Amazing Health Facts Magazine

What was the original diet for humanity? According to the Bible, after Creation, Adam and Eve were instructed to eat fruits, grains, and nuts. God also instructed them to eat vegetables: “You shall eat the herb of the field” (Genesis 3:18 NKJV). These were the original God-given dietary plans for those living up to the time of the Flood. Following the Flood, due to the global obliteration of vegetation, a total plant-based diet was impossible for Noah and his family. In order to provide a consistent food source, God allowed for the eating of meat. However, God also designated the healthiest variety of animal for consumption, referring to these as “clean.” (See Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14:3-21.) Of course, instead of going into the ark in pairs, clean animals went in by sevens! Even though it was necessary at the time, meat eating apparently contributed to a tremendous decline in longevity. Before the Flood, human life spans remained steady at around 900 years (Genesis 5). After the Flood, we find that Noah’s son Shem lived to be 600. Only nine generations later, Abraham lived to be just 175. Today, the average life expectancy is just a Nutrition Born in 1483, Thomas Parr is said to have lived to the incredible age of 152! If true, that means he saw 10 sovereigns on the throne of England, including the entire 50-year reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In 1635, King Charles I invited Parr to his palace and inquired as to how the old man managed to have such a long life. Parr answered that he had lived a simple life as a farmer, eating mostly potatoes, fruit, and oatmeal. Unfortunately, “Old Parr”was not accustomed to the rich foods served at the palace. That night after dining, he became very ill — and died. King Charles felt so terrible for having killed Britain’s oldest citizen with royal delicacies that he commanded Parr be buried in Westminster Abbey, where his grave can still be seen today. It appears that Parr was living proof of the connection between a longer, stronger life and what you eat. In the beginning … we ate our fruits and vegetables. Even though God permitted the eating of meat, He warned people not to eat meat that still has its lifeblood in it (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 3:17, 1 Samuel 14:32–34). Indeed, some tribes in Africa, like the Maasai, consume blood as part of their diet. Autopsies performed on 50 Maasai men showed extensive heart disease. Though their extremely physical lifestyle offers some protection, they still have the worst life expectancy in the modern world (45 years for women and 42 years for men). “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” (Genesis 1:29 NKJV). Amazing Health Fact 4