Eating Clean
Part 1 by Mary Louise:Town Jaqua, Health Minister- 4/5/19Eating clean. What does it mean? Does it mean washing our hands
and face before eating, giving our food a bath before we eat it, putting
on clean clothes before we eat, cleaning the kitchen and dining room
before eating, and, last but not least, uttering no dirty words at the table?
While all of these practices are good in themselves and have merit, they
fall short of defining the growing consciousness known as eating clean.Eating clean: what is it?
Simply stated, eating clean embraces the concept that eating whole foods
as close to their natural form as possible is the key to acheiving a healthy,
happy life. This style of eating eschews refined, processed foods that
contain preservatives and additives. In theory, eating clean is considered
to be the ultimate eating experience that balances and thus benefits the
well being of mankind and his environment. In recent years this eating
style has gained increased popularity, being practiced not only by vegans
and vegetarians but those who consume animal-based foods.Following the food trail
Food exists in many forms, but it has only one, true source: YHVH Almighty.
He Who made the world and mankind rightfully provided sustenance for
man's well being and survival. The story of creation is found in the book
of Genesis where the original diet that the EVER-LIVING gave man is
documented.So YHVH said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding
seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree
which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to all
the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to
everything that moves on the ground—to everything in which
there is the breath of life—I have given every green plant for
food”; and it was so [because He commanded it].
Genesis 1:29,30 (Amplified Bible)Every plant yielding seed refers to plants that have seeds such as
tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon, herbs, dandelions, lettuce, kale,
spinach, broccoli, squash, and more. Likewise, every tree which has
fruit yielding seed refers to fruit and nuts trees that produce apples,
pears, apricots, plums, crabapples, quince, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts,
almonds, etc. Seed-bearing foods are important because the seed
contains the life-force that the human body as well as the plant need
for survival. Thus the seed is valuable in that it perpetuates life.The food which the EVER-LIVING created and ordained mankind to
eat was a life-giving gift, an expression if not an extension of Himself
in that this food was living. It was custom made to meet the nutritional
needs of man's living body. Likewise this same food was given to
the animal creation to eat. Since everything that the Most High created
'was very good' (Genesis 1:31), it follows that the food which He made
is both real and clean.
As mankind drifted away from YHVH Almighty, however, the paradisical
world in which he lived changed as did his diet. The most significant
changes occurred after the great deluge, for the animal kingdom no
longer was tame (domesticated) but wild. It was at this time that the
EVER-LIVING gave man permission to add flesh food, i.e. living
creatures, into his diet (Genesis 9:1-5) but only as He specified.As man's understanding of himself and his world continued to evolve
so did his relationship to YHVH Almighty change. For the most part
these changes compelled the Most High to administer guidelines
for His people lest they destroy themselves through recklessness.
Therefore He instituted standards/laws, albeit a civil/moral code, for
their well being and gave these codes to His servant Moses to administer.
These laws, statues, ordinances, and commandments are recorded
in the old Covenant (specifically in the books of Leviticus and Deuter-
onomy), and they included food laws.These laws were given at the onset of Ishrayah's journey in the
wilderness upon escaping 400 years of hard bondage in Egypt.
Though their deliverance was monumental, they were now required
to adjust their lives according to YHVH's laws. Thus for the sake of
safety, sanitation, and ultimate survival, food laws were established
and strictly enforced. A fundamental part of these laws was the
importance of distinguishing and therefore separating clean from
unclean foods. Under these laws, living creatures such as beasts,
birds, fish, insects were, according to their anatomical make-up and
habits, deemed either clean or unclean. Clean foods were safe to
eat because they worked in harmony with the human body, but
unclean foods were not compatable and therefore caused
sickness and disease.While the food laws remained in place and were practiced by YHVH's
people for generations, these laws were gradually relaxed if not
conveniently forgotten to the point where today these food laws are
largely disregarded, being considered archaic, passe, and foolish.
The understanding of food has thus evolved into accepting and
eating substances that are not only unclean but are in essence
non-foods.Eating clean: what it is not
The shift away from eating clean foods was not an overnight
event. It happened gradually over time as the social/political
landscape changed and populations increased. The food trail took
twists and turns as it wended its way through industrial expansion
and two world wars. Food sources changed. Family farms were
swallowed up by corporate agriculture and manufacturing plants.
The era of processed food began with a bang that has, for better
or worse, reverberated throughout the world. Nevertheless, as
convenient and cost-effective as manufactured food can be, it
is a step down and away from what YHVH Almighty originally
created as food in that it has been altered/adulterated by the hand
of man. While man may boast of his prowess and expertise in
processing food, man cannot improve on what YHVH has created.
In fact man-made food is an abomination to Him, for it corrupts the
natural substance that He made that man might prosper and enjoy
good health (3 John 2). This being so, it can be rightfully stated
that man-made, corrupted food, is unclean in its inception and
therefore unsafe/unhealthy to eat.It is sad but true that unclean foods have largely overtaken the
food market. It is equally sad and more so that most people do
not recognize unclean food when they see or taste it and furthermore,
they do not care. They are happily deceived, eating blindly by trusting
food merchants to offer them healthy food. Nothing could be farther
from the truth, however, for food manufacturers and merchants are
largely proven to be driven by profit and not the welfare of the public.
Given this fact, consumers are at risk when they walk into food
stores and are therefore advised to re-think the issue of food
quality in order to define what is safe and not safe to eat, i.e. what
is clean (healthy) vs. unclean (unhealthy). For the sake of reference
unclean foods have the following unnatural characteristics.
- Preservatives- chemically-derived preservatives to prolong
shelf life of boxed, canned, frozen food products and fresh
produce. Added into the food and/or packaging.- Additives- chemically-based dyes, fillers, and flavors that
'enhance' the texture, taste, and visual appeal of products.
Some processers use enzymes from aborted fetal tissue to
enhance flavor of certain foods and drinks.- Artificial sweeteners- chemically-based, synthetic glucose
boosters added to nearly all processed foods to appeal to
consumer taste.- Chemical residues from fertilizers, pesticides, and
herbicides used in conventionally-grown produce (labeled
PLU#4 in grocery stores)- Genetically modified organisms- DNA-altered foods
through gene splicing, i.e. corn with caterpillars, moths
with tomatoes, worms with jellyfish, etc. (labeled PLU#8 in
grocery stores)- Nanoparticles- the manipulation of atoms and molecules
to 'enhance' appearance and/or nutritional quality of food.In addition to the above, those who eat meat, dairy, and seafood
products should consider that
- an increasing number of food merchants and restaurants
sell/use foods that masquerade as traditional meat but in
fact are dog, cat, rat, snake, etc. meat.- some meat is now being grown in laboratories, cloned
or genetic modified as in the case of chickens that are
raised without wings or eyes for the sake of cutting
production costs and boosting profit.- quality of animal feed varies. Some feeds are known to
contain harmful chemical additives such as arsenic, while
other feeds can consist of old newspapers, candy, and/or
ground-up dead animals. The latter practice spawned the
now infamous debacle called Mad Cow Disease. For the
sake of profit many producers use growth hormones
(synthetic estrogens) to fatten livestock and increase
milk production.- slaughter houses often operate under unsanitary conditions.
Some processing plants package and sell meat from
diseased animals that have open sores, cancerous tumors,
intestinal worms, etc. Likewise meats are often sprayed
with chemical dyes and preservatives to enhance flavor,
appearance, and prolong shelf-life.- standards for raising livestock differ globally.
- all fish and seafood (wild or farmed) is contaminated
especially with mercury.Adding to this horror story is the increased wholesale and
consumption of human flesh and blood on the open market,
the acceptance of which is yet another alarming sign of social
decay. Nevertheless, if the truth be told, human flesh has
been being mixed with ground beef and sold as hamburger
in American markets for many years. While historically many
cultures have and still do eat human flesh, cannabalism has
not been a characteristic practice in Western culture. However,
the rapid moral decline in America has revived this age-old
practice and spawned a fascination if not an appetite and
craving for eating that which is, according to YHVH Almighty,
the ultimate abominable and unclean.This being said, the case for eating clean should be taken
seriously to heart.
To be continued...
