Our health message covers a broad area, but is our health message regarding diet basically about vegetarianism? Or should our perspective of this message be much broader? If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit a vegetarian diet today can be unhealthy. Compared to even 50 years ago, the average American diet contains a massive amount of calories from added fats, high concentrations of sugar, salt and ultra-processed foods.
The Bible clearly states our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit 1 Cor 6:19-20. Because of this statement one aspect of understanding is our bodies should only receive the most nutritional food we can provide them all the time. This is how Jesus ate. There was no refrigeration during His time. There was no global transportation to ship whatever food He wanted twelve months of the year. He ate the most nutritional food available in those days.
I would suggest the key words are “most nutritional” and “availability.”
Another powerful biblical message is the aspect of self-control in Gal 5:22 and Prov 25:28. We can also read about God’s blessings received for diet choices from Daniel and his friends experience in Dan 1:12 and how God blessed them for their choice. God provided the number one and most nutritional diet during creation. About two thousand years later He advised us on the second most nutritional diet available when after the flood came the beginnings of seasons: drought, famine, cold winter freezes, poor soil conditions, etc. The perfect all-encompassing global greenhouse of growing all year round was destroyed to just a few months of the year.
Availability
In 1863 Mrs. Ellen White was given a vision regarding health. The Lord divinely and loving shared so much information through Mrs. White that it took an entire book to compile the health message. We read in Counsels on Diet and Foods 380.2 that our diets should return to the original and healthiest Garden of Eden diet. The time frame when she received this message is when the ability of man and industry was able to adjust to the post-effects of the global changes that had occurred since the flood. Massive agriculture capabilities and global shipping with refrigeration was beginning.
In The Ministry of Healing 297.1 she writes about the improvements and abilities of food transportation. Today we can buy all the Garden of Eden foods anytime we want, twelve months of the year and some stores provide them around the clock.
Science is confirming and supporting the message she was impressed to share 150 years ago. Do a Google search and read the latest recommendations by The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations, March 2026.
Celebrating life
It takes faith to believe God knows best. We honor God by providing His temples with the most nutritious foods. This is how we receive the same blessings as Daniel and his friends received.
We have had this health message of faith in what God Himself instructed for over 150 yrs. These are messages of love and concern from our deeply caring heavenly parent, creator and savior to the temples He gave His life for. These are messages Mrs. White was impressed to pass down to us from Him so that we can understand how to celebrate life in the purest form.
Our bodies do not belong to us; they are on loan. The earth is a training ground. Are we training our appetites for heaven?
The choice is ours. 1 Cor 10:31: Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Important Note: Please read possibly the clearest statement of how God looks upon our choice of diet.
Tom Taylor is a retired General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist employee.
