Over the last 20+ years, I’ve had a number of inquiries about my diet. So I figured it is high time that I publicly explain here.
You see, for health reasons, I follow a plant-based diet… sometimes commonly called veganism. I was introduced to this by the ministry called Hallelujah Acres.
It started in 1998 as a one-month experiment, just for fun. But the beneficial change to my body was so dramatic, that I have never looked back. For me, eating this way doesn’t take any discipline at all, because my entire body, mind, soul and spirit wants to do it. I have felt the most alive when eating this way. Curiously, it is almost like being on a life-long “Daniel fast.”
The idea behind this diet is that “living foods” are the best input for a living human body. I believe that God made plants for humans to consume. When we consistently put other things in the body (instead of plants), we potentially wreck it.
If interested, can you please read this extremely helpful summary and introduction?: (https://www.myhdiet.com/healthnews/science_of_her/gods-plan-to-reach-ultimate-health)
- I don’t eat this way for animal rights…although I love animals.
- I don’t eat this way because it is trendy.
- I don’t eat this way because I have to.
- I eat this way because I love the way it makes my body feel.
Some people go down this path due to doctor’s orders. Basically, they got sick and now they want to get better. For me, I’d rather not get sick in the first place. So I guess you could say that this is a preventative lifestyle. Whether you are sick… or you just don’t want to get sick, here are five short inspirational videos that have testimonies from people who have found this diet helpful.
- Arthritis — https://youtu.be/JPSa1ynWOb8
- Cancer — https://youtu.be/VPiYeRhhF1w
- Diabetes — https://youtu.be/PKExQ7625fQ
- Lupus — https://youtu.be/FoOuJ9Q1MTA
- Weight — https://youtu.be/XqhS0YJiEcg
I don’t consider this an identity. Meaning, I’m not a vegan, but I do eat vegan. I make that distinction since my identity is as a Christian, not in what I eat. Also, I eat this way freely, not in accordance with any Old Testament regulations.
Turning back the pages of history, we can see that through Moses, Yahweh gave his people dietary laws which were designed to keep them healthier than not. (As with other laws, these did not go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where people were likely eating only plants.) But nevertheless, the ancient Hebrews still eventually lost the essence of the laws (which was to be healthy), and instead turned them into rules. Therefore, some food became sinful and other food not. People shifted from being healthy, to following rules. Ugh.
Anyway, this imbalance went on, until, eventually, it also became an issue for the young Christian Church. In fact, in the New Testament, we see two main references designed to counter this tendency to think of food as sinful or lawful, and to instead bring us back to the basic idea that some food is just healthier than others.
- No food can make a Christian spiritually clean or unclean (Mark 7:1-23)
- Christians are not required, by rule, to follow any diet (Romans 14)
I encourage you to read these passages. You will see that in both cases, the debate is all about obedience to the Law, and whether Christians are required to obey Jewish law. Interestingly, the idea of health and nutrition is never really addressed in Mark or in Romans. That means that: You can be a faithful Christian and still honor God with a plant-based diet. (Some would argue it can be even more honoring since you might live longer.)
Selah
If your curiosity is piqued, and you want to give it whirl, there are no gimmicks and nothing to buy. Rather, there are just six things to remove from your diet: 1. meat (including fish), 2. dairy (milk/cheese/butter/ice cream), 3. salt, 4. sugar, 5. white flour and 6. white rice.
What’s left to enjoy?: veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes (lentils/beans) and grains (including brown rice). And try to make your diet mostly veggies and fruits. Finally, as much as possible, try to eat your vegetables raw when you can.
In closing, a while back I made another page that lists some things I have learned along the way. You might find some items beneficial: veganiphany.blogspot.com
© 2020, Alignment Life
DOWNLOAD FREE BRAVE BROWSER TO ALWAYS BLOCK ALL ADS.
Alignment Life 