Nutrition in Scripture

My scripture quotes are from "The Scriptures" published by the Institute for Scripture Research. Elohim replaces God, and Yahuweh replaces LORD.

I've heard many Christians lately say that they don't need to eat healthy. They believe as long as they pray and give thanks for their food then cruddy food isn't going to effect their bodies negatively. Now, if you are in a situation where the only option is to eat something bad or you will starve to death, I believe praying in this case may help that food not do harm to your body. But if you constantly eat cruddy food and expect God(Elohim) to heal you, that is a wrong assumption or belief. You are defiling your temple, on purpose.

The body is the temple. You glorify God(Elohim) in your body. 1Corinthians 6:19-20 says "Or do you not know that your body is the Dwelling Place of the Set-Apart Spirit who is in you, which you have from Elohim, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price, therefore esteem Elohim in your body and in your spirit, which are of Elohim."

1Corinthians 3:16-17 says "Do you not know that you are a Dwelling Place of Elohim and that they Spirit of Elohim dwells in you? If anyone destroys the Dwelling Place of Elohim, Elohim shall destroy him. For the Dwelling Place of Elohim is set-apart which you are." In KJV Dwelling Place="temple". This verse is telling you that if you defile your temple He will destroy you. It would be false to think if you feed yourself bad food, that praying would save your health. Like the above verse says, it's just the opposite, you will be destroyed.

Genesis 3:19 says "By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken." After man sinned, Genesis 3:23 says "so Yahuweh Elohim sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken" Man has removed himself so far from the way God (Elohim) intended him to live, and then wonders why there is so much sickness. Man is eating so much processed, packaged foods which have no nutritional value AND no work, sweat, was needed to obtain them.

Genesis 1:29-30 says And Elohim said, "See, I have given you every plant that yields seed which is whose fruit yields seed, to you it is for food and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to every creeping creature on the earth, in which there is life, every green plant is for food. And it came to be so." This doesn't say put pesticides on your plants and it is food. It doesn't say genetically modify the food because what He made isn't good enough. It doesn't say process the food and then eat it. It says to eat it in it's whole natural form. Man alters the food that God (Elohim) made and turns it into a disease causing food product. It is proven that pesticides accumulate in your body. Pesticides have been found in unborn fetuses. Preservatives and chemicals are only good for your body if you're dead, which is where you're headed if they're in your food. Genetically modified food is known to cause organ failure, sterility, causes allergies, and even death. Is that what God(Elohim) wants us to put in our body? No, he wants us to be healthy, he doesn't want us to be sick. That is why he outlined what we should eat.

Then there's the animals we should eat. If you look at Leviticus 11 it outlines that you shouldn't eat the camel, rabbit, hare, pig, eagle, vulture, black vulture, hawk, falcon, raven, ostrich, nighthawk, seagull, owl, pelican, stork, heron, hoopoe, bat, flying insects that creep on all fours, anything that goes on its paws, the mole, mouse, tortoise, gecko, land crocodile, sand reptile, sand lizard, chameleon, every creeping creature, whatever crawls on it's stomach, anything in the water without fins and scales. You do eat the animals that chew the cud AND have a split hoof, any fish with fins and scales. The bugs you can eat, ewwwww but....ok if I'm lost in the woods (haha), locust, cricket, and grasshopper. There has to be a reason He said not to eat these, I don't think He randomly picked animals for food. There has to be something about those animals that is not good for the body He created for us.

Here's a fact that's disturbing, almost half of all Americans die of heart attack and strokes. The percentage of Christians and non-Christians is identical. So maybe “just” giving thanks for your food isn't enough. Just maybe it really does matter what food is put in your body. 30 percent of Americans develop cancer, same in the Christian community. Food is for fuel, that's it. God (Elohim) made our bodies to be self healing. The body, just like a car, needs the proper fuel to function properly.

Romans 12:1-2 “I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.” Treat your bodies the way in which it would please God (Elohim). I don't think anyone can pray about and really put thought into it and come up with it not mattering what food is put into your bodies. You were given this body for this life. You were trusted to take care of that body. This body is your temple in which the spirit is in. If you eat a donut (fried, white flour, white sugar, etc) is that glorifying God (Elohim). It really isn't. Now, if I pray and give thanks for that donut, it is going to have the same effect on my body as spinach and leafy greens? I am a firm supporter and believer in the power of prayer...but if you aren't adhering to the rules and laws put forth for you, I don't think those prayers are going to be answered.

We must make our best effort to put in us that is the best fuel. But here's a verse that may put some at ease since everyone has their limitations, whether it's a budget or whatnot. In Proverbs 30:8 it says “Feed me my portion of bread”. In the KJV it says: “feed me with food convenient for me” If you look up the Strong definition of “food” it says “bread” and “convenient” means “statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due”. Convenient does not have the same meaning here as it does today. I take this as saying, if you have a budget that just doesn't allow you to eat “perfectly”, do your best. If you have been “limited” on the organic or natural foods you can buy/prepare/serve, do what you can. If you are doing the best you can in your limitations, I believe you will still be blessed. But that is something to take to prayer.

Our bodies were designed to run off whole foods, not processed foods. Going back to Genesis 1:29 “See, I have given you every plant that yields seed which is whose fruit yields seed, to you it is for food...”