Eating According to Leviticus

It is all just so confusing! There seems to be so many people that make the claim of being an expert on what we should or should not eat. What is healthy and what isn't. Authors, medical personnel, dieticians, chefs to the stars....all make claim to knowing what is best. One day you hear that this is bad for you and the next it's actually healthier than peanut Butter.

So, what are the answers and who really is the expert?

God.

There is and has been only one great author and that is God. There is and has been only one expert to taking care of the body and that is God. If God created it, does not necessarily mean we can eat it. Every living thing, from organism to fish to bird to mammal has a purpose created and intended by God.

Everything that I make reference to here comes from scripture. If you desire to look it up Deuteronomy and Leviticus are the books to research.

However, there are, as you can imagine dozens of other resources that further explain all I am going to discuss here. I will add what I consider to be a few of the best at the end of this article for you to look deeper.

Before I dive into this, I wish to make one thing completely clear, Jesus did not change the laws regarding the consumption of pork or re-define what is considered to be unclean food. What Jesus does do is to discuss spiritual prioritizing and teaches that purity is not primarily ritual or physical but spiritual.

Because of error in interpretation and grammatical factors, as well as the true context of scripture, some have made claim that Jesus was excusing the original laws given to Moses. Not true.

God designed our body, therefore shouldn't we pay close attention to what He says to put into it and what to avoid?

Lets start with fish. Lev. 11:9 Duet. 14:9 tell us which fish are safe for us too eat. It describes fish with fin and scale as the only choice. These include, but are not limited to, Bass, Salmon, Perch, Tuna and Snapper.

This means that octopus, squid, oysters, shrimp, crab and bottom eating fish like catfish, are eliminated from the okay to eat list. These fish are there to detoxify the waters, so that means that what they eat, we too would be eating. So all the gunk they consume is then transferred into our bodies creating illness and disease. These fish also contain higher than normal levels of mercury.

Eating a proper diet lowers our risk for many diseases.

Birds Deut. 14:11, 20

Chicken, turkey, pheasant, quail, grouse and partridge are some of the approved birds to eat. Our web-footed friends are to be avoided, as are birds of prey and their eggs. Also on the no list are ostrich, swan, pelican, stork, heron, and raven.

Mammals Lev. 11:2 Deut. 12:15, 22 14:4 - 6

Animals that have cloven hooves and chew its cud, are acceptable. These include, cow, buffalo, oxen, sheep, goat, deer, antelope, and elk. We are also instructed that we are not to consume animals that go on paws, rabbit, cat, dog, etc.

Also on the list of "do not eat" are the camel, horse, donkey, llama, weasel, mouse, turtle, tortoise, no reptile of any kind, eel and bats.

Now I understand that as I go through the list of what God permits us to and not too eat, some are going to be shocked and confused. After all, some cultures have been eating particular breeds of animals or reptiles for several generations.

What God is telling us is that these are risky food to consume because of possible health effects associated with eating restricted foods. He is not going to condemn us for eating a snake, even though that most possibly would be way at the bottom of favorite foods for me. Actually, I wouldn't even consider eating a snake. eewe! I do the "snoopy" dance if one slithers across the grass.

And now the big one.....PORK. Swine, pig whatever you may reference by, it's all the same. Lev. 11:8

God is directing us away from consuming pork for a very good reason. These reasons are based on the biological principles of pigs. They are, well....pigs, and they will eat anything, and I do mean anything. Anyone that has grown up on pig farms knows that they will eat feces, urine soaked mud, whatever is in their reach goes in their stomach.

And what the pig eats is absorbed in the meat and fat as toxins. Their meat can be 30 times more toxic than beef or venison, and have over a dozen different parasites living within them as well as carry 30 diseases which can easily be passed on to humans. There are not any safe and effective means of cooking their meat to remove the parasites, larvae or eggs.

Pigs do not have sweat glands, except at the end of their noses, since they do not sweat they do not have the ability to release toxins from their bodies. What they do have are glands behind their legs and at the bottom of their feet to release excess puss from their bodies. They wallow in mud to keep cool.

Which leads me to the next topic, Lev. 3:17 instructs us not to consume fat or blood of any animal. The reason is because toxins build up in fat and blood carries infections and toxins. So again, this instruction is meant to protect us from diseases.

Fruits mentioned in the bible are apples, figs, grapes, berries, apricots, melons and pomegranates. It is interesting to note that grapes or grapevines are referenced in the bible more then any other fruit. The only other food mentioned as much are olives.

Another interesting note is that among the sacred species of food listed in the bible, grapes, olives and pomegranates are on this list as well. Also on the list are, wheat, barley, figs and dates.

Studies have confirmed time and time again that diets high in fruits and vegetables have lower cancer rates. Grapes have more than just nutritional value, but healing value as well. So do olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Proper eating habits are essential for optimal health. This includes adding millet, wheat and barley ( which has medicinal value) to our diets along with the fruits and vegetables. We should keep red meat down to a sparingly level. In biblical times, red meat was only consumed during weddings and special events or holidays.

I want to encourage you to take one small step at a time as you change your eating style. By doing this you are obeying God's plan for the sanctification of our food, bodies and lives.

For further reading check out the following websites and books.