Creationist Diet -- Nutrition and God-given Food According to the Bible [Paperback]

Gary Zeolla (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2000

What did God give to human beings for food? What does the Bible teach about diet and nutrition? How do the Biblical teachings on foods compare to scientific research on nutrition and degenerative disease like heart disease, cancer, and stroke? These and other questions are addressed in this book. Starting with God's decrees about foods at Creation, the Fall, and after the Flood, and gleaning nutrition information from the rest of the Bible, this book proposes four different possible Creationist Diets, presenting the pros and cons of each. These different possible diets are also correlated with scientific research. So information is given to the reader to decide on what type of diet would be best for you personally. In addition, foods are divided into 'God-given foods' and 'not God-given foods.' These lists are then compared to what foods scientific research has shown to increase or decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke. So the reader can know what foods to include in your diet and what foods to avoid. Osteoporosis and other health problems with dietary connections are also discussed, along with dietary supplements, exercise, and related issues. So this book covers a wide range of topics to help the reader begin to live a healthier lifestyle according to God's design.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary F. Zeolla is the director of Darkness to Light. This ministry addresses Christian theology, defense of the faith, cults, ethics, and many other issues. Research for these topics and Zeolla's own Bible studies led to his Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible. Also addressed is the subject of Bible versions. This research led to Zeolla's book Differences Between Bible Versions and his Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament. Zeolla also directs Fitness for One and All, which is dedicated to helping people attain their health, fitness, and performance goals. His efforts in this area and his love of the Bible led to his book Creationist Diet: Nutrition and God-given Foods According to the Bible.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A popular diet program being promoted today, especially on the Internet, is the "Paleolithic Diet." The idea of the diet is to eat like a "Paleo-man" i.e., a caveman. The theory behind the diet is that the healthiest way to eat is the way our ancestors ate from when we first evolved into Homo sapiens about two million years ago, until our diets changed a few thousand years ago. Such a diet would be how evolution "intended" us to eat.

Such a diet does have plausibility, if one believes in the theory of evolution. I for one do not. But this "Paleolithic Diet" got me thinking as to what a diet based on the theory of creation would look like.

Accepting the creation scenario as literally true has several implications that will bear on the question of diet. First off, all human beings are descendents of Adam and Eve. As such, any dietary directives God gave to Adam and Eve would apply to and have been passed on to all human beings. Furthermore, these were the only God-given dietary directives for human beings during the entire antediluvian (before the Flood) era.

Second, all human beings alive today are descendents of Noah and his family. So again, any dietary directives God gave to Noah would apply to and have been passed on to all human beings. However, it should be noted that any such dietary directives would have been given much later in human history than the ones given to Adam and Eve.

Third, the Tower of Babel is a turning point in human history. With the scattering of humans over the planet, and the division into races, no longer could dietary directives be given to the entire human race. Each people group would begin to develop their own, unique dietary habits.

The import of these three points is this: any dietary directives given to Adam and Eve would constitute the most "basic" or original diet for humans. Dietary directives given to Noah and his family would still be important for all peoples, but they would be later, less basic, and less original directives. And information about diet in the Bible after the time of the Tower of Babel would be even later, and even less basic, and in no sense original.

So the thesis of the Creationist Diet is that the earlier a dietary directive is given, the more basic and applicable it is to all peoples. Or to put it another way, the earlier a food entered into the human diet, the more likely it is that it is a healthy food for all peoples. Whereas, the later a food entered into the human diet, the less likely it is to be a healthy food for all people.

So with that background, this book will now try to ascertain from Scripture when different kinds of foods entered into the human diet. And most of all, this book will try to discern what are "God-given foods" based on dietary directives given in the Bible.

What this means is Genesis chapters 1-11 will receive the most emphasis in developing a Creationist Diet, which is appropriate as it is from these chapters that the creation theory is developed. However, since "All Scripture [is] God-breathed and [is] beneficial" (2Tim 3:16; ALT), other parts of Scripture will be taken into account at appropriate points.

In addition, throughout this book, numerous scientific studies will be cited which demonstrate science is finally catching up with the Biblical teachings on diet.

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587218526
• ISBN-13: 978-1587218521
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,496,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating from two perspectives, June 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Creationist Diet -- Nutrition and God-given Food According to the Bible (Paperback)

This is one of the rare books that is both theologically intriguing and of practical value for everyday living. Normally books that link religion to nutrition are not high on my list, but this one is free of sectarian bias and other complications I have found common among this genre.

The book presents four basic diets evident from Scripture and cites a mass of secular authorities on nutrition demonstrating the value of such diets. Of particular interest was the section on God-given and not-God-given foods. Many common, and unhealthy, assumptions about foods are overturned.

The pros and cons of each diet are honestly considered and when necessary, strategies are presented to supplement the diets for the best health. This book is definitely for the person who wants to think through his or her dietary choices rather than accept someone's "formula." With this book, you are not simply told what to do but are also given the reasons why.

The book is highly educational on nutrition, and the information is given in a very easy to read format. What I personally found even more fascinating, however, was the comparison of the diets of these ancient peoples with the most modern scientific data. Surely, their healthy diets are strong evidence that they did indeed have a God who cared for them; for there was certainly no way they could have known of themselves, in such primitive times, to this astonishing degree what foods were, in the long term, healthy or unhealthy.

13 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOGICAL, March 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Creationist Diet -- Nutrition and God-given Food According to the Bible (Paperback)

This is the very best and most logical book I've ever read on "Bible Foods".

10 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meticulous science, February 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Creationist Diet -- Nutrition and God-given Food According to the Bible (Paperback)

It's good to see a book on nutrition that has applied the principles of science so vigorously. I'm sure that everyone who reads this book will start to feel better immediately.