Customer Reviews

The Hallelujah Diet : Experience the Optimal Health You Were Meant to Have

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is a workbook to accompany the "The Hallelujah Diet." See my review of that book as well.

My father was an elite "Health Minister" of this organization which he sought out after he was diagnosed with 4th Stage Kidney Cancer in October of 1999.

My concerns with regard to this book are not with a vegan diet which I understand and observe many to be on and to do just fine. My concerns are with the philosophy and teachings underpinning the book and how it is used to profit the author and the organization of Hallelujah Acres which seeks not just to have you change your diet, but more importantly from their perspective, to buy their products.

The entire premise of this book theologically is based upon George Malkmus' interpretation of Gen 1:29, which he takes to mean that God created mankind to eat only fruits and vegetables. Based upon this interpretation, which is not accepted by a majority of Biblical Scholars, Malkmus suggests that meat entered the human diet at the fall of Adam and Eve. While he does not suggest that eating meat itself is necessarily sinful, he does strongly push the idea that this was God's original plan for diet and therefore anyone seeking to eat optimally should consider this as the first choice and reject any meat or animal products in their diet.

He goes further to teach that illness is caused and/or escalated by what he deems the Standard American Diet (conveniently acronymed as SAD for emphasis.)

Chielf culprits are any and all meat products, dairy products and then sugar, flour, salt.

It would be one thing if he left it here and invited you to join him with his diet plan.

He doesn't however.

Based on this rather shaky premise of questionable theology and some pretty questionable science and nutrition teaching (witness, for example, his discourses on Glucose and Fructose that refers to them as "complex" carbohydrates) that suggests there is an esoteric life giving quality to eating "live" food as opposed to "dead" food, he goes on to teach that there are things he has come up with to go above and beyond eating natural raw food.

This is the real point of the book in my opinion.

He wants you to buy BarleyMax, a product he sells through his traditional multi-level marketing business for a profit.

This is important enough to repeat.

Hallelujah Acres is not a ministry in a formal sense at all. They are a business and they sell products. Malkmus, through his weekly newsletter often appeals to what he does as a "ministry." He justifies that title and calls "ministry" such actions as giving free seminars, free electronic newsletters, counselors etc and holds that up as "proof" of his "ministry." Other companies call this "marketing."

Nutritionally their featured product "BarleyMax" (before this they used an AMA product named "BarleyGreen" which received a warning from the FDA for excessive claims beyond what science could substantiate) is sold by them and their "Health Ministers" often serve as financial marketing partners who in turn profit from their ministry.

Recent developments in their teachings include now supplimenting their diet with vitamin B12 which often is a common deficiency in Vegans, the lack of which can lead to irreversible nerve damage. They resisted this recommendation for years despite overwhelming evidence of the need for this suppliment and then conveniently began to offer it for sale themselves; another cash flow.

Followers often frame their support of this diet in spiritual terms, implying or outright claiming that this is "God's diet plan" and any who oppose their teaching or question theirs and Malmus' claims are thereby attacking God.

The primary method of support relied upon are an overwhelming number of testimonies regularly put out from people who are on the diet. A consistent theme that even a casual observer can note in these testimonies is that many are on the front end of the diet and very excited about the weight loss and energy they have. Updates on these people is rare. There are always new people coming on who are caught up in the excitement and willing to claim healings and health improvement regardless of the medical substantiation of the claim, which is usually lacking or general in nature.

George Malkmus' own personal testimony of healing from cancer is based upon examinations by chiropractors and there is no pathology or medical records to substantiate his claim.

Tied into this teaching is a very strong negative assessment of the medical profession and the outright implication that they are profiteers seeking to perpetuate illness for their own gain in many instances. This is unless, of course, a doctor gives a person a frame of time to live due to cancer or some other illness. Then if that time frame is exceeded, the doctor was right and the diet is responsible for a "miracle." They will pick and chose what to accept and what to reject from the medical community based upon whatever is needed to promote the diet.

Ironically, in recent years, Malkmus has suffered a stroke and had high blood pressure which his diet and herb treatments could not control. He now sees a doctor and is on medications to control this condition. There is some question as to the nature of the stroke itself and whether it might not have been caused or exacerbated by his diet's deficiencies.

In closing, this is the how the story of my father ended. He was diagnosed in October of 1999 with kidney cancer in the 4th stage. He went on the Hallelujah Diet when the medical prognosis offered little hope. He did make remarkable progress although it was never medically verified as he refused to see a doctor for almost 5 years after his initial diagnosis.

He dropped 70 pounds, exercised and did seem to do very well and went beyond the 2 year outside window he was given as an estimate by the doctors. He was convinced he was healed and gave a great deal of credit to the Hallelujah Diet for his progress.

In July of 2004 he travelled to Shelby, North Carolina to become an elite Health Minister to step up his promoting of this diet to the many people that were encouraged by his testimony.

He submitted a testimony to Hallelujah Acres and they published it in their Health Tips Newsletter in August of 2004 emphasising his claim of healing and his praise of their diet despite the fact that in the testimony itself he acknowledged it was not verified medically.

My dad finally began to go to see 2 doctors when he began to have serious health issues and pain. In October of 2004, just 3 months after his testimony of healing was published, it was confirmed that his cancer had furhter metasticized and spread to 6 other organs.

Dad refused further medical treatment refusing to go to the hospital and resiting as strongly as he could anything for pain management. He died on Christmas morning of 2004, 5 months after his testimony was published in Hallelujah Acre's Health Tips proclaiming his healing.

In fairness to Hallelujah Acres, I sent them an update of his story recently asking them to publish the update in their newsletter. They did so, but only after considerable pressure on my part to get an answer from them and when they did publish the e-mail they edited out the date of death as well as the extent of the spread of the cancer and allowed people to think by implcation that Dad lived longer than he did. They also stated, without any medical support that Dad was in remission and then inferred that he came out of "remission" due to some actions of his own, rather than any shortcomings of the diet.

I'm grateful they had the integrity to print something. Their manipulation of the material in this manner is indicative of their general mode of operation in masking the whole truth when it does not generate praise for their diet plan and marketing their products.

I think there are many good elements to a vegan diet and that managed carefully it leads to weight loss, a correction of some medical conditions and a sense of energy and well-being for many people. There is no question in my mind that short-term, a diet of this nature can accomplish positive things as a change in lifestyle and bring amazing results.

Long term, there are serious questions as to the benefits versus the risks and there is a cadre of former adherants to this diet plan who often times are afraid to speak up for fear they will be personally criticized for their lack of will-power to remain upon this rigid diet plan that was equated with their spiritual commitment.

I am not against veganism or diet in the pursuit of homeopathic healing.

I am skeptical of the Hallelujah Diet's inner teachings, workings and their personal profiting from their diet plan which they entwine with questionable theology, questionable science and less than honest representations of their for-profit status and all the while manapulating their testimonies and claims.

Please read this book with this in mind, do some additional research on your own. Don't accept the claims of this organization without checking their teachings and science from other sources as well. You can learn a lot by Googling and reading the material that activity will yield.

I am an N.D. and have a practice here in Pennsylvania. I have owned this book for many years and for 5 years, I followed this diet "religiously". One of the reasons this diet is helpful, and to it's credit, is that is makes you aware of processed foods, and by avoiding them, you can improve your health and stabilize your weight. The real benefit comes not from the theology, but rather in making wiser food choices. I agree in avoiding packaged, processed foods, and the return to eating organic whole foods. To the book's credit is the fact that it warns it's readers to avoid chemicals in food, our households, and environment. I believe the healthiest diet in one that is based predominantly on plant foods (fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, whole-grains, and minimal organic animal products such as eggs, lean meat, raw cultured dairy, etc.) While I do agree with some of the thological points presented, there is one that is truly unbiblical. Rev. Malkmus teaches and believes that God allowed meat into our diets as a means of shortening our lifespan. When Noah exited the ark God repeated the blessing given to Adam in Genesis, of eating plant foods, but now included animal products in that blessing, and instructed Noah to be fruitful and multiply. It would not be the character of God to give man meat in the guise of a blessing, while really intending to offer man someting that would cause an earlier death. God does not offer a curse in disguise as a blessing. This is theologically opposed to the character and nature of God. If you want to purchase a book as a guide to a biblically based diet, one of the best is, "What The Bible Says About Healthy Living" by Rex Russell. Rex is a Christian M.D. and offers a balanced view. I have read just about every book on this subject, and this is the most balanced and easy to understand presentation I have found. Hope this review helps. Blessings. Dr. Dan

5 years ago I was diagnosed with lupus...very sick. I really thought that my life was going to go downhill from that point as I did alot of research on the disease and for everyone it seems to just snowball and get worse and worse until they finally die of some kind of complications. Also, lupus patients are very highly medicated. I decided that instead of going the medical route I would try this diet of juicing carrots and eating an 85% plant based diet. I was only 3 days into the diet and started to gain energy that I hadn't had in years. I continued to get better and better...and really, 3 months into it I was pretty much healed of the disease. I had no idea that a person could feel so good. I felt and still do feel better than I can ever remember feeling. even as a teenager (I am 48). i also lost 25 lbs which was a nice plus. I don't follow the diet 100% right now, but I do try to stick to it as much as possible and I very seldom eat meat. I kind of know my limits now, so cheat alot, but still feel great! I completely, 100% recommend this diet to everyone...especially if you are sick. yes, it is a life style change, but if you really love life and want to live it to its fullest, you need to give this a try.

The negative reviews are ridiculous! If the nay sayers would eat this way for just 30 to 90 days they would never go back! NEVER!
I had a friend's husband diagnosed with prostate cancer given less than 6 months to live drastically change their "LIFESTYLE" for a chance for life.
They embraced this way of eating & living. I watched them & saw him recover. I thought if anything bad ever happened to me I would do what they did. But my beer, pizza, cinnamon rolls, cookies, & steak were to important to me & I didn't really "need" to change. Only 2 years later my scare with cancer crossroads met me. I had to make a decision. I had to decide if my taste buds were in charge or was I. I took a month to "renew" my mind on what "food" was. My new definition was "Food was medicine & Medicine was my food". If it brought life & health to my body it was nourishing food for me. My mantra was "Goo, glue, mucus, & disease I don't want any of these".
After 3 months my 19 year old daughter decided to join in on my "lifestyle" change- I looked better & felt better than she had ever seen me. (Proof in the pudding!) Not only is my cancer gone, 32 years of menstrual camps-gone, 23 years of adult acne-gone, 13 years of bronchitis 6 to 8 times yearly-gone, 30 pounds-gone, constipation since kindergarten- gone, there are even more issues but... I don't remember because I don't deal with them any more!
All by just changing my diet! Food being my medicine! Too bad for all the nay sayers... Keep eating the foods that are bringing on your diseases. Just read "The China Study" or "The Mad Cowboy" or "Senior Fitness" or "Water for Health, for healing, for life" or "Eat to Live" or "Your Right to be Beautiful".
It's funny how many friends & family were concerned about me cutting out all meat & dairy. They watched me closely. The people who were the most worried are now enjoying the benefits of eating a 100% plant-based diet mostly raw vegan diet too! They saw my changes & wanted them too.
People, to find truth- follow the money trail. Are they selling you their product because it will nourish you or because of the profit?
I'll stick with George Malkmus and eat the "Garden" foods. Because you know.. He started us out in the Garden. ;o) Gen 1:29

Pill free, Pain free, & Disease free...
(my life goal... so far so good!)
2 1/2 years & counting....
"HALLELUJAH!"

This book was a great read and really points you in the right direction for optimal health. It was my doctor who told me about the book (he follows the diet in the book) so I figured - why not? When I first read the book I was already vegan, but didn't quite follow all the guidelines he includes. So, together with this book and the Meal Plans book written by Marilyn Polk, I dove headfirst into a change of lifestyle; and what a change it was! I have since lost over 100 pounds and I don't want to sound like an infommerical, but I didn't even have to try! I just feel 100% healthier, happier and more energetic and will NEVER go back to any other way of eating. I urge everyone to try it for a couple of months and see how they feel - I think you'll be very happy!

This diet changed my life. I spent years being sick with hospital bills through the roof, all before the age of 25. The past six months I have stayed on this diet, which was hard at first, and now that I am feeling better than ever and have been given a clean bill of health, I can not imagine eating the way I used to. I don't have to worry about diseases in my meat because I no longer eat meat, and I have no need to search endlessly through Cosmo for the perfect skin cream, because my skin is amazing! Try this diet if you want to live a vibrant and healthy life, in spite of the world's view on the pleasures of food and all of the other stresses that try to entice us to eat and celebrate with cancer causing sugary and chemical laden foods. I believe that this diet is for smart people; so if you're feeling like a genius and have been making great decisions in your life lately, there is just one more to make. Get this book!

I have been studying food, health, and nutrition for many years. I have spent years wading through the fads and wild assertions of many diets and health crazes, and took what works and kept it, and rejected what doesn't.

This book, by Rhonda Malkmus is one of the very few books that has a huge compilation of the valuable information that I have gathered over the years and put it in one very easy to read place.

I often recommend this book to many people who do not have the library of resources that I do because they will find the most amount of valuable information in this book than most books that I know of for those who are trying to change their life into a healthier mode of living.

The beginning of the book explains what needs to be in your kitchen, and what needs to be out. There are many recipes from 5star raw to 1star cooked so that you can adapt your diet to raw eating and include those in the family who do not want to eat like you.

Every recipe I have tried from this book has been excellent with few exceptions. The instructions are clearly laid out, and the ingredients are not outlandish like many raw books.

Some of the recipes sound boring, but in most cases, they are delicious. One thing I do not like about it is that some of the recipes for breads and cookies are all dehydrated which I do not have time to plan for in advance most of the time.

We especially love the raw soup recipes- asparagus, carrot, avocado, gazpacho, and raw chili.

There are even menu suggestions on the back in case you get stuck for what to feed the family.

Out of all of the raw food books I have, Recipes for Life is one that I reach for most often- especially when I am in a hurry.

Another very good raw recipe book is Sunfood Cuisine. It not only gives great delicious recipes, but it teaches you priciples of how to quickly put together your own recipes from what ingredients you already have.

I did not read the entire book but perused it, as it was a gift for a friend struggling with cancer. The book touts a connection to what we eat with what cancers occur. This diet and the organization behind it, have worked miracles for other friends, so I thought I would take a shot. The diet is not easy, as it recommends heavy on the "RAW"; and a flat hand to fast food..(just like every health book); but it also delivers HOPE to those who have little hope left. And a dear neighbor (who was not supposed to live past Christmas 05) today is in full remission and swears by this book. (She also looks better at 60 than she has looked in the past 25 years). So - I recommend any book that gives those with no hope - NEW HOPE. Best wishes.

This is an EXCELLENT book! I highly recommend it. You will learn so much in this book and it will help change your life. Are you tired of being sick? Tired of going to Doctors and paying large sums of money and they are just as sick as you are? Nobody seems to have the answers UNTIL you read this and other informative books from Hallelujah Acres. These people truely care about others and want people who are seeking the TRUTH a place where they can go and find it. Forget the negative reviews or else you will never find out for yourself the truth. It changed my life and my entire city has seen the difference that this diet and lifestyle can do, even my father who found out he had prostate cancer now has a dopted this diet and has some very amazing recovery already in 6 months and has lost a ton of weight. This book helped me to learn about foods! I later learned about the Hallelujah Diet & Lifestyle and changed my diet. I now look and feel 20years younger and my arthritis is gone! I used to weigh 215 lbs and now I weigh 167 lbs. I have been on the Hallelujah Diet for almost 4 yrs now and LOVE it. In fact as of this year (2009) I eat all RAW living foods and I can see even more difference. I highly recommend the HA diet and RE-learning about foods, what you eat may be causing your problems! It is not so important what you eat...AS COMPARED TO...What You DON'T EAT!!! After almost 4 years of changing my diet and lifestyle I have impacted my communtiy and several people now have learned about the HA diet and eating more raw living foods and understanding what food is and what food is NOT. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is killing us slowly in the wonderful country many have helped to build. The Love of money, greed and lack of understanding about what we put into our mouths everyday is the cause of up to 90% of all of phyical problems. I hope you will begin to learn and change, it worked for me and many others. Read as many books as you can and learn for yourself, and again I highly recommend the Hallelujah Diet & Lifestyle. It took years of learning and struggling to find this out, but it completely changed every area of my life in a very positive and healthy way! It's only a Book.... But the truth in it CAN change your life!

First, I want to address B. Breen's comment that Hallelujah Acres products are sold via MLM: this is absolutely NOT true. I am a Certified Health Minister myself and we have no such pay structure. We are not pushed to make sales, but rather for ministering to people with needs and questions.
This diet and lifestyle has benefited my husband and me immensely, and NOT financially from sales of product, and we know of many others who have been equally benefited LONG TERM, and of no one who has not.
I believe the TRUE Maker's Diet would be more correctly described by Genesis 1:29, which Rubin (author of 'The Maker's Diet') does quote, and which describes YHVH's Original Diet in the Garden, as well as the Hallelujah Diet. It just makes logical sense that this would be the ideal as it was given in the ideal state of man, created specifically for his body's needs. Noah appears to have been given permission to eat meat based upon need, as most vegetation had been destroyed in the flood. Just because we have permission does not indicate that it is YHVH's ideal for us. A consequence of adding meat was, indeed, shortened life span, according to Scripture, so that this 'blessing' was, simultaneously, a 'curse'. One may be blessed for choosing Yeshua, and, simultaneously, cursed with the consequences of one's previous actions during this lifetime. This doesn't mean one isn't 'saved', only that certain actions have natural, God given consequences, therefore this is definitely within God's Character.
I am a Certified Health Minister with a Bachelors Degree in Chemical Engineering and a work background as a Certified Environmental Trainer specializing in Health & Safety and Hazardous Materials who has studied several of Malkmus' books carefully and find them both effective and practical.