Question from a student: “When God spoke to Adam and Eve He said, eat the fruit and herbs. Should I become vegan?”
Answer given by Sharon Platt-McDonald,
director of Health department in the British Union Conference,
and pastor Christian Salcianu, ADC director
12 January 2023, Watford
Vegan diet
When God spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He gave them the optimal diet for their holistic health and wellbeing. This was essentially a plant based diet, with no animal products.
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
The choice to become a vegan is a personal one, but science continues to affirm a plant based diet as more advantageous to health and longevity.
10 Years or more added
Here are some of the latest research on plant based diets:
— “You could live more than a decade longer by eating more plant-based foods.” Changing to Plant-Based Diet Can Increase Lifespan (healthline.com)
— “The key takeaway from the study is that those choosing optimal eating from age 20 had an increased life expectancy of 10.7 years for women and 13 years for men.” A Plant-Based Diet Can Add 10 Years To Your Life, New Study Finds (greenqueen.com.hk)
— “Incorporating more fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts into your diet could increase your lifespan by a decade or more” New Study: Eating More Plant Foods Could Increase Lifespan by up to 13 Years (forksoverknives.com)
Resources
Here are some resources to help you make up your mind:
Why go vegan?
It is good for your health, for people, for animals and for environment. See more on Why Go Vegan | Reasons for Veganism (vegansociety.com)
How to go vegan?
Take time and watch this Cooking Show – Healthy Delights: The Cooking Show for Optimum Living. This is 9 programme segments featuring nutrition, longevity tips, exercise, wellbeing resources etc. The video resources can also be accessed via: https://vimeo.com/showcase/1901843
Testimonials.
“Nothing but fruits, vegetables and nuts…”, says a 108 years old woman. 100 Year Old VEGANS Credit Plant-Based Diet For Longevity – Bing video
A Biblical perspective
Regarding being or becoming vegan from a Biblical perspective, we confirm the Bible is always in favour of turning to origins, to the way of life God prescribed in the beginning. Thinking of standards, family model, diet, worship etc. As far as possible, we encourage our students to follow what the Bible says.
Now, does the Bible say we should be vegans today? Hard to prove that… And on the pages of Scripture we will discover different diets: Adam and Eve, vegans; Noah and his generation were allowed to eat meat; Jesus most probably ate, as well, lamb at Passover and fish (when proving His resurrection); John the Baptist was very hard on himself, eating wild honey and locusts (whether these were insects or some herbs with the same name); believers in Rome (Romans 14) abstained from meat for different reasons.
Being vegan is definitely a good thing – go for it! Not being able to be vegan, for different reasons (specific context, health and medical conditions, resources available etc.) doesn’t mean one is a sinner.
Please use moderation in all things, strive for the better and be mindful of this verse:
Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
