Creation's Design: A Vegetarian Diet
In the beginning Adam and Eve ate a plant-based diet and had access to the tree of life.
Genesis 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Even after the fall Adam and Eve had a plant-based diet, but from the field as they were no longer in Eden.
Genesis 3:17-19 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
God Allows Meat
Noah's family were given permission to eat meat after the flood. Most likely because there was no plant life to eat.
Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
God Sets Guidelines for Meat Eating
God commands men not to eat unclean meat.
Leviticus 11:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
(Read Leviticus 11 for the specifics.)
Back to Creation: A Vegetarian Diet
A return to a plant-based diet and the tree of life.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
God allows man to eat clean meat, but it is not the diet we were created to eat.
Health Issues and Disease
Your body tells you all you need to know. It gives you warning signs that your diet may not be the best for you. Chronic pain and inflammation. Brain fog, bad memory, the inability to focus. Heartburn and indigestion, and distress. The feeling of being weighed down all of the time.
In recent years there have been studies (
here's one) that have shown that meat eating increases the risk of colon cancer by 30%. And now we're seeing colon cancer starting to appear in children (
source).
My Own Experience
Our church has a program called NEWSTART. Nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, temperance, air, rest, trust (in the Lord).
The one that most overlook is temperance, which is moderation or self-restraint. In my own life I had multiple food and drink addictions. I was eating and drinking in excess to make myself feel better, but it was only making me feel worse. I wasn't practicing portion control. I was eating all of the wrong foods. Meat was my primary food, and I was eating it in large quantities. I was drinking large amounts of caffeine. I was drinking alcohol.
Once I broke free of my addictions and started eating a mostly vegetarian diet, I noticed my chronic pain went away. I lost weight. I feel better now than I have in a long time, since I was a teenager. I have clarity of mind and focus. I used to have heartburn all of the time when I ate a lot of meat. I haven't had heartburn since.
It's gross to mention, but I have to because it's relevant. My bowels were in turmoil because of my diet. Once I settled into a vegetarian diet my digestive system normalized. The bad smells in the stool were gone too (which I attribute to meat).
If your body is trying to tell you something, you might want to try a vegetarian diet. I can tell you from personal experience that you feel much better when you go vegetarian.
Conclusion
My own conclusion:
If we were created to eat a plant-based diet, and we are going to return to a plant-based diet, then it makes sense that we are to eat a plant-based diet. The concession that God gave Noah, and the clean/unclean guidelines do allow us to eat meat, but I think it is evident that meat should be in moderation, or as little as possible. My own experience has shown this to be true, after going from a destructive indulgent diet to vegetarianism.
I do think that people don't realize the implications of how much of an effect diet has on mental and physical health. As Christians we are called to do better, but how can we do better if we're living a life of intemperance and indulgence?
Ellen White wrote a lot about diet. Here is one quote:
Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect, that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.
