Food

Food for Life – Disease in Animals

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“And what is so rare as a day in June?

Then, if ever, come perfect days;

Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,

And over it softly her warm ear lays.”

—Lowell

During this month we will see summer emerge from the chill of winter and the snowy landscape. How wonderful it will be when we get to Heaven, and there will be eternal summer there, and we will forever be with our Lord and Maker. No more seasons to worry about, no more problems of any kind, no more suffering and no more tears! Oh, my friend, do be there and enjoy for eternity the wonders that God has prepared for those who love and obey Him.

And now back to God’s word where once again we can read what His will is for us, and how we can perfectly obey Him in our daily living.

“Flesh was never the best food; but its use is now doubly objectionable, since disease in animals is so rapidly increasing. Those who use flesh foods little know what they are eating. Often if they could see the animals when living and know the quality of the meat they eat, they would turn from it with loathing. People are continually eating flesh that is filled with tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Tuberculosis, cancer, and other fatal diseases are thus communicated.

“The tissues of the swine swarm with parasites. Of the swine God said, ‘It is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.’ Deuteronomy 14:8. This command was given because swine’s flesh is unfit for food. Swine are scavengers, and this is the only use they were intended to serve. Never, under any circumstances, was their flesh to be eaten by human beings. It is impossible for the flesh of any living creature to be wholesome when filth is its natural element and when it feeds upon every detestable thing.

“Often animals are taken to market and sold for food when they are so diseased that their owners fear to keep them longer. And some of the processes of fattening them for market produce disease. Shut away from the light and pure air, breathing the atmosphere of filthy stables, perhaps fattening on decaying food, the entire body soon becomes contaminated with foul matter.

“Animals are often transported long distances and subjected to great suffering in reaching a market. Taken from the green pastures, and traveling for weary miles over the hot, dusty roads, or crowded into filthy cars, feverish and exhausted, often for many hours deprived of food and water, the poor creatures are driven to their death, that human beings may feast on the carcasses.

“In many places fish become so contaminated by the filth on which they feed as to be a cause of disease. This is especially the case where the fish come in contact with the sewage of large cities. The fish that are fed on the contents of the drains may pass into distant waters and may be caught where the water is pure and fresh. Thus when used as food they bring disease and death on those who do not suspect the danger.

“The effects of a flesh diet may not be immediately realized; but this is no evidence that it is not harmful. Few can be made to believe that it is the meat they have eaten which has poisoned their blood and caused their suffering. Many die of diseases wholly due to meat eating, while the real cause is not suspected by themselves or by others.” The Ministry of Healing, 313–315.

Recipe – Nut, Lentil and Rice Loaf

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1-2 tablespoons water

2 cups streamed brown rice

1 cup mashed lentils

2 tablespoons chopped onions

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

Sauté onion and sage in small sauce pan with the water. Mix browned flour and milk, stirring till smooth. Add this to the onion. Add remaining ingredients. Pack in non-stick loaf pan and bake at 350° for 20–30 minutes.

Food for Life – Flesh Food

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What a spring, and now officially it is summer! How very eager we all are to see what this brings forth! Out here in the sunny west it has proved very strange indeed. No rain when it should have stormed and then buckets full when everyone was relaxed and thought that all we had to do was look forward to water rationing! So for all of you wherever you are in this old world, we wish you well, and hope with all our hearts that you are looking for Jesus’ soon return when we can say goodbye to all these unpredictable seasons.

This month we will be looking at a passage from Ministry of Healing, 315–317.

“The moral evils of a flesh diet are not less marked than are the physical ills. Flesh food is injurious to health, and whatever affects the body has a corresponding effect on the mind and the soul. Think of the cruelty to animals that meat eating involves, and its effect on those who inflict and those who behold it. How it destroys the tenderness with which we should regard these creatures of God!

“The intelligence displayed by many dumb animals approaches so closely to human intelligence that it is a mystery. The animals see and hear and love and fear and suffer. They use their organs far more faithfully than many human beings use theirs. They manifest sympathy and tenderness toward their companions in suffering. Many animals show an affection for those who have charge of them, far superior to the affection shown by some of the human race. They form attachments for man which are not broken without great suffering to them.

“What man with a human heart, who has ever cared for domestic animals, could look into their eyes, so full of confidence and affection, and willingly give them over to the butcher’s knife? How could he devour their flesh as a sweet morsel?

“It is a mistake to suppose that muscular strength depends on the use of animal food. The needs of the system can be better supplied, and more vigorous health can be enjoyed, without its use. The grains, with fruits, nuts, and vegetables, contain all the nutritive properties necessary to make good blood. These elements are not so well or so fully supplied by a flesh diet. Had the use of flesh been essential to health and strength, animal food would have been included in the diet appointed man in the beginning.

“When the use of flesh food is discontinued, there is often a sense of weakness, a lack of vigor. Many urge this as evidence that flesh food is essential; but it is because foods of this class are stimulating, because they fever the blood and excite the nerves, that they are so missed. Some will find it as difficult to leave off flesh eating as it is for the drunkard to give up his dram; but they will be the better for the change.

“When flesh food is discarded, its place should be supplied with a variety of grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits that will be both nourishing and appetizing. This is especially necessary in the case of those who are weak or who are taxed with continuous labor. In some countries where poverty abounds, flesh is the cheapest food. Under these circumstances the change will be made with greater difficulty; but it can be effected.”

Recipe – Millet Supreme

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Place in Mini-Crock Pot:

1 cup millet

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups water

Let cook overnight. In the morning stir well and add:

½ cup chopped nuts

½ cup date rolls or pieces.

Stir well and cook another thirty minutes. Serve as a delicious and nutritious breakfast cereal. Left over may be molded, sliced and baked. Delicious, topped with Fruit Sauce.

Food For Life – Supplying the Place of Meat

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The place of meat should be supplied with wholesome foods that are inexpensive. In this matter very much depends on the cook. With care and skill, dishes may be prepared that will be both nutritious and appetizing, and will, to a great degree, take the place of flesh food.

“In all cases educate the conscience, enlist the will, supply good, wholesome food, and the change will be readily made, and the demand for flesh will soon cease.

“Is it not time that all should aim to dispense with flesh foods? How can those who are seeking to become pure, refined, and holy, that they may have the companionship of heavenly angels, continue to use as food anything that has so harmful an effect on soul and body? How can they take the life of God’s creatures that they may consume the flesh as a luxury? Let them, rather, return to the wholesome and delicious food given to man in the beginning, and themselves practice, and teach their children to practice, mercy toward the dumb creatures that God has made and has placed under our dominion.

“Not all who profess to believe in dietetic reform are really reformers. With many persons the reform consists merely in discarding certain unwholesome foods. They do not understand clearly the principles of health, and their tables, still loaded with harmful dainties, are far from being an example of Christian temperance and moderation.

“Another class, in their desire to set a right example, go to the opposite extreme. Some are unable to obtain the most desirable foods, and, instead of using such things as would best supply the lack, they adopt an impoverished diet. Their food does not supply the elements needed to make good blood. Their health suffers, their usefulness is impaired, and their example tells against, rather than in favor of, reform in diet.

“Others think that since health requires a simple diet, there need be little care in the selection or the preparation of food. Some restrict themselves to a very meager diet, not having sufficient variety to supply the needs of the system, and they suffer in consequence.

“Those who have but a partial understanding of the principles of reform are often the most rigid, not only in carrying out their views themselves, but in urging them on their families and their neighbors. The effect of their mistaken reforms, as seen in their own ill-health, and their efforts to force their views upon others, give many a false idea of dietetic reform, and lead them to reject it altogether.

“Those who understand the laws of health and who are governed by principle, will shun the extremes, both of indulgence and of restriction. Their diet is chosen, not for the mere gratification of appetite, but for the upbuilding of the body. They seek to preserve every power in the best condition for highest service to God and man. The appetite is under the control of reason and conscience, and they are rewarded with health of body and mind. While they do not urge their views offensively upon others, their example is a testimony in favor of right principles. These persons have a wide influence for good.” The Ministry of Healing, 317–319.

Recipe – Cream of Asparagus Soup

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Spring Spears

After months of cold temperatures asparagus starts the spring season at the top of the list as a delectable fresh green vegetable delicacy. Asparagus shoots are one of the most sought-after vegetables during the spring season.

Asparagus was first grown in Greece nearly 2,500 years ago. The name asparagus comes from the Greek asparagos, meaning shoot or sprout. A distant cousin of the onion, the distinguished asparagus is also a member of the lily family.

Asparagus spears can be green, white or purple. Sweet white asparagus, a favorite of Germans, is green asparagus but is grown underground, without access to sunlight which prevents photosynthesis, thus inhibiting production of chlorophyll. Purple asparagus changes to green with prolonged cooking.

During medieval times, raw asparagus tips were crushed and used to treat swelling and pain due to stings, wounds, and infections.

“One of the primary asparagus benefits is that it is an excellent source of glutathione, the ‘superhero of antioxidants,’ a deficiency of which is associated with increased heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer risk.

“Asparagus contains a significant amount of saponins. These naturally occurring plant glycosides have been shown to inhibit liver, gastric, and colon cancers as well as leukemia. Saponins are known to help regulate blood pressure as well.

“A 2006 study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, found that saponins extracted from asparagus not only slowed the growth of cancer cells but actually induced death of cancer cells.” www.memory-improvement-tips.com/asparagus-benefits.html

Recipe – Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds fresh asparagus spears, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces (reserve 8 spears)

4-6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup russet potato, diced

½ cup raw cashews

1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

salt, to taste

coconut milk or other non-dairy milk, for serving

fresh chives, for serving

Process

Sauté onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and all but 8 asparagus spears. Sauté until asparagus begins to soften (another 5 minutes).

Stir in 4 cups of broth, potato, and cashews.

Bring liquid to a boil. Lower heat; simmer for about 20 minutes until potato and asparagus are soft.

Transfer mixture to food processor in batches; blend until smooth.

Return mixture to pot. Thin with up to 2 cups of additional broth, if desired. Stir in lemon juice and nutritional yeast; season with salt. Reheat.

Coat bottom of skillet with remaining tsp. oil; add reserved asparagus spears and cook just until bright green and tender-crisp.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with non-dairy milk, sprinkle with chives; arrange asparagus spears on top. Serve!

Food For Life – Common Sense in Dietetic Reform

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“There is real common sense in dietetic reform. The subject should be studied broadly and deeply, and no one should criticize others because their practice is not, in all things, in harmony with his own. It is impossible to make an unvarying rule to regulate everyone’s habits, and no one should think himself a criterion for all. Not all can eat the same things. Foods that are palatable and wholesome to one person may be distasteful, and even harmful, to another. Some cannot use milk, while others thrive on it.* Some persons cannot digest peas and beans; others find them wholesome. For some the coarser grain preparations are good food, while others cannot use them….

“The practice of eating but two meals a day is generally found a benefit to health; yet under some circumstances persons may require a third meal. This should, however, if taken at all, be very light, and of food most easily digested. `Crackers’-the English biscuit-or zwieback, and fruit, or cereal coffee, are the foods best suited for the evening meal.

“Some are continually anxious lest their food, however simple and healthful, may hurt them. To these let me say, Do not think that your food will injure you; do not think about it at all. Eat according to your best judgment; and when you have asked the Lord to bless the food for the strengthening of your body, believe that He hears your prayer, and be at rest.

“Because principle requires us to discard those things that irritate the stomach and impair health, we should remember that an impoverished diet produces poverty of the blood. Cases of disease most difficult to cure result from this cause. The system is not sufficiently nourished, and dyspepsia and general debility are the result. Those who use such a diet are not always compelled by poverty to do so, but they choose it through ignorance or negligence, or to carry out their erroneous ideas of reform.” The Ministry of Healing, 319-322.

Recipe – Millet-Oat Cookies

Place in Blender:
1 cup water
1/3 cup pineapple concentrate
½ cup date rolls or pieces
2 apples peeled and cored
1 t. sea salt
2 t. vanilla

Blend thoroughly then add:
1 cup walnuts or pecans

Blend again and then add:
1 ½ cup millet flour
1 ½ cup oat flour
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup unsweetened coconut
2 t. coriander powder

Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet and flatten with fork. Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes

*Further statements about dairy foods: “We know that a free use of these things [salt, sugar and milk] is positively injurious to health, and in many cases we think that if they were not used at all, a much better state of health would be enjoyed.” Counsels on Diet and Food, 468. “Let the people be taught how to prepare food without the use of milk or butter. Tell them that the time will soon come when there will be no safety in using eggs, milk, cream, or butter, because disease in animals is increasing in proportion to the increase of wickedness among men. The time is near when, because of the iniquity of the fallen race, the whole animal creation will groan under the diseases that curse our earth. God will give His people ability and tact to prepare wholesome food without these things. Let our people discard all unwholesome recipes.” Ibid., 356.

Food for Life – Creole Corn

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Inspiration Counsels Against Extremes in Diet

What a year this has been so far! Truly the Lord is coming soon, to take His faithful ones to Gloryland! Will you be there? I hope to be there to meet my Lord and Savior in the skies and reign with Him throughout eternity. This month, we will continue to look at the chapter in The Ministry of Healing called “Extremes in Diet.”

“God is not honored when the body is neglected or abused and is thus unfitted for His service. To care for the body by providing for it food that is relishable and strengthening is one of the first duties of the householder. It is far better to have less expensive clothing and furniture than to stint the supply of food.

“Some householders stint the family table in order to provide expensive entertainment for visitors. This is unwise. In the entertainment of guests there should be greater simplicity. Let the needs of the family have first attention.

“Unwise economy and artificial customs often prevent the exercise of hospitality where it is needed and would be a blessing. The regular supply of food for our tables should be such that the unexpected guest can be made welcome without burdening the housewife to make extra preparation.

“All should learn what to eat and how to cook it. Men, as well as women, need to understand the simple, healthful preparation of food. Their business often calls them where they cannot obtain wholesome food; then, if they have a knowledge of cookery, they can use it to good purpose.

“Carefully consider your diet. Study from cause to effect. Cultivate self-control. Keep appetite under the control of reason. Never abuse the stomach by overeating, but do not deprive yourself of the wholesome, palatable food that health demands.

“The narrow ideas of some would-be health reformers have been a great injury to the cause of hygiene. Hygienists should remember that dietetic reform will be judged, to a great degree, by the provision they make for their tables; and instead of taking a course that will bring discredit upon it, they should so exemplify its principles as to commend them to candid minds. There is a large class who will oppose any reform movement, however reasonable, if it places a restriction on the appetite. They consult taste instead of reason or the laws of health. By this class, all who leave the beaten track of custom and advocate reform will be accounted radical, no matter how consistent their course. That these persons may have no ground for criticism, hygienists should not try to see how different they can be from others, but should come as near to them as possible without the sacrifice of principle.

“When those who advocate hygienic reform go to extremes, it is no wonder that many who regard these persons as representing health principles reject the reform altogether. These extremes frequently do more harm in a short time than could be undone by a lifetime of consistent living.

“Hygienic reform is based upon principles that are broad and far-reaching, and we should not belittle it by narrow views and practices. But no one should permit opposition or ridicule, or a desire to please or influence others, to turn him from true principles, or cause him lightly to regard them. Those who are governed by principle will be firm and decided in standing for the right; yet in all their associations they will manifest a generous, Christlike spirit and true moderation.” The Ministry of Healing, 322–324.

Recipe – Creole Corn

2 cups fresh or frozen corn

¼ cup chopped onion

¼ cup sliced green pepper

1 cup strained canned tomatoes

1/8 tsp. dill weed

Salt to taste

Cook corn, onion and green pepper in a non-stick pan over low heat until tender. A small amount of water may be added if necessary to prevent sticking. Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly.

Food – Cashew Rice Loaf

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Inspiration Councils Against Stimulants and Narcotics

Here we are again, changing seasons. What a blessing! Well, you may not think so, but where did all the obnoxious bugs go? And the chiggers and the ticks? So there are blessings, depending on which part of the world you live in. We have been marooned in sunny California, since my husband’s accident last March, so we have tried to adjust, and it has not been too difficult. The above nuisances are not to be found here, and we are just two blocks from very excellent medical help in case of an emergency. So we just thank our Heavenly Father, daily, for one more day to praise Him for His wonderful management of our lives. For He knows the end from the beginning, which we definitely do not!

We are now going to study about stimulants and narcotics from God’s Word. “Under the head of stimulants and narcotics is classed a great variety of articles that, altogether used as food or drink, irritate the stomach, poison the blood, and excite the nerves. Their use is a positive evil. Men seek the excitement of stimulants, because, for the time, the results are agreeable. But there is always a reaction. The use of unnatural stimulants always tends to excess, and it is an active agent in promoting physical degeneration and decay.

“In this fast age, the less exciting the food, the better. Condiments are injurious in their nature. Mustard, pepper, spices, pickles, and other things of a like character, irritate the stomach and make the blood feverish and impure. The inflamed condition of the drunkard’s stomach is often pictured as illustrating the effect of alcoholic liquors. A similarly inflamed condition is produced by the use of irritating condiments. Soon ordinary food does not satisfy the appetite. The system feels a want, a craving, for something more stimulating.

“Tea acts as a stimulant and, to a certain extent, produces intoxication. The action of coffee and many other popular drinks is similar. The first effect is exhilarating. The nerves of the stomach are excited; these convey irritation to the brain, and this in turn is aroused to impart increased action to the heart and short-lived energy to the entire system. Fatigue is forgotten; the strength seems to be increased. The intellect is aroused, the imagination becomes more vivid.

“Because of these results, many suppose that their tea or coffee is doing them great good. But this is a mistake. Tea and coffee do not nourish the system. Their effect
is produced before there has been time for digestion and assimilation, and what seems to be strength is only nervous excitement. When the influence of the stimulant is gone, the unnatural force abates, and the result is a corresponding degree of languor and debility.” The Ministry of Healing, 325, 326.

Let us not forget to be thankful this season for all God’s many mercies to us. And especially remember Him in thank offerings and praise for all His goodness to us in many ways; for life itself and health and the wonderful blessing of this health reform message!

Recipe – Cashew Rice Loaf

1 c. cashews

½ c. sunflower seeds

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. cashew or soy milk

2 ½ c. cooked brown rice

½ c. wheat germ

¼ c. parsley, chopped fine

1 t. sweet basil

2 t. chicken style seasoning

½ t. onion salt

½ t. salt

½ t. Italian seasoning

Blend cashews and sunflower seeds until fine. Add onion and milk and blend slightly. Pour into a bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a casserole dish and bake for one hour at 350°.

Recipe – Fig Balls

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Wonderful Figs

What is so special about figs? They are just plain yummy and they give a lot of good nutrition to the body. In fact, “six figs contain almost 5g of fiber, making them a high-fiber food. Those same six figs give you 82 mg of calcium (plus 34 mg of magnesium). That is more than three times the amount in a glass of orange juice.

“You get a whopping 473 mg of potassium, making figs a high-potassium food. A ton of studies show that people who eat potassium-rich foods like fruits and vegetables have lower rates of heart disease and stroke. And potassium is a key ingredient in keeping blood pressure down. According to the latest studies, people who regularly consume high-potassium foods have lower blood pressure than those who don’t. … One study found that people with high blood pressure who had a daily serving of potassium-rich foods (like figs) decreased their risk of fatal stroke by 40 percent.” The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. page 112.

Recipe – Fig Balls

Ingredients

3 cups dried figs, hard stems removed

1 cup walnut halves

1/4 cup flax seed meal

1 Tbsp. water

1 tsp. vanilla powder (or extract)

1/2 tsp. salt

Process

Place all ingredients in a large food processor and pulse until finely chopped, almost the consistency of sand. This may take 3-5 minutes. Remove blade and scoop mixture out using a scoop or your hands. Form mixture into balls by pressing the mixture tightly together with your hands. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 7 days.