Day 10 Devotion – God’s Diet Plan

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Genesis 1:29-30


You will notice here in the beginning that God gave permission to eat plant material but there is no mention of eating animals. We will see later that permission to eat animals is given to Noah following the flood. Is God really telling us here that his original plan for us was to be vegetarian? Is there any scientific evidence that a vegetarian diet is better for us? I have to admit that I was brought up as a meat and potatoes man so if I eat a meal without meat it seems strange to me. Americans suffer from diseases that are not seen in most other places in the world. The leading killers in the U.S. are not infectious diseases but diseases linked to lifestyle choices. The top killer in America is heart disease and a couple of other cardiovascular diseases are in the top ten. Diabetes and especially type II diabetes ranks very high as well. These diseases are linked very highly to heavy consumption of animal products. Animal food sources are very high in cholesterol and saturated fat. Colon cancer has also been linked to grilled meats, sausage and foods fried in polyunsaturated oils. It should not be surprising to us that the healthiest diet in the world that dieticians recommend is the Mediterranean diet. This diet consists of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. They also consume a lot of fish. Fish is excellent for us because of the omega-3 fatty acids that promote good circulation. Plant material is high in fiber, which promotes good intestinal movement and helps eliminate bad LDL cholesterol. Red meat is a good source of iron but it is recommended to only eat four to six ounces two or three times per week. This means that most Americans eat more than a week’s worth of meat in one sitting. Vegans do have trouble getting enough protein so just back off on your meat intake and increase your veggies.