Chapter 19—Flesh Foods
General Statements
435. Meat is not essential for health or strength, else the Lord made
a mistake when he provided food for Adam and Eve before their fall.
All the elements of nutrition are contained in the fruits, vegetables,
and grains.—
The Review and Herald, May 8, 1883
.
The Ideal Diet
436. The Lord intends to bring his people back to live upon simple
fruits, vegetables, and grains. He led the children of Israel into the
wilderness where they could not get a flesh diet; and he gave them
the bread of heaven. “Man did eat angels’ food.” But they craved the
flesh-pots of Egypt, and mourned and cried for flesh, notwithstanding
the promise of the Lord that if they would submit to his will, he would
carry them into the land of Canaan, and establish them there, a pure,
holy, happy people, and that there should not be a feeble one in all their
tribes; for he would take away all sickness from among them.... The
Lord would have given them flesh had it been essential for their health,
but he who had created and redeemed them led them through that
long journey in the wilderness to educate, discipline, and train them in
correct habits. The Lord understood what influence flesh eating has
upon the human system. He would have a people that would, in their
physical appearance, bear the divine credentials, notwithstanding their
[97]
long journey.—
Unpublished Testimonies, November 5, 1896
.
437. Let no meat be found at our restaurants or dining tents,
but let its place be supplied with fruits, grains, and vegetables. We
must practise what we preach. When sitting at a table where meat
is provided, we should not make a raid on those who use it, but
should let it alone ourselves; and when asked the reason for doing
this, we should kindly explain why we do not use it.—
Unpublished
Testimonies, March, 1896
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