The Original and Correct Diet
By Lenora D. Campbell
Bill of Fare Prescribed by One Who Knows In this twentieth century of rush and change and extremes, it is well for us to consider God’s original plans, laid down for His people in the beginning. Especially must we consult God’s word in the choice of food, since custom, appetite, and desire are unsafe guides. After making each plant and creature, and man, and knowing the composition and needs of every cell, who could so well as God prescribe a diet for His creatures? “Behold,” He said, “I have given you every herb yielding seed, . . . and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.” This was the best; but after the curse of sin drove man from his Eden home, permission was given also to eat “the herb of the field.” Fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables, then, constitute man’s original diet as appointed by the Creator; or as one has said, “it consists of those things which grow standing still.” THE ADVANTAGES OF SUCH A DIET
First, it is the most healthful. These foods, put up in the laboratory of nature, under the supervision of the great Food Specialist of the universe, and under the strictest pure food laws, are unadulterated. They contain no poisons, waste products, or other deleterious substances, but only life-giving elements. Second, it is the most nourishing. A pound of beans or wheat furnishes more repair material and energy than a pound of meat. A pound of beans yields 2,000 calories of heat: wheat, 1,650 calories; while meat yields only 1,000 calories a pound. Third, it is the best balanced diet. That is, a combination of fruits, grains, and nuts will contain, in the right proportion, all the elements needed by the body, with no excess of one class to be eliminated. Fourth, it is non-stimulating. These foods, prepared in a simple, natural way, do not spur the organs to abnormal activity, wearing away the life forces, as do the stimulating properties of meat — extractives — and various other foods. Fifth, it furnishes great variety. Nature’s abundant supply of fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables is found in every clime, and during every season. First in the spring come the juicy red strawberries and cherries, with the luscious blackberries and raspberries. These are soon followed by the rosy cheeked peaches, apricots, and pears. Then the many colored, delicious apples, the purple plums, the transparent grapes, come trooping in. The various melons are always on time to refresh us during the summer heat; and oranges, grapefruit, and bananas bless us the winter through. What an array! And each with its own individual color, shape, and flavor! Think, too, of the great abundance of nuts, small packages of concentrated food, found everywhere the year around. Consider the profusion of vegetables available in every country,— potatoes, beans, peas, corn, squashes, beets, and tomatoes. Then review the cereals,— rye, oats, wheat, rice, and corn,— and ask what more could be desired for variety. Sixth, it is the most appetizing diet, hence the most digestible. The so-called “appetite juice” produced by the stomach when food is relished, aids materially in the digestive process. Even the sick enjoy the beautiful fresh fruits, and are refreshed and benefited by them. Seventh, it is the purest, safest diet. No parasites are found encysted in the flesh of the peach, and no harmful bacteria growing in the juice of the grape. In fact, many fruit juices are slightly bactericidal, and thus not only are pure, but are purifiers, cleansing the alimentary tract. By virtue of the organic acids they contain, such as citric, malic, and tartaric, fruit573juices render the blood more alkaline, hence more efficient. Eighth, it is more economical. More food value by far can be bought in these foods, for any stated amount of money, than in any other. There is abounding life in the grains, fruits, and nuts, first hand, and sufficient for the requirements of every individual. They are healthful, nutritious, appetizing, and economical, without the harmful properties possessed by other classes of food. We see the wisdom of the Creator in choosing and providing such a diet for man. But by poor preparation, bad combination, or too great variety at one meal, of these most healthful foods, man may still depart from God’s original plan. We must learn to suit the amount, the kind, and the combination to the climate and the occupation. Prepared simply, rightly combined, and eaten moderately, however, these foods furnish the ideal diet. The great Physician who understands dietetics and food analysis more thoroughly than the wisest “food men” in this world, and who made each grain, each fruit, and each nut, has prescribed this diet for the sin-sick race. It is the best. So why not accept it gratefully, and eat to the glory of God?