of quality in every respect—including that of physical health. This is why He gave us definite laws of health in the pages of His inspired instruction manual. Be wary of the shifting winds of fad diets. Instead, consistently apply these practical laws and reap the wonderful benefits of a healthful, robust physical life
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 05:22:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015