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Creationist Diet:
Second Edition
A Comprehensive Guide to Bible and Science Based Nutrition
Book and eBook By Gary F.
Zeolla,
the Director of Fitness for One and All
This Second Edition is 2-1/2 times as long and presents a different perspective on diet than the First Edition. The First Edition mostly advocated a vegan diet, while this Second Edition also advocates for a diet that includes animal foods. But, and this is very important, those animal foods are to be what are called “old-fashioned” meats, dairy, and eggs, not the “factory farm” products that most people eat. What is meant by these two terms and the incredible difference between them is explained in this book. In addition, this book covers a wide range of diet related topics to help the reader to understand how to live a healthier lifestyle according to God’s design.
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Notes:
Different formats and publishers might have different covers, but the content is the same in all of them.
The links to Amazon are advertising links, for which I receive a commission in addition to my royalty if a product is purchased after following the link.
Please ignore the PO Box at the end of this book. I no longer have access to that address.
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Preface
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 the relationship of diet to degenerative disease like heart disease, cancer,
stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis? These and other questions are addressed in
this book.
Starting with God’s decrees about foods at Creation, in the Garden of Eden, after 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. In this way, information is given to help 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 compared to what foods scientific research has shown to increase or decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Thus the reader can know what foods to include in your own diet and what foods to avoid.
This Second Edition is 2-1/2 times as long as the First Edition. Along with being much longer, this Second Edition presents a different perspective on diet. The First Edition mostly advocated a vegan diet, while this Second Edition also advocates for a diet that includes animal foods. But, and this is very important, those animal foods are to be what are called “old-fashioned” meats, dairy, and eggs, not the “factory farm” products that most people eat. What is meant by these two terms and the incredible difference between them is explained in this book.
In addition, this book covers a wide range of diet related topics to help the reader to understand how to live a healthier lifestyle according to God’s design. It is truly a comprehensive to diet and nutrition for Christians and others, as it covers every subject imaginable in regard to sound nutritional practices that would be helpful for the average person.
The author has a B.S. in Nutrition Science (Penn State; 1983) and attended Denver Seminary from 1988-1990. He is the translator of the Analytical-Literal Translation of the Bible and the author of numerous Christian and fitness books. He is also a powerlifter, being listed on the Top 20 All-time open (all ages) ranking lists and holds All-time masters (50-59 age) American and world records.
Zeolla is the director, webmaster, and primary writer for his four websites: his personal website (www.Zeolla.org), Darkness to Light Christian Ministry (www.Zeolla.org/Christian), Fitness for One and All (www.Zeolla.org/Fitness), and Biblical and Constitutional Politics (www.Zeolla.org/Politics). A detailed autobiography is available on the personal website.
Scripture Verses:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture verses are from the author’s Analytical-Literal Translation of the Bible (ALT). Copyright © 1999-2016 by Gary F. Zeolla (www.Zeolla.org).
Scripture verses marked NKJV are from: The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1982. Word counts from the Bible are based on the NKJV.
Table of Contents
(Page numbers are from the hardcopy editions)
Introductory Pages – 5
Preface ………...………………………………..……… 7
About the Author/ Disclaimers ………………………….. 8
Terminology ……………………………….…………… 9
Creation Theory ……………….……………………… 11
Background to Second Edition ..……………..………… 15
Analytical–Literal Translation …………………………... 17
Abbreviations Used in this Book……………………….. 19
Dedication/ Memorial to my Mom……………………… 25
Section One
Plant Foods – 27
1 – Genesis 1–3 (Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, Seeds) …. ... 29
2 – Grains and Legumes ……………………………… 53
3 – Problems with Restrictive Diets ………………….. 73
4 – Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of a Vegan Diet ... 91
5 – Organic and Non-GMO Foods ………………….. 137
Section Two
Animal Foods – 149
6 – Pros and Cons of Meat Eating …………………... 149
7 – Pros and Cons of Fish Consumption …………… 199
8 – Restrictions on Meat Eating ……………………... 221
9 – Additional Animal Foods ………………………. 285
10 – Milk Products and the Bible …………………… 307
11 – Arguments Against Dairy Consumption ……….. 335
12 – Calcium and Osteoporosis ……………………. 357
Section Three
Miscellaneous – 379
13 – Summary of Diets and God-given Foods …….. 381
14 – Foods, Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke …… 389
15 – Caloric Distributions …………………………. 399
16 – Comparison with Other Diets ………………… 419
17 – Lifestyle Changes, Maintained Body Fat Loss .. 459
18 – Author’s Diet/ Practical Tips ……….………... 491
Appendixes – 533
1 – Current Books by the Author ………………… 535
2 – Proposed Books by the Author ………………. 543
3 – Author’s Websites, Newsletters, and Social Sites 551
Notes:
The First Edition of this book contained two chapters on supplements. But I have plans to write a full book on that subject, so I will forgo comments in that regard until then (see Appendix Two).
The First Edition of this book also contained two chapters on exercise. But my fitness website contains much information in that regard, as does my book Starting and Progressing in Powerlifting, so I will refer the reader to those resources (see Appendixes Two and Three).
Other chapters were renamed and reconfigured, with information from different chapters being combined into one, and a couple of new chapters were added.
Excerpts
Creation Theory
A popular diet plan being promoted today 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 starting evolving 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” for 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. But before looking at what a “Creationist Diet” would involve, some of the basic points of the creationist position need to be summarized....
Chapter One
(Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, Seeds)
The place to begin in developing a Creationist Diet is with the Biblical accounts of Creation and of the Fall. These events are recorded in Genesis 1-3. There are three main passages to be considered in these three chapters. Each of these will be briefly exegeted and then a more detailed discussion of each of the kinds of foods mentioned will follow.
The first verse to be considered is Genesis 1:29:
29And God said, “Listen! I have given to you* every seed-sowing [fig., bearing] vegetation sowing seed which is upon all of the earth and every tree which has in itself [the] fruit of seed [that is] sown; to you* it will be for food.
Rex Russell, MD, in his book What the Bible Says about Healthy Living, comments on the first half of this verse:
Many plants fit into the categories of Genesis 1:29a: wheat, rice, oats, barley, millet, rye and other grains; legumes of all kinds (e.g., peas, beans); bush and vine-bearing fruits and vegetables (melons, grapes, berries, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, etc.) (p.31).
Thus grains of all kinds, along with certain kinds of fruits and vegetables would be included in this decree. But a point that Russell doesn’t mention is that “every seed-sowing [fig., bearing] vegetation sowing seed” would include the seeds themselves when the seeds are edible. Edible seeds include sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and flax seeds. In reference to the second half of Genesis 1:29, Russell writes:
This includes every conceivable fruit (apples, pears, apricots, plums, mangoes, avocados, etc.), as well as all nuts, both large and small (coconuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.) (p.31).
Thus this part of this verse tells us all kinds of fruits are God-given foods, along with all kinds of nuts. The second passage is Genesis 2:16. But verses nine and seventeen will also be included for background:
9And GOD made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful in appearance and good for food, and the tree of the life in [the] middle of the Paradise, and the tree to know [the] knowing of good and of evil....
16And the LORD God commanded Adam, saying, “From every tree in the Paradise you will eat [for] food, 17but from the tree to be knowing good and evil you* will not eat from it, but in which day you* shall eat from it, you* will die by death [fig., will certainly die]” (Gen 2:9, 2:16,17).
Note that “the Paradise” is traditionally referred to as “the Garden of Eden.” Thus God specifically told Adam and Eve they were to eat of “every tree in the Paradise” (or in the Garden of Eden), except for “the tree to know [the] knowing of good and of evil.” What grows on trees is fruits and nuts. Thus again, these are definitely God-given foods.
But then Adam and Eve sin against God by eating of the “forbidden fruit” (Gen 3:1-6). This is known theologically as “the Fall.” What that fruit was is unknown. By tradition, it is pictured as an apple. But it was probably a special fruit, different from all the others in the Paradise.
In any case, the last pertinent verse in these chapters is given after the Fall, in the second half of Genesis 3:18, “you will eat the vegetation of the field.”
Russell comments:
In Genesis 3, note that after Adam and Eve fell into sin God ordered a dietary addition, “You shall eat the herb of the field” (v. 18, NKJV). This was the food previously designated for the animals [see Gen 1:30]. These were herbs without seeds in them, such as lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, asparagus, etc., and the tubers (yams, potatoes, carrots, beets, etc.) (p.32).
These three passages could be summarized by saying God has given every kind of plant food to us for food: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes. Therefore, any and all of these would be included in a Creationist Diet.
However, another point relevant to the Creationist Diet principle is when each of these different foods actually began to be consumed by humans and in what form. The Bible does not give specific answers to these questions, but an attempt will be made to glean from the Scriptures the most likely scenario....
Chapter Three:
Problems with Restrictive Diets
The most likely interpretation of the evidence is that Adam and Eve, while in the Garden, ate a 100% raw foods diet, consisting of raw fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, and possibly raw grains.
Would such a diet be healthy today? It sustained Adam and Eve for however long they were in the Garden. Moreover, such a diet would consist solely of God-given foods in the raw form in which God most originally gave them to be eaten. Therefore, it would seem it would be. But is it? Many people today seem to think so.
Raw Foods Movement
There is a vibrant “raw vegan foods” movement on the Internet. Websites like “Living and Raw Foods” discuss many of the claimed benefits of such a diet, while presenting testimonies of people who have thrived on it. An article on this site even makes the following claims:
When food is cooked above 118 degrees F for three minutes or longer, its protein has become coagulated, its sugar has become caramelized, its natural fibers have been broken down, which means it will take longer to move through the intestinal tract, 30% to 50% of its vitamins and minerals have been destroyed and 100% of its enzymes have been destroyed. Cooked food depletes our body’s enzyme potential and drains the energy we need to maintain and repair our tissues and organ systems and shortens our lifespan….
When we treat foods with thermal fire, we lose up to 97% of the water soluble vitamins (Vitamins B and C) and up to 40% of the lipid soluble vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E and K). We need only one-half the amount of protein in the diet if raw protein foods are eaten rather than protein foods which are cooked. Heating also changes the lipids. These changed fats are incorporated into the cell wall and interfere with the respiration of the cell, causing an increase in cancer and heart disease….
If you consult the ancient scriptures and sacred writings, you will read that in Eden, people did not eat cooked food with “burning fire.” In fact, Chinese, Egyptian, Indian and Hebrew accounts, indicate that people were expelled from Paradise for using fire to cook food. Methuselah, it is contended, because he ate only raw foods, lived to an old age (Living. Why).
To comment first on the last paragraph first, we already saw that the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden was eating of the “forbidden fruit.” There is no mention or even hint in the Hebrew Scriptures, i.e., the Book of Genesis, that their sin was cooking food. We also already saw that soon after the fall, human beings learned to control fire and thus were probably cooking food. Therefore, the long lives of Methuselah and the other antediluvians were not due to eating a raw foods diet.
As for the other claims, it should first be noted that this article cites no references to support its claims. The same goes for every other article I checked on this website. They simply make outrageous assertions with no support whatsoever for them....
Chapter Six:
Pros and Cons of Meat Eating
As indicated in previous chapters of this book, God initially only gave plant foods to human beings for food. But after the Flood, in the same manner as plant foods, animal foods were given to human beings for food.
After the Flood, in Genesis 9:3, God told Noah and his family:
3“And every reptile [or, quadruped] which is living [Heb., Every moving thing that lives] will be to you* for food. Just as [the] vegetables of vegetation, I have given all [things] to you*” (ALT).
3“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs” (NKJV).
Thus after the Flood, God definitely gives “every moving thing that lives” to humans for food. And it should be noted, this is not a mere “permission” as many try to say. God “gives” animal foods to humans for food in the same manner in which He gave us plant foods. Therefore, just as God intended for human belong to eat plant foods, He now also intends for us to eat animal foods. This intention will be referred to as the Noahic Decree.
What this decree means is, a believer in the Bible cannot say it is wrong to eat animal foods. In order to do so, you would have to say it is also wrong eat plant foods, as God gives the exact same directive for the one as for the other.
To put it another way, if you claim to be a Christian but maintain that it is wrong to eat animal foods, then you are getting your ethics from somewhere other than the Bible. But this writer accepts that:
The Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, the complete revelation of His will for our salvation and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life (Tenet #1 on the Confession of Faith for the author’s Darkness to Light ministry).
As such, it cannot be said it is inherently wrong on ethical, spiritual, moral, or health reasons to meat. In other words, if it were immoral or unethical to kill and eat animals, God would not have given animal foods to humans for food, “Just as [the] vegetables of vegetation.” If you could attain a higher spiritual state by following a vegan diet, God would not have put animal foods alongside of plant foods as food for humans. And if it were unhealthy to eat animal foods, God would not have told us to eat them, as He only want the best for us.
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11; NKJV).
Moreover, if eating animal foods were intrinsically wrong, then the following would not have happened in Old Testament times:...
The Old-Fashioned Farm Alterative
As can be seen, many of the arguments by vegetarians as to why we should all become vegetarians do not hold water. But I left some of their claims un-responded to so I could respond to them together here.
The response was hinted at in the First Edition of this book when I quoted Rex Russell, MD as saying:
Therefore, I recommend eating only meat from cattle that are raised without hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides. This means we don’t need to eat meat to survive; but if we do eat meat, it would be better if it were range-fed, organic, chemical free-meat (p.75).
However, I went on to say, “The problem is, of course, finding such meat.” I said that as back in 2000, I was not aware of anywhere to purchase such meats in the Pittsburgh, PA area where I live. But since then I have found out there are many such places, as there is in just about anywhere else in the USA....
Many testimonials can be found on the Internet of people who formerly followed a vegan diet but ran into problems with it. These problems were resolved when they began including at least limited amounts of animal foods in their diet. But just as many testimonials can be found of the exact opposite, of former carnivores who say their health improved as a result of switching to a vegan diet. But then those same carnivores-turned-vegans might later give opposite testimonials of how their health began to fail after a few years on the vegan diet but then improved when they added meat back into their diets.
The reason for this apparent contradictory phenomenon should be obvious at this point. Plant foods contain nutrients that animal foods do not, and vice-a-versa. Thus when someone who has developed nutrient deficiencies from following one diet switches to the opposite one, these nutrient deficiencies are quickly resolved. But it takes time for new nutrient deficiencies to develop on the new diet. But when they do, switching to the opposite diet will resolve them.
Of course, all of this switching back and forth could be avoided simply by including healthy versions of both plant foods and animal foods in one’s diet....
Chapter Seven:
Pros and Cons of Fish Consumption
This chapter will look at an important class of meats, that of fish.
Fish and Fishing in the Bible
The word fish appears 61 times in the Bible. The first is in Genesis 1:26, when God gives dominion over the earth to human beings:
26And God said, “Let Us make humanity according to Our image and according to [Our] likeness, and let them be ruling [over] the fish of the sea and the birds [or, flying creatures] of heaven and the livestock and all the earth and all the reptiles [or, quadrupeds], the ones walking upon the earth.”
Given the proximity of the nation Israel to the Mediterranean Sea, and with the Sea of Galilee within its borders, fishing was an important source of income and food in ancient Israel. This is seen in many of the judgements upon Israel being upon their waters and fish:
1Thus says the LORD, “Of what kind [is] the scroll [or, certificate] of divorce of your* mother, by which I sent her away? Or to which debtor have I sold you*? Listen! You* were sold for your* sins, and for your* iniquities I sent your* mother away. 2For why did I come, and there was no person? I called, and there was not the one obeying? My hand is strong to redeem, is it not? Or I am able to deliver, am I not? Listen! By My threat I make the sea destitute and will make rivers a desert, and their fish will be dried up from [there] not being water and will die by thirst. 3And I will clothe the sky [with] darkness and will make its covering as sackcloth” (Isaiah 50:2; see also Ezek 29:4f; Hos 4:3; Zeph 1:3).
The importance of fish to the economy and diet of Israel can be seen in one of the gates of the wall of Jerusalem being called the “Fish Gate” (2Chr 33:14; Neh 3:3; Zeph 9:10).
But it is in the New Testament that the importance of fish is really seen. In fact, a simple outline of a fish was one of the earliest symbol of the Christians faith, for two reasons. First, the Greek word fish (Ichthus) forms an acronym in Greek that translated means, “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” Second, fish are mentioned quite often in the Gospels.
Some of the apostles were fishermen to begin with, and they even went fishing after Jesus’ resurrection (Matt 4:18-22; John 21:1-6). Jesus used fish in illustrations (Matt 7:10; Luke 11:11). Jesus multiplied fish (and loaves of bread) on two occasions, feeding multitudes with them (Matt 14:13-21; 15:29-.38). And Jesus Himself ate fish (Luke 24:42) and cooked it for the apostles to eat (John 21:9f). Paul also used fish in an illustration (1Cor 15:39).
All of this means fish is clearly a Biblical food. Next to Jesus and the apostles eating fish, the most important reference is the following:
11“Now which father [among] you*, [if] his son will ask [for] a loaf of bread, he will not give to him a stone, will he? Or also [if he asks for] a fish, he will not give to him a serpent instead of a fish, will he? 12Or also if he asks [for] an egg, he will not give to him a scorpion, will he? 13If you* then being evil know [how] to be giving good gifts to your* children, how much more will the Father of heaven [fig., your* heavenly Father] give [the] Holy Spirit to the ones asking Him?” (Luke 11:11-13).
Thus Jesus specifically calls “a fish” a “good gift.” With this statement and His example of eating and serving fish, it can be said that God intends for human beings to eat fish. Therefore, it is no surprise that fish is a very nutritious food, with there being many health benefits to eating fish....
But the title of this chapter is “Pros and Cons of Fish Consumption.” We will shortly turn to the “Cons” part of the tile, but a look at which form of fish is best will be a good lead in to that subject.
Farm-Raised vs. Wild Caught Fish and Potential Problems with Fish
Which is better, farm raised or wild caught fish? On this question, there is much debate. The following are comments in this regard:...
Chapter Ten:
Milk Products and the Bible
The last class of animal foods to be looked at is milk and other dairy products. Milk and milk products in themselves are not “moving things that live.” However, they come from living and moving animals, so they would have been included in the Noahic decree. And milk is mentioned quite often in the Bible.
The first reference to milk is in Genesis 18:8, in a passage we have looked at before:
6And Abraham hurried to the tent to Sarah, and he said to her, “Hurry, and knead three measures of fine wheat flour, and make loaves. 7And Abraham ran to the herd, and took a young calf, tender and good, and gave it to his bond-servant, and he quickly made [or, prepared] it. Then he took butter and milk, and the calf which he had made [or, prepared]; and he set [them] before them, and they ate, but he stood by them under the tree (Genesis 18:6-8).
Abraham lived about the same time as Job, so this gives us about the same time-period as for eggs. Again, this is later in human history than for other foods. And more importantly, it is after the scattering of people at the Tower of Babel. That will be important later
However, the “they” that ate this butter and milk are the LORD and two angels. Therefore, if God Himself in incarnate form ate dairy products, they are surely God-given.
Moreover, as with honey, milk has a prominent place in the Bible. It is, of course, included in God’s statement about the Promised Land “flowing milk and honey.” This phrase, as mentioned previously, occurs twenty times in Scripture. Milk is mentioned thirty additional times, and various other milk products are also mentioned....
This prophecy declares the glorious future of Israel. And this glory is demonstrated by the hills flowing with milk. With the reference to the Promised Land flowing milk and honey, the preceding verse in Proverbs, and this prophecy, without a doubt, milk is a God-given food, whether it comes from cows, sheep, or goats.
Claims about Differences in Today’s Milk
Despite this strong Biblical evidence that milk is a God-given food, there are some today who claim the milk we generally drink today is far different from the milk drunk in Bible times. It is further said that due to these differences, today’s milk is not healthy and should not be drunk.
Homogenization:
The first difference has to do with homogenization of milk....Thus the claims about deleterious effects from the homogenization of milk are all bogus, although you will still see these claims circulating on the Internet....
Pasteurization:
Similar claims circulate on the Internet about supposed deleterious effects from another processing method, namely that of pasteurization. The reason milk is pasteurized is to kill food borne pathogens. But it is claimed that pasteurization also destroys much of the nutrient content and other beneficial elements of milk.
The alternative to pasteurized milk is called raw milk. Raw milk is milk that has not been heat-treated. Advocates of raw milk claim that it is better tolerated than pasteurized milk, meaning that it can be drunk by those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk. They also make many other claims about health benefits of raw milk over pasteurized milk, complete with numerous testimonies on their websites, such as the afore-referenced Real Milk site....
Conclusion on Raw Milk:
The evidence indicates that both the claimed benefits and the claimed dangers of raw milk have been overblown. In other words, raw milk is not near as beneficial as raw milk advocates claim, nor is it near as dangerous as the USA government claims.
But given the risks (even if overblown) and the lack of evidence for benefits, I cannot in good faith recommend people drink raw milk. However, given my conservative, limited government political beliefs, I think people should be able to make this decision for themselves, without the government dictating the decision. Just be sure to investigate the issue thoroughly before consuming raw milk and especially before giving it to children. And the next chapter will raise another concern that should be considered before consuming raw milk....
There is strong Biblical evidence that milk and milk products are God-given foods. As such, they would be included in a Creationist Diet. In fact, given how often milk and milk products are mentioned in Scripture and the contexts in which they are mentioned, it is disingenuous for some to claim their diet plan is based on the Bible and to not include dairy products. But given that milk and milk products entered the human diet relatively late, they should be consumed in lesser amounts than the previously discussed foods....
Chapter Thirteen:
Summary of Creationist Diets and God-given Foods
The preceding chapters of this book have described four different variations of the Creationist Diet. Each is summarized below. Foods in square brackets are not actually mentioned in the Bible but would fit in the places indicated.
Edenic Diet: Raw fruits and vegetables (preferably organic), raw nuts and seeds, and possibly raw grains.
Antediluvian Diet: The above foods, plus: cooked fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains (preferably non-GMO), legumes [including peanuts], olive oil, [nut, peanut, and seed oils]).
Noahic Diet: The above foods, plus: old-fashioned, blood-drained, fat-trimmed, clean meats; old-fashioned, blood-drained, skinless poultry; clean, low-mercury fish.
Promised Land Diet: The above foods, plus: old-fashioned milk and other dairy products, old-fashioned eggs, honey (preferably raw honey).
But which of these diets should the reader follow? Only the reader can answer that question. But a few points are worth noting....
Rather than looking at specific versions of the Creationist Diet,
you could simply restrict yourself to eating only or at least mostly God-given
foods, while avoiding non-God-given foods....
With those words of warning, this chapter can be summarized by noting that foods can rather easily be divided into categories of God-given foods and not God-given foods. But how does this division compare to how scientific research would classify foods? This question will be addressed in the next chapter.
Chapter Fourteen:
Foods, Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke
Reference has been made to many scientific studies throughout this book. In fact, this writer has spent much time doing searches and reading abstract after abstract on PubMed. Among other things, I have been looking for patterns in regard to what foods are associated in epidemiological and controlled studies with increased or decreased risks for heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The following chart is how I would classify foods based on this research. Comments will follow....
Thus overall, generally speaking, the foods to be included and to be excluded in any version of the Creationist Diet have scientific support, along with the more important support of the Bible....
Chapter Fifteen:
Caloric Distributions
So far in this book, no reference has been made to caloric distributions, as in what percentage of calories should come from fat, carbohydrates (carbs), and protein. The reason for this is simple—people do not eat fats, carbs, and protein; people eat foods. In other words, most people do not calculate what caloric distributions each of their meals contain. And doing so could get rather tedious very quickly. But what people eat are foods. As such, the emphasis of this book has been on which foods are healthiest and which are not so healthy.
That said, there is major debate raging today as to which is the best kind of diet in regard to caloric distribution, both for weight loss as well as for health in general. Since the 1970’s, most nutritionists have been recommending people eat a low-fat diet. But of late, low-carb diets are the rage.
So where does the Creationist Diet fit into this debate? Is it a low-fat or a low-carb diet, or something in-between? Before answering this question, some definitions would be helpful....
Chapter Seventeen:
Lifestyle Changes for Maintained Body Fat Loss
“95% of people who lose weight regain it”
The above statistic is often repeated. I even did so in the First Edition of this book without researching the issue. And because of this statistic, many people who lose weight and regain it get discouraged and give up trying to lose weight, and many don’t even bother trying to do so. However, this statistic is just as false as other commonly cited mythological statistics, like “We only use 10% of our brains” or “50% of marriages end in divorce.”
Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
For this Second Edition of this book, I actually did some research in this regard, and I found the rate of people who lose weight and keep it off is actually much higher than the commonly claimed 95% failure/ 5% (1 out of 20) success rate. This has been demonstrated by actual research into this matter:...
Thus there are many benefits to losing weight and keeping it off, and it gets easier as time goes on. Note also the mention of a “triggering event.” This is often a health-scare that causes a person to start to concern themselves with getting their weight under control. But it would be far better to get control of your weight before developing health problems due to being overweight.
Personally, I do not like the phrase, “go on a diet.” If you go on something, it implies that sometime in the future you will go off it. This is when dieters will go back to their old eating habits—the ones that got them overweight in the first place.
What is needed is to make permanent lifestyle changes, as the preceding quotes indicate. If you decide you want to lose body fat, then you need to accept you can never go back to eating the way you are now. Also, exercise must become a permanent part of your lifestyle....
Chapter Eighteen
Author’s Diet/ Practical Tips
For the most part, so far in this book, I have avoided referring to my own diet. The reason for this is I do not want to hold up myself and my diet as being the “example” that everyone else should follow.
This book tries to present dietary guidelines from the Scriptures and scientific studies and then leaves it to the reader to decide for yourself what is the best dietary strategy for you to follow.
But in case the reader is curious by now as to what type of diet this writer is following, this final chapter will discuss my personal diet plan. Along the way, I will present practical tips for following a Creationist Diet and tell a few personal stories. But first, some personal information and background would be helpful....
For an extended excerpt from this book, see A Vegan Diet: Should You Try It?
The above preview was posted on this website May 10, 2017.
It was updated June 1, 2023.
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