Question:
What do my eating habits have to do with my religion?
Answer:
We all have certain eating habits. Some are very neat and dainty; some are course and rough, but we all eat, or we would not have life. What we eat and how we eat are an individual matter.
Health is one of the most important possessions we human beings can have. We may have wealth or intelligence, but if we do not have the health to use them properly, we cannot be the blessing God intends us to be.
God Himself instructed our first parents as to what they should and should not eat. (Geneses 1, 2, and 3.) Since sin entered this world when Adam and Eve ate what God told them not to eat, getting out of this sinful world may have something to do with what we eat. Regarding this, Ellen White wrote: “The reason why many of us will fall in the time of trouble is because of laxity in temperance and indulgence of appetite.
“Moses preached a great deal on this subject, and the reason the people did not go through to the promised land was because of repeated indulgence of appetite. Nine-tenths of the wickedness among the children of today is caused by intemperance in eating and drinking. Adam and Eve lost Eden through the indulgence of appetite, and we can only regain it by the denial of the same.” Review and Herald, October 21, 1884.
The Bible is the very best guide for our religious principles, so we should consider what it says about health. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” III John 2.
God is love, and every instruction that He gives us is for our best good and happiness. (See Deuteronomy 6:24.) Since He tells us that He wants us to prosper in health as well as in our spiritual lives, it would be well for us to study how we can have good health. Good health depends on good health habits, which includes our diet. Therefore, it is well for us to study what our bodies need in the way of nutrition that we may fulfill the desire of the Lord in having good health as well as a good religious experience.
Paul wrote: “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” I Corinthians 10:31; 3:16, 17.
One way that many people destroy their bodies is by poor choices of food. Many people are suffering from obesity, heart attacks, strokes, and many other maladies that could be prevented by proper diet.
The psalmist says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvelous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.” Psalm 139:14. God gave us a wonderful body, and He also gave us intelligence. It is up to us to use our intelligence in choosing healthful food to eat.
“There is work for us to do—stern, earnest work. All our habits, tastes, and inclinations must be educated in harmony with the laws of life and health. By this means we may secure the very best physical conditions, and have mental clearness to discern between the evil and the good.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 25.