Adventists see a plant-centered diet as an important factor in total wellbeing impacting spiritual, mental and physical health. What we eat does not impact salvation or guarantee our ticket to heaven. To be clear, following dietary guidelines doesn’t make us more “righteous” than anyone else. Rather there is truth to the saying “you are what you eat.” What we consume contributes to or undermines the vibrant life that God wants for each of us (John 10:10; 3 John 2).
Adventists strive to maintain a diet based on foods in their most natural form. You’ll find that many Adventists are vegetarian (avoiding meat) or vegan (avoiding all animal products), opting for whole foods and plant-based choices. The original diet God established in the Garden of Eden, before sin changed everything, was plant-based and compassionate, no animal or plant would die to feed and nourish another life. “Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food (Genesis 1:29). It was only after the Fall we realized the wages of sin was death and meat became part of our diet.
Did you know Adventists in Loma Linda, California, are among the people with the longest life expectancy in the world?
Partnering with the National Geographic Society, writer Dan Buettner located 5 places in the world that had high concentrations of centenarians, (people over 100 years old). Many of these people have grown old without significant health issues like heart disease, obesity, cancer, or diabetes. He called these places Blue Zones.
One of these places was a small city that has the highest concentration of Seventh-day Adventists in the United States: Loma Linda, California. And the Adventists in this area live up to 10 more healthy years than the average American.
This is attributed to their vegetarian diet, and other healthy habits such as observing a weekly Sabbath and avoiding alcohol and tobacco. The study showed that 95% of all people who lived to be 100 ate a diet rich in vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
Even with the emphasis on eating well, Adventists know that keeping up a healthy, balanced diet isn’t easy these days. So many factors can make this difficult, like having less time to cook, limited budget, less available options, allergens, or feeding a family of picky eaters.That’s why there are many Adventist programs and resources available on the subject of nutrition. Helping one another is one of the keys to success in maintaining healthy habits. It can be fun to share creative ways to prepare healthy meals and include beneficial foods in our diets. Lots of individual Adventists, churches, or ministry groups have put together cookbooks, host cooking classes, or offer courses or seminars
We look forward to sharing these resources and welcoming you to join us at the Planted Expo in Vancouver June 1 and 2. Find us at Booth 125.