Counsels On Diet and Foods -- Study Guide

Ellen G. White Estate

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A Word from The Folks in The Department of Health

The World Health Organization in its constitution regards good health as “a state of complete mental, physical, and social well-being.” Spiritual well-being adds wholeness to this definition. This interpretation is contained in the prayer of John for his friend Gaius and the church as he declares: “1 wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health” (3 John 2).

We are reminded that “one of the greatest aids in perfecting pure and noble characters... is sound physical health.” Therefore, “it is of the highest importance that men and women be instructed in the science of human life, and the best means of preserving and acquiring health.”— Messages to Young People, p. 233. During these past one hundred years the church has had access to a vast fund of knowledge, information dealing with optimal nutrition and ways of attaining maximal health. More recently scientific research has confirmed these principles, a development that has brought the Adventist way of life into international prominence.

It is believed that this guide to a study of Counsels on Diet and Foods will fill a need in the church by directing those seeking a better way of life—a way that will give improved health and freedom from disease—to helpful, inspired sources of information. Seventh-day Adventists are urged to study systematically the guiding principles outlined in the Spirit of Prophecy relative to man’s nutritional needs and the best ways of satisfying them. This is tremendously important, particularly for a people seeking the best of health, a people called to reflect the image of Christ, and a people looking forward to translation.

We are pleased to participate in the preparation of this Study Guide and recommend it to all church members. We believe that as we consistently apply these precepts to our lives we will have not only a healthier church but a triumphant church. May God add His blessing to a study of the blueprint given to His people.

Department Of Health of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

About This Study Guide

Adventist Advantage

A number of investigations conducted painstakingly by scientists reveal that the incidence of several serious diseases is less frequent among Seventh-day Adventists than among the population as a whole; also that Adventists, on an average, live longer.

“Adventist advantage” is the way Time magazine designated this phenomenon, as it reported on a five-year survey.

How different from the beginning days of Adventist history, when members of our church lived and ate very much as did their neighbors, and suffered likewise. They shared in the statistics that marked off an average life expectancy of some thirty-two years. One child in four died before the age of 7. Night air was considered poisonous. If a person was burning up with fever the attending physician, concluding that his patient had too much blood, might relieve him of a pint or two. Germs were unknown. People lived from winter to winter, fearful lest an epidemic of smallpox, diphtheria, or cholera would decimate the population. Except for the process of salting and drying, the science of food preservation was unknown. Meals were heavy with various and sundry meats, fried foods, and rich pastries. Milk was often supplied by cows poorly cared for and often tuberculous, for testing was unknown, and pasteurization was still years away. The farm worker with his long days of toil was seldom satisfied with three meals a day.

Response to God’s Call for Changed Living Habits

A few isolated voices were heard calling for reform, but they went almost unheeded. People were skeptical and slow to change an accepted way of life. But when the Lord God of heaven called the attention of our spiritual forefathers to the basic principles of life and health through visions given to Ellen White, and by this means, as wrote Elder J. H. Waggoner, placed the elements of healthful living “on a level with the great truths of the third angel’s message,” the people took heed. They saw health reform to be “the means whereby a weak people may be made strong to overcome, and our diseased bodies cleansed and fitted for translation.” They saw all this as “an essential part of present truth to be received with the blessing of God, or rejected at our peril.” For an accurate, interesting account of this phase of Adventist history, we direct you to the book by D. E. Robinson, The Story of Our Health Message.….

Amazingly, within a few years the denomination changed its living habits. This was most apparent in dietetic practices. As early Adventists sought to make the simple elements of nutrition both attractive and easily available, the health-food industry was born, one segment of which has developed into the cereal-food industry of America. This has greatly changed the dietetic habits of a nation and has influenced millions in other lands.

Pitfalls Right and Left

No field of reform, however, is fraught with more pitfalls or has suffered more from its would-be friends and its ardent foes. James White, husband of Ellen G. White and a church administrator, refers to this in his statement, “The Spirit of Prophecy and the Cause of Reform,” which appears in this pamphlet on pages 50 to 52, Appendix A.

Eating habits are deep-seated and tenaciously guarded. Endeavoring to lead the people steadily forward, Ellen White from time to time published articles and books stating and restating the basic health principles. Then, as one of a series of her last addresses before the General Conference session in 1909, she reviewed and summed up the matter of dietetic reform in a message entitled “Faithfulness in Health Reform.” This statement is preserved in Testimonies for the Church, volume 9, pages 153 to 166. It should be frequently read and its counsels heeded.

Published So the People Might Read

The counsels in dietetic lines were abundant and reached the people through the years in various books, articles, and in Ellen G. White correspondence. Not long after her death it was felt that the church and its institutions would be well served if the full range of counsels in this field were brought together in topical order and issued in a single volume. Counsels on Diet and Foods resulted, and because the topic is a vital one, the book’s annual sale is large.

While studied primarily by Seventh-day Adventists, the book has reached some research scientists outside our own ranks. One, Dr. Clive McCay, long-time instructor of graduate students in nutrition at Cornell University, after discussing The Ministry of Healing and Counsels on Diet and Foods, declared orally and in print: “In spite of the fact that the works of Mrs. White were written long before the advent of modern scientific nutrition, no better overall guide is available today.”

The heart of Dr. McCay’s presentation, with strong acclaim of the Ellen G. White counsels on nutrition, which was published in 1959 in three articles he prepared for the Review and Herald, appears in this pamphlet on pages 59-62 as Appendix C. His confirmation, from a scientific standpoint, of many points made long before the development of modern nutritional science is enlightening and reassuring.

Jesus declared: “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe” (John 14:29).

The Adventist community of a century ago by faith adopted the divine guidelines so different from the accepted concepts of the times. They soon experienced the rewards of a better way of life. Seventh-day Adventists today have the benefit of the experience of more than a hundred years.

Vegetarianism Pays Off

The position of Adventists in nutritional lines, and especially vegetarianism, which was long frowned upon by many who were considered well-informed people, and often ridiculed, is now recognized as sound and advantageous. Appendix B, appearing on pages 53-58, presents an article from Today’s Health, a publication of the American Medical Association, “What You Should Know About Vegetarianism.” Its uninhibited, scientifically supported declarations of the adequacy of a nonflesh diet, when proper pains are taken to supply the body with all the now-known needed nutritional elements, is gratifying and in full support of what Seventh-day Adventists have from experience known for many years. It provides verification for Ellen White’s general statement that “the instruction that was given in the early days of the message is to be held as safe instruction to follow in these its closing days.”— Selected Messages, book 1, p. 41.

It also points up that to which Ellen White continually called attention, namely, the need of approaching the diet question intelligently, avoiding extremes, and making sure there is ample provision to supply all the nutritional needs of the body. When, as has at times occurred, a dietary program is built on less than the full array of counsels, malnutrition and impaired strength and health result, bringing health reform into disrepute.

Many of the statements in Counsels on Diet and Foods are items touching the field of nutrition, selected from periodical articles and book chapters more general in their over-all content. A little time spent with the original sources, when they are available, will be rewarding. The first Ellen G. White comprehensive presentation on health lines was published in 1864 in Spiritual Gifts, volume 4, pages 120 to 151. This volume is available in facsimile reprint at your Adventist Book Center. The six Ellen G. White articles appearing in 1865 in the six pamphlets of “Health, or How to Live” constitute Appendix 1 to Selected Messages, book 2, currently available. The first one deals with diet. All the E. G. White Review and Herald articles are available in facsimile reprints.

The Peril of a Distorted Concept

A topically arranged source book such as Counsels on Diet and Foods, although convenient for study, lends itself to certain types of misuse. Students may focus attention on one point of counsel and neglect others. It is important to gain the full body of teaching by putting statement with statement, as advised in Selected Messages, book 1, page 42: “The testimonies themselves will be the key that will explain the messages given, as scripture is explained by scripture.”

Study of this guide, which has been produced in cooperation with the Department of Health of the General Conference, can prove of great benefit in either individual or group study. Such study can well lead to the adoption of a life-style that, as declared in Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 23, “will promote our happiness in this life, and will aid us in a preparation for the life to come.”

The Trustees Of The Ellen G. White Estate

September 9, 1976

Lesson 1—Reasons for Reform

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, (pp. 15-40)

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “Our first duty toward God and our fellow beings is that of ________ _______________ ___________ _____________” (P.15)

2. What will keep human beings from disease and premature death? (P.16)

3. The most wonderful work of God in the natural world is the (P.17)

4. What should be a study of our lives? __________________ ________________ _____________ ______________ (P.18)

5. “When men and women are truly ______________ they will conscientiously regard the laws of life that ___________ has established in their being, thus seeking to avoid __________ _______, ___________ and ____________ feebleness.” (P.18)

6. What is to be guarded from harmful practices? __________ ___________________ ___________________ ______________ __________ (P.19)

7. “____________ is working with great power to lead men to ______________________, ________________________, and spend their days in _____________________________.” (P.22)

8. What saps the energies of both mind and body? _________ ______________________ ((Pp. 22, 23)

9. What is the great object of hygienic reform? _______________ _____ ________________ _______________ _____________ _____________ ______________ ___________ ____________ ________________________ (P.23)

10. All the laws of nature which are the laws of God are designed for our good. Obedience to them will promote our _______________ in _____________ and will aid us _______ __________________ for ______________________. (P.23)

11. On the subject of temperance, where should we as a people be? _________________________________________________ (P.24)

12. God’s Israel of today have two duties to perform, after which He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick. List these. a. ________________________________________________ b. _______________________________________________ __________________________________________ (P.25)

13. What must be educated in harmony with the laws of life and health? ____________________________________________ ______________________ (P.28)

14. What are the certificates of good habits and nobility?
a. _______________________________________
b. _______________________________________
c. _______________________________________
d. _______________________________________
e. __________________________________ (P.28)

15. “Our danger is not from _______________________, but from _______________.” (P.29)

16. ” ___________________ might have found a plausible excuse to depart from his strictly ______________________________; but the approbation of _________________ was dearer to him than the favor of the most powerful _____________________ ___________,—dearer even than life itself.” (P.31)

17. What is part of the third angel’s message? _______________ _______________ (P.32)

18. What makes slaves of men and women, beclouding their intellects and stupefying their moral sensibilities so that the truths of God’s Word are not appreciated? ________________ ________________ (P.32)

19. ” All those who are indifferent and excuse themselves from this work, waiting for the Lord to do for them that which He requires them to do for themselves, will be _______________________ ____________________ when the meek of the earth, who have wrought His judgments, are hid in the day of the ___________ _________________.” (P.33)

20. In order to grow to the full stature of men and women in Christ, what powers must be used aright? ______________________, _____________, ___________ (P.36)

21. What is the blessing over which some stumble? ____________ ____________ (P.39)

22. “There are some professed believers who accept certain portions of the Testimonies as the message of God, while they ________________ those portions that _____________ their ___________________________.” (P.37)

C. Thought And Discussion Questions

1. What lessons can we learn from Israel’s failures?

2. In what ways are modern times like Daniel’s?

3. What responsibility rests upon those who know the truth about health reform?

Lesson 2—Diet and Spirituality

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 43-77

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. ” Temperance in _______________________ has more to do with our _____________ to _____________ than men realize.” (P.43)

2. When we are careless and reckless in our habits and practices that concern our life and health, what are we doing? _____________________________ (P.43)

3. ” The harmonious healthy __________ of all the ___________ of _________ and ________ results in ________________.” (P.44)

4. ” A diseased body and disordered intellect, because of continual indulgence in __________________________________ make __________________________________________________ _____________ impossible.” (P.44)

5. ” A clogged ____________ means a clogged _____________.” (P.46)

6. What is the fruitful source of most church trials? ___________ ______________________________________(P.50)

7. ” The sin of intemperate eating, eating too _________________, too __________, and of __________, ___________________ food, destroys the healthy action of the ___________________ organs, affects the brain, and perverts the __________________ ____________, preventing rational, calm, healthy thinking and acting.” (P.50)

8. What debars the human agent from witnessing for the truth? _____________________________ (P.53)

9. What is strengthened by the combination of physical labor with mental exertion?_____________________________________ ______________(P.55)

10. ” As the light of truth is _____________ and _____________ ___________ it will work an entire reformation in the life and __________________ of all those who are sanctified through it.” (P.57)

11. Sister White states that true sanctification is a ” living, active principle,” which ” enters into everyday life.” List three life habits that have a direct bearing on this:
a. _______________
b. _______________
c. _______________ (P.57)

12. When persons search the Scriptures with prayer to know the will of God, and then do His will from the heart, without one reservation or self-indulgence, what will they find? __________ (P.58)

13. ” Indulgence of appetite strengthens the __________________ propensities, giving them the ascendancy over the _________ ________and _____________ powers.” (P.62)

14. What are listed as stimulants and narcotics?
a. __________________
b. __________________
c. __________________
d. __________________
e. __________________ (P.63)

15. What is it that, strictly carried out, becomes a safeguard of the soul? _______________________________________ (P.64)

16. What types of food are of no benefit to us? ______________ and _________________ (P.64)

17. ” Men and women cannot violate ___________________ law by indulging ________________________ and ______________ ___________________and not violate the law of God.’’ (P.69)

18. What is God’s design in regard to the great subject of health reform?___________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ (P.70)

19. What is God’s reason for restricting unnatural appetite? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ (P.72)

20. a. When will health reform be given its proper place? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________

b. Where?
(1) ______________________________________________ _____________________________________________
(2) _____________________________________________
(3) _____________________________________________
(4) ______________________________________________ (5) _____________________________________________ ________________________________________ (P.73)

21. “The work of _____________________________ is the Lord’s means for lessening ____________________ in our world and for ___________________ His church.” (P.77)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. Is there a difference between breaking the laws of health and the law of Ten Commandments?

2. What foods should be served on the Sabbath day?

3. Is the practice of health reform important to an understanding of the truths of God?

4. Why does God prohibit certain foods?

Lesson 3—The Proper Dietary

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 81-113

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. ” ____________, _____________, ____________, and ______ _______________ constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator.” (P.81)

2. When proper foods are prepared in a simple and natural manner what do they impart to us?
a. _____________________________________
b. _____________________________________
c. _______________________________ (P.81)

3. So far as our diet is concerned what does God intend to do?_____________________________________________ (P.81, P.82)

4. ” You should use the most _____________________ prepared in the most __________________ manner, that the fine nerves of the _________________ be not weakened, ______________ ______________, or paralyzed.” (P.83)

5. What is it that breaks down the organs of body and mind? _________________ (P.84)

6. What four things will do much to keep sickness from camp meetings?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________ (P.85)

7. Two paragraphs on page 88 are devoted to a discussion of time wasted in long hours required to prepare dainty and often unwholesome dishes. How could this time be more profitably spent?
a. ________________________________________________ __________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________ (P.88)

8. “A diet lacking in the _________________________________ of nutrition brings _____________________ upon the cause of health reform.” (P.92)

9. ” Fruits, grains, and vegetables, prepared in a _____________ way, free from ______________ and ___________ of all kinds, make, with ____________ or ___________, the most healthful diet.” (P.92)

10. What three aspects of life should be taken into account in the choice of diet?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _________________________________________ (P.94)

11. “Respect paid to the proper treatment of the ______________ will be rewarded in _________________________________ and _______________________________________” (P.101)

12. What results does overeating bring upon the stomach?
a. ____________________________________
b. ____________________________________
c. ______________________________ (P.101)

13. “Overeating, even of the simplest food, ________________ the sensitive nerves of the brain, and _____________ its vitality.” (P.102)

14. What activities hinder the digestive processes if they are engaged in immediately after eating?
a. _______________________________
b. ________________________ (P.103)

15. What excites the appetite, renders digestion of food more perfect, and induces sound and sweet sleep? ____________________ ___________ (P.104)

16. “Taken in a ______________________, your food would not give healthful vigor or tone to the system.” (P.105)

17. When is the stomach best able to care for a substantial meal? __________________________________________ (P.105)

18. Food should not be eaten very _________ or very _________. (P.106)

19. “Food should be eaten slowly, and should be thoroughly masticated” so ” that the __________________ may be properly mixed with the ______________, and the digestive _________ be called into action.” (P.107)

20. What are the results when many varieties are introduced into the stomach?
a. ____________________
b. ____________________ (P.110)

21. ” ______________ mixed and _____________________ foods are injurious to the health of human beings.” (P.113)

22. “Food should be prepared with ____________________, yet with a _____________ which will invite the appetite.” (P.110)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What foods should one serve to guests?

2. What should we do about foods that don’t agree with us?

3. Should the nature of a man’s work affect his eating habits?

4. What combination of foods should be avoided?

Lesson 4—Improper Eating A Cause of Disease

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 117-142

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. Man has for over six thousand years withstood an ever increasing weight of disease and crime. Of what is this proof? _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ (P.117)

2. The present feeble condition of the race is not the work of _________________ but of __________. (P.118)

3. When men take any course that needlessly expends their vitality or beclouds their intellect, what are they doing? ______________________________________(P.118)

4. “It is ______________ for a man to present his ____________ a _______________________, holy, acceptable to God, while continuing to ____________________ that are depriving him of ___________, ___________, and _____________________ vigor.” (P.119)

5. “__________________ bequeath to their offspring their own __________________, and loathsome ___________________ corrupt the blood and enervate the brain.” (P.119)

6. Disease results from violating what laws?
a. _________________
b. _________________ (P.120)

7. When Israel followed God’s laws and their conditions, the Bible states that “________________________________________ _________________________________________.” (P.121)

8. What are the main causes of the breakdown of the mental powers?
a. ________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________
d. ____________________________________ (P.122, P.123)

9. What prepares the way for drunkenness? _________________ ________________________________ (P.123)

10. What wonderful experience will gluttons never be able to enjoy? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ________________________ (P.126)

11. “Many spoil their ________________by ____________ improperly. We should be just as careful to learn the lessons of ______________________________ as we are to have our studies ______________ prepared; for the ______________ that we adopt in this direction are helping to form our _______________ for the ____________________.” (P.126)

12. Those who after seeing their mistakes, have the courage to change their dietary habits for the better, will find two things are required. List them.
a. ________________________________________________
b. _________________________________________ (P.127)

13. “We need to learn that _______________________________ is the greatest hindrance to _________________ improvement and ______________________________________.” (P.127)

14. Taking too much food (overeating) results in three evils. These are:
a. ________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. __________________________________________ (P.131)

15. What is one great cause of forgetfulness and loss of memory? __________________________________________________ _____________ (P.138)

16. “__________________ is especially harmful to those who are _____________________________ in temperament.” (P.138)

17. What is caused by a disordered stomach?
a. _________________
b. _________________
c. _________________ (P.139)

18. “By intemperance in eating, you _______________ yourselves for seeing clearly the difference between ______________ and ________________ fire.” (P.140)

19. “Shall we not draw near to the Lord, that He may save us from all ____________________ in _______________________ and _________________, from all ______________, __________ _______ passions, all ________________________?” (P.140)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What are the social results of uncontrolled appetite?

2. How do we compare in vigor and health with original man?

3. How does improper diet cause death?

4. When can even healthful foods be harmful?

Lesson 5—Control of Appetite

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 145-170

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “Christ has here left us a most important lesson. He would lay before us the danger of making our ___________________ and ___________________ paramount.” (P.146)

2. What is the result of excessive eating and drinking?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. _________________________________________ (P.146)

3. What is one of the strongest temptations man has to meet? ________________ (P.147)

4. “The gratification of ________________________________ led to the sins that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.” (P.147)

5. What has increased with every succeeding generation? ________________________________ (P.149)

6. “The first great evil was __________________ in _________ ________ and ____________.” (P.149)

7. How does Satan secure his strongest hold on man?______ _________________ (P.150)

8. What results follow the disregard of nature’s laws?
a. _________________________________________
b. _________________________________________
c. ___________________________________ (P.151)

9. “And by passing over the ground which _________ must travel, our Lord has __________________________________ for us to ____________.” (P.152)

10. “Not even by a ________________ did He yield to temptation.” (P.153)

11. What are we to be constantly doing during this probation period? ________________________________________________ __________________________ (P.156)

12. “Temperance in __________ , ___________ , ___________, and __________________ is one of the grand principles of the religious life.” (P.157)

13. Our eternal welfare depends upon the use we make of what three things?
a. _____________________
b. _____________________
c. _____________________ (P.157)

14. “A ______________ meal should never be eaten until the stomach has had time to ____________ from the __________ of digesting the preceding meal. If a _________________ meal be eaten at all, it should be ________________, and several __________ before going to bed.” (P.158)

15. “Perseverance in a self-denying course of ________________ and _____________ will soon make ________________, ______________________ food palatable, and it will soon be eaten with greater _____________________ than the epicure enjoys over his _______________________.” (P.159)

16. ” If those who profess to be Christians desire to solve the questions so perplexing to them, why their _____________ are so ___________, why their __________ aspirations are so ___________, they need not, in many instances, go farther than the ___________________; here is cause enough, if there were no other.” (P.159)

17. How are many incapacitated for labor?
a. ________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________ _________________ (P.160)

18. “There are men of excellent natural ability whose labor does not accomplish ___________ what it might if they were temperate in all thigs.” (P.163)

19. Why have thousands gone to the grave, physical, mental, and moral wrecks? ______________________________________ _________________________________________________ _______________ (P.167)

20. What is said about our association with unbelievers? __________________________________________ (P.168) 21. “A _________ and ___________ life, a life of ____________ over _________ and ___________ is possible to everyone who will unite his ______________, ______________ human will to the omnipotent, _________________ will of God.” (P.170)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What important lessons should we learn from Noah’s day and from ancient Sodom?

2. Why did God allow Israel to eat flesh?

3. Is sickness always an act of God?

4. In what way were Christ’s temptations similar to ours?

Lesson 6—Regularity in Eating; Fasting; Extremes

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 173-213

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “At ________________ time the stomach is in better condition to take care of more food than at the __________________ or ____________ meal of the day.” (P.173)

2. Having eaten three meals, many feel that they must have a snack at bedtime. They complain of a feeling of faintness. What is often the reason for this? _________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ (P.174)

3. ” The _______________ when we lie down to rest, should have its work all done, that it may enjoy ________________, as well as other portions of the body.” (P.175)

4. What should be considered as pernicious violations of the laws of health?
a. _______________________________
b. ___________________________________ (P.175)

5. What particular foods are recommended as being most easily digested, if a third, evening meal is necessary? _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (P.176)

6. Why do children come to the table unable to relish good food? __________________________________________ (P.180)

7. What is the result of eating at all hours? _____________ ____________________________________ (P.182)

8. How did man become debased and diseased? ____________ ___________________________________________ (P.185)

9. “For certain things, ________________ and ____________ are recommended and appropriate. In the hand of God they are a means of ____________________ the heart and promoting a __________________ frame of mind.” (P.187, P.188)

10. “The true fasting which should be recommended to all, is __________________ from every ________________ kind of food, and the proper use of ___________________________, ____________ food, which God has provided in abundance.” (P.188)

11. “In many cases of sickness, the very best remedy is for the patient to ______________ for a _____________________ that the overworked organs of digestion may have an opportunity to ______________.” (P.189)

12. Ellen G. White counsels against a prolonged fast. Why? _________________________________________________ (P.190)

13. “When those who advocate _____________________ carry the matter to extremes, people are not to _______________, if they become disgusted.” (P.195) 14. What kind of diet is not recommended? ______________ ________________(P.196)

15. “Those who understand the laws of health, and who are governed by ______________________, will shun the extremes, both of ________________ and of _________________.” (P.198)

16. Explain why no one person can make himself a criterion for all in regard to health reform. ______________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________________ (P.198)

17. Will depriving ourselves of nourishing food make us more holy? ___________ (P.201)

18. ” _________ reform becomes _____________ deform, a health destroyer, when it is carried to ___________.” (P.202)

19. In presenting the gospel, whose opinions should be excluded? ______________ (P.209)

20. ” The great backsliding upon health reform is because ____________ minds have handled it and carried it to such _________________ that it has _____________ in place of _________________ people to it.” (P.212)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. Why was it necessary for Christ to fast nearly six weeks?

2. What are the dangers of extremes in diet?

3. Name some mistaken ideas of reform

Lesson 7—During Pregnancy and Diet in Childhood

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 217-247

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “If before the birth of her child she is ___________________, if she is _______________, __________ and ___________ these traits will be reflected in the ______________________ of the child.” (P.217)

2. Why is it important that an expectant mother cultivate such positive aspects of character as kindness, gentleness, unselfishness? ______________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________________ (P.217)

3. Who will bring temptations on the expectant mother so as to affect the character of her child? ________________________ ______________ (P.219)

4. “Unless she has an ____________ supply of ____________ _______________, she cannot retain her physical strength, and her offspring is ________________ of _________________.” (P.219)

5. Upon what two things do the prosperity of mother and child depend?
a. ________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________ (P.219, P.220)

6. “The ___________ organs cannot convert ________, _________________, ______________ and ______________ ____________________________ into good blood.” (P.220)

7. “The best food for the infant is the food that ______________ provides.” (P.226)

8. In cases where mothers are unable to nurse their children, why are nine out of ten unable to do so? ____________________ _________________________________________________ _____________________ (P.227)

9. Can a child be poisoned by the unhealthful condition of its mother’s blood? ____________ (P.228)

10. In what subject should a mother first educate her children? ___________________________________ (P.228)

11. “Your children should not be allowed to eat _______________, _____________, ____________, or ___________ in the line of ______________, between their meals.” (P.229)

12. “The importance of training children to right _____________ habits can hardly be overestimated. The little ones need to learn that they ___________ to ___________, not _____________ to __________.” (P.229, P.230)

13. What two things should not be required of our children?
a. _______________________________________________
b. ________________________________________ (P.230)

14. “Let the table be made ___________________ and __________ ______________, as it is supplied with the good things which God has so bountifully bestowed.” (P.231)

15. What evil results are seen in the glutton, the tobacco devotee, the winebibber, and the inebriate?

_________________________ _______________________________ (P.231)

16. “____________ meats constitute the principal article of food upon the tables of some families, until their _______________ is filled with ______________ and _____________ humors.” (P.233)

17. How can our sisters cooperate in the great work of saving others? __________________________________________________ ___________________________________ (P.234)

18. What four types of food, placed before children, irritate the stomach and cause ” a craving for still stronger stimulants” ?
a. ___________________
b. ___________________
c. ___________________
d. ___________________ (P.235)

19. “When ______________ and _____________ meet at the final reckoning, what a scene will be presented. Thousands of ___________ who have been slaves to appetite and debasing vice, whose lives are _____________________________, will stand face to face with the _____________ who made them what they are.” (P.238)

20. ” ___________ and _________________ food fevers the blood, excites the ___________________ system, and too often dulls the ______________________ perceptions, so that reason and conscience are overborne by the ________________________ _____________.” (P.243)

21. What should children be taught from the earliest years of childhood? _________________________________________ _______________ (P.246)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What lessons can we learn from God’s instructions to Manoah?

2. What is the best diet for an expectant mother?

3. Why should a mother care for her own child?

4. What foods are especially injurious to children? Why?

Lesson 8—Healthful Cookery, Health Foods and Hygienic Restaurants, Sanitarium Dietary

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 251-298

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “It is a _____________ to place poorly prepared food on the table, because the matter of _____________ concerns the __________ of the entire system.” (P.251)

2. How does cooking as a science compare with other sciences? _____________________________________ (P.251)

3. “It is your duty to know how to ___________, and it is your duty to teach your _____________ to _______________.” (P.253)

4. “Something must be prepared to take the place of meat, and these _________________ for meat must be ______________ _____________, so that meat willnot be ________________.” (P.256)

5. What does poor cooking produce?
a. ________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________________ _____ (P.256)

6. “It may be fashionable to have half a _________________ ____________ at a meal, but the custom is ______________ ____________ to health.” (P.258)

7. “It is a ____________________________ for those who cook to learn how to prepare healthful food in different ways, so that it may be eaten with _________________________________.” (P.260)

8. Instruction of a daughter in the mysteries of cooking should be given by the mother, and in what spirit?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. _________________________________________ (P.262)

9. “The heavenly Provider of all ______________ will not leave His _______________ in ignorance in regard to the ________ ___________ of the ______________ for all ____________ and occasions.” (P.267)

10. Who will teach those in all parts of the world to combine fruits, grains, and vegetables into foods that will sustain life and not bring disease? _______________________________ (P.267)

11. “It is His design that the ________________ of each country shall be so prepared that they can be used in the countries for which they are suited.” (P.267, P.268)

12. As overpopulation, crop failures, and famine result in want and distress, there will be an increasing need to know how to
a. _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________ ________________________________________ (P.271)

13. “If we would work for the restoration of health, it is necessary to _____________________________________, to __________ __________________, and only a limited ____________ at one time.” (P.275, P.276)

14. With what should every patient in our sanitariums be provided? __________________________________________________ ________________ (P.287)

15. “I have been plainly instructed by the Lord that __________ __________ should not be placed before the patients in our sanitarium dining rooms. Light was given me that the patients could have ____________________, if, after hearing the parlor lectures, they still urged us to give it to them; but that, in such cases, it must be eaten in ___________________________ ____________.” (P.290)

16. What should be placed on the table in abundance? ___________ ________________ (P.296)

17. “The cook in a sanitarium should be a _________________ _______________________________.” (P.297)

18. What foods should be served the helpers in our sanitariums? __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ (P.297)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What position of importance is held by the cook?

2. Why are so many mothers weary and overburdened?

3. Will general knowledge substitute for the knowledge of cooking?

4. How best can we get our health message before the world?

Lesson 9—Diet a Rational Remedy; Fruits, Cereals, and Vegetables; Desserts

Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp.301-335

Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “It is ________________________ to become familiar with the benefit of___________________ in case of sickness.” (P.301)

2. What are the true remedies?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________
e. _______________________________________________
f. _______________________________________________
g. _______________________________________________
h. ________________________________________ (P.301)

3. When illness strikes many can do for themselves what others cannot do so well for them. What stands in the way of many in applying the three simple rules, including giving ” the stomach a chance for rest” ?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _________________________________________ (P.304)

4. What is often the cause of sickness? ____________________ ____________________ (P.305)

5. “___________________ we would especially recommend as a ___________________________ agency.” (P.309)

6. ” Nicely prepared _______________ and ______________ in their

season will be _____________________, if they are of the best

_________________, not showing the slightest sign of

_____________.” (P.309)

7. What constitutes the diet chosen for us by the Creator?
a. ___________________
b. ___________________
c. ___________________
d. ___________________ (P.313)

8. “Those who eat ____________ are but eating ____________ and ________________ at second hand; for the _________ ____________ receives from these things the nutrition that produces growth.” (P.313)

9. ” Fruits, grains, and vegetables, prepared in a ____________ way, free from ___________ and ______________ of all kinds, make, with ___________ or ___________, the most healthful diet.” (P.314)

10. “_____________ is the real staff of life, and therefore every ____________ should ______________ in making it.” (P.315)

11. In the chapter on ____________________ bread making, we learn that _____________ and ____________ should not be used. The “bread should be ____________ and ____________.” ” The loaves should be ________________, and so thoroughly baked that, as far as possible, the _______________________ shall be destroyed.” (P.316)

12. When one article of diet is condemned, another is recommended to take its place. What can we use in place of hot biscuits raised with soda or baking powder?
a. ___________________
b. ________ (P.319, P.320)

13. What is more nutritious than plain wheat flour? _________ _________________________________________________ (P.321)

14. “All should be acquainted with the ______________________ of fruits and _______________________ from the orchard and ________________.” (P.321)

15. How may vegetables be made palatable? ________________ __________________________________(P.322)

16. What food is not good for the stomach and clogs the system? _______________ (P.327)

17. What are active causes of indigestion?
a. __________________________
b. __________________________
c. __________________________
d. __________________________
e. ___________________ (P.327)

18. Mrs. White avoided extremes in the matter of the use of sugar and also milk. How did she support this?
a. _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________
b. _________________________________________________ _____________________________________ (P.330)

19. “The free use of _____________ and _________ taken together should be avoided.” (P.331)

20. Ellen White makes it plain that a moderate use of simple desserts is not a violation of principle. List four items she cites as examples:
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. ___________________________________ (P.333, P.334)

21. When should dessert be served? ________________________ __________________________________________ (P.334)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What is one of the most effective and least expensive ways of gaining good health?

2. How should fruit be prepared for winter?

3. What kind of bread should we serve on our tables?

4. Rich foods, what are they? Why is their free use discouraged

Lesson 10—Condiments, Fats, Proteins

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 339-370

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “Condiments, so frequently used by those of the world, are ___________ to the _______________.” (P.339)

2. “The use of unnatural _________ always tends to excess, and it is an active agent in promoting _____________________ __ _________________and _____________.” (P.339)

3. What causes teen-agers to become dyspeptics?
a. _______________________________________________
b. ________________________________________ (P.340)

4. “Spices at first irritate the ___________________________ of the __________________, but finally destroy the _________ __________________of this __________________________ _________________.” (P.341)

5. “The use of ___________ or __________________________ in bread making is harmful and unnecessary.” (P.342)

6. Mrs. White made two basic statements about the use of salt. She wrote: “Do not _____________________________________ of salt.” She also declared, ” I use ________________ salt and

always have, because from the ______________ given me by ___________, this article, in the place of being deleterious, is actually __________________ for the_________________.”

Scientifically confirmed today, Mrs. White, concerning the reasons for this point, declared at the time: ____________ _______________________________________________

__________________________________________ (P.344)

7. What foods cannot be converted into good blood by the blood making organs?
a. __________________
b. __________________
c. __________________
d. __________________ (P.345)

8. How can the cook ruin an otherwise healthful salad? What then happens in the stomach?
a. ______________________________________________________________ _______________________________
b. ________________________________________ (P.345)

9. What will be the reason for the discontinuance of the use of eggs, milk, cream, and butter? ______________________________ _________________________________________________ (P.349)

10. What should not be classed with flesh meats?
a. ________________
b. ________________
c. ________________ (P.351)

11. In a significant statement Mrs. White declared: “As for myself, I have settled the butter question. I _____________________ use it. This question should easily be settled in _____________ ___________ where the _____________________ cannot be obtained. . . . We use _____________ and all are satisfied with this.” (P.351)

12. What was Mrs. White’s attitude toward members of her family who chose to eat butter occasionally? ____________________ __________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ __________________ (P.351, P.352)

13. _____________ and cream are a part of a healthful, nourishing diet of which ” our benevolent heavenly Father says we may ____________________.” (P.355)

14. “Health reform must ______________ be urged in a _______ __________ manner.” (P.352)

15. “Some, in abstaining from ____________, ___________, and ___________, have failed to supply the system with proper ________________, and as a consequence have become weak and unable to work.” (P.353)

16. Will God reveal to us when certain foods should be discontinued? ___________ (P.353)

17. “__________ and ________________ are coming largely into use to take the place of flesh meats.” (P.363)

18. Three other foods can be combined with nuts. They are ___________, _____________, and ____________________. (P.363)

19. What did Sister White say concerning the proportion of nuts in the preparation of nut foods? ________________________ __________________________________________ (P.364)

20. “Great care should be taken, however, to obtain ___________ from ________________________, and _____________ from __________________________, that are well fed and well cared for;

and the _________________ should be so cooked as to be most easily digested.” (P.365)

21. What is it that should be progressive? ___________________ (P.365)

22. Sister White used cottage cheese. What was her attitude toward the ripened cheese sold in the stores at that time?
__________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _____________________ (P.370)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What is a radical in health reform?

2. Why does the use of condiments cause a faintness?

3. How can we follow the instruction of the Lord in moderation?

4. How will we know when the time has come to discontinue the use of dairy and poultry products?

Lesson 11—Flesh Meats

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 373-416

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. The diet designed originally by God for our first parents consisted of _______________________________________ _____________________________ (P.373)

2. What was God’s reason, after the Flood, for permitting that long-lived race to eat animal food? ______________________ ___________________________________________ (P.373)

3. “As a general thing, the Lord did not provide His people with flesh meats in the desert, because He knew that the use of this diet would create __________________ and ______________ _____________________.” (P.375)

4. “Our habits of eating and drinking show whether we are of the __________ or among the number whom the ______________ by His mighty cleaver of truth has separated from the world.” (P.379)

5. “Again and again ______________________________ that God is trying to lead us _______________step by step to His ____________________________,— that man should subsist upon the natural ________________ of the ______________.” (P.380)

6. “How can those who are seeking to become ______________, ______________and ____________, that they may have the companionship of heavenly angels, continue to use as food anything that has so harmful an effect on ___________ and ___________.” (P.380)

7. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, what will cease to form a part of their diet? __________________ (P.380, P.381)

8. What work will have to be done before God’s people can “stand before Him a perfected people” ? _______________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _____________________ (P.381)

9. What areas of health are endangered by eating the flesh of animals?
a. ________________
b. ________________
c. ________________ (P.382)

10. “Those who eat flesh meat disregard ___________________ _________________________________________________ ________________.” (P.383)

11. “______________, _______________, and ______________ ________________are largely caused by _______________ ___________.” (P.383)

12. “Animals are becoming more and more_________________, and it will not be long until _________________________ will be ______________ by many besides Seventh-day Ad ventists.” (P.384)

13. The liability to disease is increased how many times by the eating of meat? ______________ (P.386)

14. “It is _____________for those who make free use of flesh meats to have an _______________________brain and an _______ _______________ intellect.” (P.389)

15. ” The mortality caused by meat eating is not discerned; if it were, we would hear no more arguments and excuses in favor of the indulgence of the appetite for ________________________ ______________. ” (P.391)

16. “It is a _______________ to suppose that ________________ ________________ depends on the use of _________________ _____________.” (P.396)

17. When flesh is discarded, with what should it be replaced? _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ (P.397)

18. “Let not any of our _____________ set an evil example in the eating of _____________________________.” (P.399)

19. Is the use of flesh foods a test of fellowship? ______________ (P.401)

20. Are students in our schools to be served flesh meats? ___________ (P.403)

21. “I have been shown that the __________ that were given us in the early days of the message are to be regarded as just as __________________ by our people ______________ as they were then.” (P.416)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What caused much of the wickedness of the antediluvian world?

2. Why did the Lord give flesh food to Israel in the wilderness?

3. What are some of the results caused by eating flesh meats?

4. How does meat eating affect the mind?

5. Have you carefully and prayerfully sought to understand the will of God in these matters?

Lesson 12—Beverages

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp.419-437

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “In health and in sickness, ___________is one of Heaven’s choicest blessings.” (P.419)

2. Cold liquids, especially ice water and lemonade, “drunk with ___________, will arrest _________________ until the system has imparted sufficient _____________ to the ___________ _________ to enable it to take up its ______________ again.” (P.420)

3. “Food should not be _____________ down; no ____________ is needed with meals.” (P.420)

4. “The more ______________ there is taken into the stomach with the meals, the more difficult it is for the food to digest; for the __________ must first be absorbed.” (P.420)

5. “If anything is needed to quench thirst, pure ____________, drunk some little time ______________ or _____________ the meal, is all that nature requires. . . . Water is the best ___________ possible to cleanse the tissues.” (P.420)

6. “Those who resort to ____________ and ___________ for stimulation to labor, will feel the evil effects of this course

in _______________________ and lack of ________________ ____________.” (P.422)

7. How does the system suffer through the use of stimulants?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________ (P.422)

8. “All partake freely of the favorite _______________, and as the stimulating influence is felt, their __________________ are loosened, and they begin the wicked work of ___________ against ____________.” (P.423)

9. What do tired nerves need in place of stimulation and over work? _________________________________________.” (P.424)

10. What is the immediate reaction from the use of tea and coffee? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________. Then “when their immediate influence has gone,” what is the secondary reaction? _________________________________________________ ____________ (P.425)

11. “__________ and __________drinking is a __________, an injurious indulgence, which, like other ___________, injures the soul.” (P.425)

12. What should every true Christian control? _____________ _____________ (P.427)

13. The greatest danger following the indulgence of perverted appetite is that through such indulgence _________________ _________________________________________________ (P.429)

14. What is Satan’s suggestion in regard to the message of health reform? ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________ (P.431)

15. In the light of the law of God, can Christians conscientiously engage in the raising of hops or in the manufacture of wine or cider for the market? _____________ (P.432, P.433)

16. ” ___________ and ___________ may be canned when fresh, and kept sweet a long time; and if used in an unfermented state, they will not dethrone reason. (P.433)

17. Mrs. White calls moderate drinking a school. What kind of education is here received? __________________________ __________________________________________ (P.433)

18. ” We must ________________ from any practice which will _______________ the ____________________or encourage ________________.” (P.435)

19. To whose day is our day likened? ________________ (P.435)

20. ” The pure juice of the _____________, free from fermentation, is a wholesome drink.” (P.436)

21. For what should we thank the Lord? __________________ _____________________________ (P.437)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. What are some of the ways water can be beneficial to the sick?

2. What are the results of drinking tea and coffee?

3. How do stimulants affect spiritual perception?

4. What are the results of whipping tired and flagging nerves?

Lesson 13—Teaching Health Principles

A. Reading and Study Assignment: Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 441-477

B. Study Questions

(Complete the quotations by filling in the missing word or words. Answer the questions by writing your answers in the appropriate blanks. The numbers in parentheses at the end of each question indicate the pages where the answers are found in the text.)

1. “Education in __________ principles was never more needed than _____________.” (P.441)

2. To elevate the moral standards in any country we must begin by doing what? _______________________________________ ___________________ (P.441)

3. “The ____________ is to be bound up with the principles of ______________________________.” (P.442)

4. What two places are suggested as places to demonstrate healthful cooking?
a. ______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________ (P.443)

5. We must strive continually to educate the people, not only by our words, but _________________________________. (P.443)

6. “In this institution people were to be taught how to ______________, ______________, and ______________, — how to _________________________ by proper habits of living.” (P.444)

7. “Our __________________________ are to be the means of enlightening those who come to them for ________________ ____________.” (P.444)

8. “The ________________ in the school are to be taught to be strict _____________________________________.” (P.450)

9. When the ministers “obey the laws of life, practicing right principles and living healthfully” they will be able to lead _________________________________________________________________ _________________________. (P.452)

10. ” No man should be set apart as a teacher of the people while his own teaching or example __________________________ the testimony God has given His servants to bear in regard to ______________, for this will bring ___________.” (P.453, P.454)

11. What should the members of poor households be taught?
a. _______________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________
d. _______________________________________________ (P.456)

12. “He who is thoroughly ______________ will abandon every injurious ______________ and ________________.” (P.457)

13. What is the great object and purpose of health reform?
_________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ __ (P.457)

14. “The requirements of God must be brought home to the ___________________. Men and women must be awakened to the duty of _____________________________, the need of _______________, freedom from every ________________ ____________ and defiling _____________.” (P.458)

15. “As you seek to draw others within the circle of His love, let the ________________________, the _____________________ ______________________, the _______________________ _____________________________bear witness to the power of His grace.” (P.459)

16. Why should we not attack the wrong habits of others? __________________________________________ (P.459)

17. In what way does God desire to use Adventist health books and journals? __________________________________________ _________________________________________________ __________________________________________ (P.461)

18. “There is a time to ________________, and a time to keep _________________.” (P.463)

19. What is the danger in presenting “our strongest position” in health reform to people who are just beginning to learn what it is? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ (P.469)

20. “Wherever the truth is presented, the people are to be taught how to prepare __________________ in a __________________, yet ___________ way.” (P.474)

21. Where should classes of instruction be held in proper cooking? __________________________________________ (P.474)

22. “To the _____________ and _______________ of the whole family nothing is more vital than __________ and ______ ________________ on the part of the cook.” (P.476)

C. Thought and Discussion Questions

1. How can our sanitariums best instruct patients on health reform?

2. Can a Christian worker live unto himself?

3. Can the Lord bless a church with large increases in membership when it is not living up to right principles?

4. What does it mean to “meet people where they are”?

5. What are some of the opportunities and also dangers of health food restaurants?

Appendix A — The Spirit Of Prophecy And The Cause Of Reform

By James White *

Review and Herald, March 17, 1868

Probably there has not been an important movement or reform for the benefit of fallen man, which would, if properly conducted, result in his own spiritual advancement, that has been free from extremes. There are always many who move too slowly, and that testimony necessary to urge them to duty, is always sure to be taken advantage of by some who have more zeal than caution. While Satan tempts the many to be too slow, he always tempts these to be too fast. Mrs. White’s labors are made very hard, and, sometimes perplexing, by reason of the course of extremists, who think the only safe position is to take the extreme view of every expression she has written or spoken upon points where different views may be taken. . . . She works to this disadvantage, namely:

she makes strong appeals to the people, which a few feel deeply, and take strong positions, and go to extremes. Then to save the cause from ruin in consequence of these extremes, she is obliged to come out with reproofs for extremists in a public manner. This is better than to have things go to pieces; but the influence of both the extremes and the reproofs are terrible on the cause, and brings upon Mrs. White a three-fold burden. Here is the difficulty: What she may say to urge the tardy, is taken by the prompt to urge them over the mark. And what she may say to caution the prompt, zealous, incautious ones, is taken by the tardy as an excuse to remain too far behind.

With the People, Tugging Away

We say to those who wish to help Mrs. White in her work, you will not find her far ahead of the people, with a few extremists. No, she is back with the people, tugging away at the wheel of reform, and has to lift all the harder because of your extreme advance. Come back, good, whole-hearted souls, and stand by her side, and lift where she lifts.

What can you do there at such a distance from the people? Come back. You must meet the people where they are.

By this, dear brother, we do not mean that any are to come back to the wrong habits of the people. No, indeed. Their habits should be right. In this respect we say to them, Go on. But those who have run ahead of the work should come back from their heated zeal, and want of Christian patience, and labor for their brethren in the cause of reform as they can bear it. In this way they can help Mrs. White, who is tugging along with a double burden of the work. There may be those, whom others cannot reach, that she can, if rashness on the part of others does not place them out of her reach. If one cannot mend a vase, he need not break it into fragments. It is possible that another can mend it. We protest against the plan practically taught by some, “Cure or Kill,” and give a dose accordingly. Some sores need help in their cure, others will work their own cure best. It takes time to reform a poor, sinful, intemperate, blind, stubborn piece of humanity. It is a large job. And those who come a good way short of the faith of Abraham, and the patience of Job, had better lay out a little more time and toil on their own case, before going to work for others. He who deals with the mind, engages in the nicest piece of business ever undertaken by mortal man. And the greater the reform, and the closer the work, the more difficult and responsible it is.

Counsel to Those Who Teach

Some persons can be converted in a day, others in a week, and still others in a month, while it takes from one to two years to convert and thoroughly reform some. Those who have a work laid upon them for others, will patiently set before the people plain principles, and clear facts, and then leave them to answer for the use they make of them. Those called to teach, are responsible for what they teach, and how they live their own teachings. And it should be a matter of great relief to them, that they are not responsible for the manner the people dispose of their teachings, providing they do their duty, both by precept, and example. Let him who teaches make haste to do his duty, then patiently wait the result. Don’t drive. “My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me.”

God has called some to teach the truth, and has called all to live it, teachers, and all. Some leave off living out the sweet principles of the truth, and go to battling for it. Now if they cannot do both, they had better live out the truth, and leave the teaching of it to those who can both patiently live and preach the truth. In fact, those not especially called of God, and qualified for the work, will be safest for themselves and others in the position of learners.

Satan stands ready to tempt unconsecrated persons, and prejudice them against the truth. And those who practice it, and especially those who teach it should be exceedingly careful not to give Satan good grounds to tempt people concerning their course. The day of the Lord is the great event before us. The keeping of the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus is the great duty of God’s people. And that they may do this acceptably, they must reform in life, and cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Those who drop all other points, and run their own testimony all on the health, and dress reform, will disgust the people, and before they are aware of it, they will introduce a spirit of discussion, and contention into their meetings.

Relation to Third Angel’s Message

The health reform has not taken the place in any respect whatever, of the third angel’s message. It is a work designed to follow in its wake. Let the work go on, saith my soul, in all its branches. Not a piece at a time, lest it go all to pieces; but let it move on as a complete whole. Not fluttering and trembling in the wind, but like an old seventy-four gun ship, let all the friends of truth and reform get on board and work together. Yet let all the friends of Jesus, His coming, and the future glory of the kingdom, patiently, cheerfully, joyfully unite and stand together in the work of preparation.

Appendix B — What You Should Know About Vegetarianism

Is it healthy to live on a meatless diet? Nutritionists say yes— as long as you follow a few simple rules.

By Daniel Grotta-Kurska

To the meat eater, the first, and very puzzling, question is why. Why give up the steak, the barbecued spareribs, the pork roast, the Thanksgiving turkey, the hamburger, and the hot dog? There is a myriad of reasons why people do so:
• Most vegetarians live below the poverty level. They simply cannot afford the high price of meat;
• Followers of certain religions and philosophies exclude flesh foods from their diets because they believe eating meat hinders their spiritual development, or because it is contrary to their religious edicts;
• Health faddists think that meat, as well as all processed or refined “supermarket” foods, are harmful to the body;
• Some pacifists believe that killing and eating animals is inconsistent with their ethical or social consciences;
• Recent emphasis on ecology has convinced many that using meat as a primary protein source is an arrogant exploitation of the earth’s finite resources.

The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that less than 5 percent of the country’s population is predominantly vegetarian; even so, that figure represents more than 10 million people. A second question comes naturally: Is a vegetarian diet nutritionally sound?

Demonstrated in War Crisis

It certainly didn’t hurt the Danes during World War I, when Denmark virtually became a meatless country because of the British naval blockade. Nutritionists who studied the people during the war concluded that general health had significantly improved. Similarly, Norway had to adopt a vegetarian diet during World War II, and there was a significant drop in heart disease. Both nations, however, reverted to meat diets as soon as the crises passed and subsequent studies showed that the temporary health advantages apparently subsided.

We Americans, too, have been conditioned to believe that only a meat-based diet can provide the adequate nutrition necessary for good health. Traditionally, we have been a nation of carnivores, consuming an average of one-half pound of meat per person every day (the Japanese eat an average of only one-half pound of meat per month, per person).

In 1973, Americans devoured 176 pounds of meat per person—66 times more than in the average Indian diet. In fact, McDonald’s—the fast-food hamburger franchise—uses more beef per year than is consumed by the entire populations of countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Protein Quality

Until recently, even many scientists were accustomed to classify meats as “first-class” proteins and vegetables as “second-class” proteins, thereby implying that nonanimal sources of protein were somehow inferior in quality. The most current medical and scientific evidence, however, points to other considerations:
• Man can subsist perfectly well on a proper nonflesh diet; • Statistically, vegetarians in the United States are thinner, healthier, and may live longer than meat eaters;
• Meat, especially in the large quantities Americans are accustomed to eating, may be harmful to the body;
• Protein from nonflesh foods can be an adequate nutritional substitute for meat protein.

Protein is essential to life: It is the substance that the body uses to build and replenish its organs, skin, cartilage, nails, hair, muscles, and the organic framework of bones. The proteins that our bodies use are composed of 22 amino acids, not all of which must come from the diet. The human metabolic system can synthesize (produce by uniting chemical elements) 14 of these 22 amino acids, but the remaining 8 must be obtained from food sources outside the body. Hence their name—the essential amino acids.

Complete Proteins

To be useful to a person, the totality of food proteins must be “complete”—that is, all eight essential amino acids must be ingested simultaneously, and in the right proportion. Incomplete proteins cannot be used to build muscle and tissue; they often end up as stored fat or are utilized for energy.

Meat is a complete protein because all eight essential amino acids are present in the proper proportion. Vegetable foods, however, may be incomplete proteins, lacking the minimum requirement of one or more of these eight amino acids.

But it is possible to satisfy your protein needs by a proper intermixing of vegetable proteins, according to Elwood Speckmann, Ph.D., director of the nutrition research program for the National Dairy Council. “You have to be careful and make sure you use the right combinations,” explains Dr. Speckmann. “It’s simply easier to meet your protein needs with animal foods, such as meat, milk, and eggs.”

In Diet for a Small Planet, Francis Moore Lappe offers some suggestions for combining vegetables to good advantage. Wheat, which has a deficiency in the amino acid lysine but an abundance of sulfur-containing amino acids, can be combined with beans, which have the opposite enrichment combination. Taken together, they complement each other to form a “complete” protein.

“Certainly some vegetable proteins, if fed as the sole source of protein, are of relatively low value for promoting growth,” the editors of the British medical journal Lancet wrote in 1959. “But many field trials have shown that proteins provided by suitable mixtures of vegetable origin enable children to grow as well as children provided with milk and other animal protein.”

Quality and Quantity

Nutritionists use two criteria in evaluating protein sources: quality and quantity. Quality refers to the useability of protein by the body (not all of them can be used). This factor is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100. Quantity is the proportion of useable protein to total weight and is expressed as a percentage. The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) gives meat a protein quality rating of 67—higher than that of most plant proteins, with the exception of whole rice (70), but below that of cheese (70), fish (80), milk (82), and eggs (95). In terms of quantity, 20 to 30 percent of the total weight of flesh food is useable protein—lamb rates the lower figure and turkey the higher one—the rest is water, fat, and trace minerals. On the other hand, soybean flour is 40 percent protein; Parmesan cheese, 36 percent; many nuts and seeds between 20 and 30 percent; and peas, lentils, and dried beans, between 20 and 25 percent. Grains are fairly low in quantity but, surprisingly, so are milk (4 percent) and eggs (13 percent).

(There are other rating systems for food protein, also. The Food and Drug Administration uses a protein efficiency ratio [PER] as a quality standard for protein in nutritional labeling. Foods, such as meat and eggs, which are above a 2.5 PER, are considered excellent sources of protein; those, such as vegetables, which are below a 2.5 PER, are considered poor sources. The National Livestock Meat Board rates meats, both raw and cooked, on the basis of protein quantity. A serving of broiled, lean round steak is 31 percent protein; raw, the same piece of meat contains 22 percent. Choice-grade leg of lamb, cooked, is 25 percent protein; raw 18 percent.)

What all this means is that, in general, one has to eat proportionately less meat in order to obtain the same amount of useable protein than if relying on vegetable sources, but that nonflesh alternatives are perfectly adequate. Balanced against this, however, are the disadvantages of a heavily meat-laced diet.

The first problem most American meat eaters face is not a deficiency of proteins, but an excess. Nutritionists have established that a 154-pound man needs 43.1 grams of useable proteins, and 2,800 calories per day for adequate nutrition; a 128-pound woman also needs 43.1 grams of protein, but only 2,000 calories.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarianism

A number of nutritional studies have concluded that facto, lacto-ovo-, and pure vegetarians * who eat a proper diet consistently meet their protein and caloric needs but do not significantly exceed them. Most meat eaters, however, consistently exceed their limits and, as a consequence, tend to weigh more.

“Forty percent of the fat in our diets comes from meat,” says Frederick Stare, M.D., chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Meat is about 4 percent saturated fat, or cholesterol. With the exception of eggs, nonflesh foods have no cholesterol. The consequences of meat and nonmeat diets were measured in a study conducted by Dr. Stare and Mervyn Hardinge, M.D., dean of the Loma Linda School of Health, Loma Linda, California. The results showed that vegetarians had consistently lower levels of serum cholesterol than did meat eaters.

Some Drawbacks of a Meat Diet

The effect of meat additives on human health also is a point of contention among scientists. In 1971, for example, Charles Edwards, M.D., former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, testified before a House committee on nutrition that sodium nitrite—a meat preservative—is potentially dangerous to small children, can deform the fetus in pregnant women, and can cause serious damage in anemic persons. Dr. Edwards, currently secretary of health in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, also said the additive may be carcinogenic, or cancer causing.

But Harvard’s Dr. Stare says no carcinogenic agents are used in preserving meat. “Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate have probably been used longer than any other type of preservatives,” he explains. “And there is no evidence, which I know of, that they are carcinogenic.”

Some studies, however, indicate a strong correlation between a meat diet and cancer of the colon. “Animal protein tends to create anaerobic bacteria in the intestinal tract, and these anaerobic bacteria tend to convert bile acids into carcinogenic compounds,” explains U. D. Register, Ph.D., chairman of the nutrition department at the Loma Linda School of Health.

And there are some indications that meat is highly susceptible to bacteria growth and food spoilage.

Meat eaters also may be bothered by poor absorption and elimination. Food with a low fiber-content, such as meat, moves sluggishly through the digestive tract, making stools dry and hard to pass. But vegetables retain moisture and bind waste bulk for easy passage.

Which Diet Is Superior?

But still the question remains: Is a vegetarian diet better than a meat diet? Nutritionists have yet to agree on an answer. Advocates of vegetarianism frequently cite unsubstantiated evidence and present “testimonials” about the relative superiority of a non-meat diet, often claiming “miraculous” cures for asthma, poor eyesight, and even cancer. While such claims may be sincere, they have not been proved.

Scientific evidence suggesting the superiority of a vegetarian diet is offered, not by nutritionists, but by anthropologists. Field investigations of certain nonmeat cultures have documented the excellent health and longevity enjoyed by people such as the Hunzas of Northern Pakistan and the Otomi Indians of Central Mexico. Heart diseases and many forms of cancer appear to be Western diseases in that they are practically unknown in some underdeveloped countries where meat is not part of the diet. That lower incidence, however, may result from the very different life-style.

[In 1973] . . . the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began a $1 million, five-year study to determine what role vegetarianism plays in health. The subject: 100,000 Seventh-day Adventists who neither drink, smoke, nor eat meat, and use limited amounts of coffee and tea.

“Our studies have revealed that the Seventh-day Adventist vegetarians are healthier than the average Californian,” says Dr. Mervyn Hardinge. “There is virtually no lung cancer—in fact, a lower incidence of all forms of cancer. Heart disease is significantly less and, when it does occur, it is an average of 10 years later than in other Californians. Adventist males live 6.2 years longer than the average California male, and women 3.5 years longer.”

The differences have been substantiated, says Dr. Hardinge. The purpose of the NIH study is to see if they are linked, in any way, to a meatless diet. . . .

Some Warnings

Unfortunately, certain vegetarian diets can lead to serious nutritional problems. A strict macrobiotic diet, for example, can induce scurvy, hypoproteinemia, anemia, hypocalcemia, emaciation, and loss of kidney function.

Other equally ill-advised exotic vegetarian diets have resulted in kwashiorkor (a rare protein deficiency that became endemic with children who were victims of starvation during the Biafran-Nigerian war), marasmus, beriberi, rickets, pellagra, and severe vitamin deficiencies.

There are a few basic guidelines that nutritionists recommend for people who are following, or plan to adopt, a vegetarian diet. For those who wish to include dairy products and/or eggs:
• Cut “empty” (sugar, fats, oils) calories in half;
• Replace meat with increased intake of legumes, nuts, or meat analogs (textured vegetable protein [TVPs] such as soy-burgers);
• Give up as many refined or processed foods as possible—whole foods have greater nutritional value;
• Eat more grains and cereals;
• Eat a salad every day, adding such things as raw carrots, beet roots, and dried fruits;
• Include cottage cheese and low-fat milk in your daily diet, and restrict eggs to no more than four per week;
• To retain vitamins and minerals, cook vegetables for the shortest time and in as little water as possible.

Pure vegetarians should make a special effort to:
• Increase their intake of leafy green vegetables;
• Increase general caloric intake, eating more of everything;
•Use either fortified soy milk preparations or take some form of vitamin B12 supplement.

Perhaps it is good to remember that the word vegetarian is not, as one might think, derived from the word vegetable, but from the Latin vegetus, which means “whole, sound, fresh, lively.”

—Reprinted with permission.
Today’s Health Magazine © October, 1974
— All rights reserved.

Appendix C — A Nutrition Authority Discusses Mrs. E. G. White

By Clive M. McCay, Ph.D.

Former Professor of Nutrition, Cornell University

Among the thousand historical acquaintances in my files, one of the most worthwhile is Ellen G. White. As near as one can judge by the evidence of modern nutritional science, her extensive writings on the subject of nutrition, and health in general, are correct in their conclusions. This is doubly remarkable: Not only was most of her writing done at a time when a bewildering array of new health views—good and bad—were being promoted but the modern science of nutrition, which helps us to check on views and theories, had not yet been born. . . .

While the selection and preparation of food plays a key role in the maintenance of health, few people select food on the basis of its nutritive value. Most select it on the basis of its taste, the way the product is packaged, the pressure of advertising, or the ease of preparation. Hence, the large food processors orient their research programs toward packaging, taste, and convenience rather than toward nutritive value.

A Sound Nutrition Program

A sound nutrition program takes account of more than just the purchase of food. A healthy body, a satisfactory program of living, and a tranquil mind are all part of the essentials for sound nutrition, since the glands that insure digestion and assimilation of food cannot function when under the influence of a disturbed mind.

I have given this brief summary to provide the setting for my comments on the teachings of Ellen G. White, particularly in terms of the usefulness of her teaching today for the population of America. Whatever may be the reader’s religion, he can gain much in the midst of this confused world in which we live, by a study of the writings of Mrs. White. Also, every thoughtful modern nutritionist must be impressed by the soundness of Mrs. White’s teachings in spite of the fact that she began to write nearly a century ago. . . .

When one reads such works by Mrs. White as Ministry of Healing or Counsels on Diet and Foods he is impressed by the correctness of her teachings in the light of modern nutritional science. One can only speculate how much better health the average American might enjoy, even though he knew almost nothing of modern science, if he but followed the teachings of Mrs. White.

To understand better the remarkable nature of her teachings, we should study them in the setting of the intellectual climate that prevailed during the earlier years of her life. This climate provided her with the problems that needed answers. Some of the problems press for solution even more today, because of the greater complexity of living and the increase in the world populations. . . .

Specific Illustrations

I earlier stated that Mrs. White was a remarkable woman, particularly in terms of her health views. I wish, now, to be specific, in support of this statement, by comparing certain of her teachings with present-day well-established facts on nutrition. Though, for convenience, I shall quote, in part, from her book The Ministry of Healing, first published in 1905, most of what she there sets forth was presented in various of her writings of much earlier days.

Today there is a widespread movement to reduce the intake of fats, especially animal fats, in order to reduce the blood cholesterol and the dangers of atherosclerosis. Mrs. White wrote, “Nut foods are coming largely into use to take the place of flesh meats. . . . When properly prepared, olives, like nuts, supply the place of butter and flesh meats. The oil, as eaten in the olive, is far preferable to animal oil or fat.”— The Ministry of Healing, p. 298.

Near the end of Mrs. White’s life in 1915 men began to appreciate that the milling of white flour removed most of the vitamins, part of the protein, and the important trace minerals such as iron. However, even nutritional authorities were very slow to inveigh against white bread. Today nutritionists know that these vital constituents are lost when the bran and germ are taken from the wheat. Mrs. White wrote, “For use in bread making, the superfine white flour is not the best. Its use is neither healthful nor economical. Fine flour bread is lacking in nutritive elements to be found in bread made from the whole wheat.”— Ibid., p. 300.

In spite of her emphasis upon a given type of diet, Mrs. White appreciated that there were some people who could not tolerate foods that were well suited to the majority. . . .

Mrs. White wrote, “Foods that are palatable and wholesome to one person may be distasteful, and even harmful, to another. Some cannot use milk, while others thrive on it. . . . For some the coarser grain preparations are good food, while others cannot use them.”—Ibid., p. 320.

Danger of Overeating

Today it is well recognized that overeating and overweight produce much ill health. This is one of the few areas in which all professional nutritionists agree. Mrs. White wrote, “There should not be a great variety at any one meal, for this encourages overeating and causes indigestion.”— Ibid., p. 299. “Abstemiousness in diet is rewarded with mental and moral vigor.” “At each meal take only two or three kinds of simple food, and eat no more than is required to satisfy hunger.”— Ibid., pp. 308, 310. . . .

Today many people are restricting their use of salt in order to lower their blood pressure or in the hope of preventing high blood pressure. Attempts are made to keep the sodium intake low by using baked products made with yeast instead of baking powder. Mrs. White wrote, “Do not eat largely of salt.” “The use of soda or baking powder in bread making is harmful and unnecessary.”— Ibid., pp. 305, 300. . . .

Further Miscellaneous Counsels

Every thinking person today would agree with such wise statements of Mrs. White as, “Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies.”— Ibid., p. 127. . . .

Or take these statements: “The best food for the infant is the food that nature provides. Of this it should not be needlessly deprived.”—Ibid., p. 383. “In the entertainment of guests there should be greater simplicity.”—Ibid., p. 322. “Where wrong habits of diet have been indulged, there should be no delay in reform.”— Ibid., p 308.

“Take active exercise every day, and see if you do not receive benefit.”— Ibid., p. 310.

“One of the surest hindrances to the recovery of the sick is the centering of attention upon themselves.”— Ibid., p. 256. . . .

Mrs. White recognized the value of mixing a variety of grains. She wrote: “All wheat flour is not best for a continuous diet. A mixture of wheat, oatmeal, and rye would be more nutritious than the wheat with the nutrifying properties separated from it.”— Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 321. She recognized the truth from Ezekiel, “Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof” (Ezekiel 4:9) These additions supplement the proteins of wheat bread, as well as increase such essential elements as calcium.

Food Value Lost in Meat

Among nutritionists there is an acute awareness of the problem of feeding the ever increasing population of the world. . . . If this population grows at the present rate basic changes are inevitable. When man feeds an animal such as a pig or a turkey upon the grains that he can eat, at least three fourths of the food value is lost. In other words four men can live upon plant foods directly, in comparison with the one man that can be fed if the food is first converted into meat and then consumed by man.

Mrs. White well stated that, “the life that was in the grains and vegetables passes into the eater. We receive it by eating the flesh of the animal. How much better to get it direct, by eating the food that God provided for our use!”— The Ministry of Healing, p. 313. . . .

Areas of Seeming Disagreement

In some respects it might be easier to write about the areas in which nutrition specialists and the writings of Mrs. White may seem to disagree, because the area is so much smaller. These areas are probably owing to changes in food technology. The raw milk in the days of Mrs. White was a carrier for many contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis, dysentery, and typhoid fever. This may explain, in turn, why she declared that cheese was not a satisfactory food. Perhaps on the same basis we should understand her further statement: “The use of milk [in bread] is an additional expense, and it makes the bread much less wholesome.”— Ibid., p 301. Products like dry skim milk, now used in bread making, were unknown in the lifetime of Mrs. White. Skim milk was fed to the pigs in her day. It contains the most important nutrients of the milk in terms of calcium, protein, and vitamins. . . .

Discussion Summed Up

To sum up the discussion: Every modern specialist in nutrition whose life is dedicated to human welfare must be impressed in four respects by the writings and leadership of Ellen G. White.

In the first place, her basic concepts about the relation between diet and health have been verified to an unusual degree by scientific advances of the past decades. Someone may attempt to explain this remarkable fact by saying: “Mrs. White simply borrowed her ideas from others.” But how would she know which ideas to borrow and which to reject out of the bewildering array of theories and health teachings current in the nineteenth century? She would have had to be a most amazing person, with knowledge beyond her times, in order to do this successfully!

In the second place, everyone who attempts to teach nutrition can hardly conceive of a leadership such as that of Mrs. White that was able to induce a substantial number of people to improve their diets.

In the third place, one can only speculate about the large number of sufferers during the past century who could have had improved health if they had accepted the teachings of Mrs. White.

Finally, one can wonder how to make her teachings more widely known in order to benefit the overcrowded earth that seems inevitable tomorrow with the present rate of increase of the world’s population. . . .

In spite of the fact that the works of Mrs. White were written long before the advent of modern scientific nutrition, no better over-all guide is available today.— Review and Herald, Feb. 12, 19, 26, 1959.

Health Classics

THE MINISTRY OF HEALING, by Ellen G. White

Her crowning health volume declared by her to “contain the wisdom of the Great Physician.” Healthful living is here portrayed as a balanced, reasonable, sensible kind of program involving both the mind and the body. It maintains health, or aids recovery from illness. The Creator’s plan for a healthful, abundant life is outlined in a practical way that all can use.

THE STORY OF OUR HEALTH MESSAGE, by D. E. Robinson

In this volume are presented the early history and pertinent facts relating to the rise and progress of the medical features of the denominational health program.

COUNSELS ON HEALTH, by Ellen G. White

Seventh-day Adventists not only believe in healthful living, but they teach its principles to many others. These essentials of health, and how, they may be practiced and spread by institutions, nurses, physicians, and, laymen, form the theme of this book.

COUNSELS ON DIET AND FOODS, by Ellen G. White

Science has only recently discovered many of the dietetic principles regarding which the Lord instructed us years ago. This volume contains a complete presentation of the counsels on the subject, and the whole should be carefully studied to gain a balanced view.

MEDICAL MINISTRY, by Ellen G. White

While prepared especially for medical workers of all types, Medical Ministry is in nontechnical language and will benefit all. It deals primarily with the work of the physician, nurse, and institutional worker.

TEMPERANCE, by Ellen G. White

This is a thorough discussion of the problems related to the use of alcoholic beverages. Total abstinence is urged as the Christian’s position. The work of the church in fostering the cause of temperance is made plain and is strongly emphasized.

A CALL TO MEDICAL EVANGELISM, by Ellen G. White

A compact compilation from books, periodical articles and manuscripts sounding a clarion call to effective medical evangelism.

Complete Your Library of the Writings of Mrs. E. G. White