Foods of Eden

This is a re-visiting of the article I wrote in 2007 on the foods of Eden and other health promoting guidance from the Bible. However, since then I have re-thought my interpretation of the main scripture involved and have come to a different conclusion. The scripture is, 

“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.”

Genesis 1:29

I had said in the original article that this included the green herbs, such as lettuce and celery. I now believe those foods were added later to our diet. In the garden of Eden, I believe our ancestors were given seed foods and fruit. The seed foods would be grains and legumes and some other seeds, such as sunflower seeds. They grow on herbs. The interpretation of herbs according to Strong’s concordance is a plant that glistens (in the sunshine). Trees also have leaves that glisten in the sunshine, so I believe Adam and Eve ate nuts that grew on trees. I believe they ate the seed foods raw. Perhaps they only ate certain types of grain that could be eaten raw, or perhaps they sprouted grain to release the carbohydrates. Otherwise, grains need to be cooked to release the carbohydrates. The second type of food they ate was fruit, whether from a tree or from a vine. (A vine is like a small tree). Some fruits are sweet, such as apples and peaches. Some are not sweet, such as olives and tomatoes. I believe this also included the gourds, such as cucumbers and squashes. I believe potatoes and peanuts were not part of the garden of Eden diet because they did not grow above ground in the sunshine.

Things were going well for Adam and Eve until they sinned against God. They were cast out of the garden and God declared His judgement. “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.” Genesis 3:17-19. I believe this was when they started eating the green herbs, such as lettuce, cabbage, celery, and parsley. Their bodies were changed and decaying and they needed the green herbs for their healing. We desperately need those healing herbs in our diet because we too are dying. Also, we are besieged by poisons of our own making in our air, our water, and our food. We pump chemicals into everything. Adam and Eve were also told to make bread. They started to cook the grain, releasing the carbohydrates they needed to do the heavy work of farming. The herbs were plants that glistened (in the sunshine). I believe their herb diet did not include root vegetables such as carrots or beets. Also, no foods that grew from spores or bulbs, such as mushrooms or onions.

I am not promoting a strictly Eden type diet with green herbs added. There is nothing wrong with root vegetables or root seeds, or onions, garlic, or even mushrooms. But for ultimate healing, I believe in eating the green herbs that grow above ground. Our pioneer ancestors relied on potatoes, carrots, onions, turnips, and beets, to get them through the cold winters. We do not live in the climate of the garden of Eden.

I believe the descendants of Adam and Eve continued a vegetable and fruit diet until something huge happened. The judgement of the flood changed everything. Before the flood they were living long lives, sometimes almost a thousand years. However, they became so wicked God had to bring judgement on them and destroy most of them. After the flood, their lifespans gradually reduced, until they were only living about one hundred years. After the flood, God gave this judgement: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Genesis 9:3. This does not mean Noah ate pigs or snakes or rabbits. He knew the difference between clean and unclean animals. That knowledge was available before the flood (Genesis 7:2). After the flood, God gave the descendants of Adam and Eve the flesh of clean animals for their food, but He was telling them not to eat the carcasses of animals that died of unknown causes. The animals had to be moving (alive), and the people had to kill them. I believe the addition of animal products would include eggs and dairy products. Humans need some animal products in our diets or we get sick. Even strict vegetarians need vitamins synthesized from animal products.

I believe the two categories of foods added to the foods of Eden were the herbs and the animal products. I also believe God changed the human bodies of the descendants of Adam and Eve when they rebelled against God, and again after the flood. We are limited to a hundred years of mortal life, very few going beyond that number. We should thank God when wicked men do not live more than a hundred years.

In our modern society we eat too much of animal products and not enough of the healing herbs. Most people feast on the unclean meats. We add chemicals to our foods to preserve them and make them taste better. We fragment the Eden foods and other foods. For instance, we remove the nourishing bran and the wheat germ from flour to make white flour. We sap sugar out of beets to make white sugar. We saturate our diet with those fragmented foods. Is it any wonder we are so sick?

I eat a meal of herbs every day for my health. I will eat a whole head of lettuce with a large tomato, a piece of cheese, and an apple for dessert. I believe we can use animal products to supplement the Eden foods. Each Eden food is deficient in some types of amino acids, (building blocks of proteins). We can supplement what is missing with the addition of some cheese, eggs, or flesh food, just to fill in the amino acid gaps. Also, we can supplement grain foods with legumes. They have complementary amino acid compositions. For instance, combine whole grain bread with beans to increase the protein.

Keeping the Sabbath rest period and having the occasional fast are also good ways to increase our health. However, some people cannot fast, and some people have jobs that preclude the possibility of the Sabbath rest. Exercise is important too. I try to walk at least a mile every day. We must do the best we can. God bless all of you in your pursuit of health.