Creationist Diet: Book Preview

Additional Books and eBooks by the Director

Creationist Diet:

Nutrition and God-given Foods According to the Bible

Paperback and eBook By Gary F. Zeolla,
the Director of Fitness for One and All

Note: This book has been superseded by Creationist Diet: Second Edition.

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Paperback format: 216 pages (5" x 8" pages). $10.95. Order from the publisher via their Web site AuthorHouse or by calling toll-free: 1-888-280-7715. Also available from Amazon.

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Book Description

What did God give to human beings for food? What does the Bible teach about diet and nutrition? How do the Biblical teachings on foods compare to scientific research on nutrition and degenerative disease like heart disease, cancer, and stroke? These and other questions are addressed in this book.

Starting with God's decrees about foods at Creation, the Fall, and after the Flood, and gleaning nutrition information from the rest of the Bible, this book proposes four different possible Creationist Diets, presenting the pros and cons of each. These different possible diets are also correlated with scientific research. So information is given to the reader to decide on what type of diet would be best for you personally.

In addition, foods are divided into "God-given foods" and "not God-given foods." These lists are then compared to what foods scientific research has shown to increase or decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke. So the reader can know what foods to include in your diet and what foods to avoid.

Osteoporosis and other health problems with dietary connections are also discussed, along with dietary supplements, exercise, and related issues.

So this book covers a wide range of topics to help the reader begin to live a healthier lifestyle according to God's design.

About the Author: Gary F. Zeolla earned a BS in Nutrition Science from Penn State University (1983). He is the founder and director of Darkness to Light ministry.

Contents

Preface
Introduction - Creation Theory

Chapter 1 - Genesis 1-3 (Fruits, Nuts, Vegetables, and Seeds)
Chapter 2 - Grains and Legumes
Chapter 3 - Problems with Restrictive Diets
Chapter 4 - Benefits of a Vegan Diet
Chapter 5 - Pros and Cons of Flesh Foods
Chapter 6 - Flesh Foods Restrictions
Chapter 7 - Additional Animal Foods
Chapter 8 - Milk Products and the Bible
Chapter 9 - Arguments against Dairy Consumption
Chapter 10 - Calcium and Osteoporosis
Chapter 11 - Summary of Diets and God-given Foods
Chapter 12 - Foods, Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke
Chapter 13 - Low-fat vs. Low-carb
Chapter 14 - Popular Diet Plans and Syndrome X
Chapter 15 - Carbohydrate Intake and Exercise Performance
Chapter 16 - Comparison with Other Diets
Chapter 17 - Lifestyle Changes for Maintained Body Fat Loss
Chapter 18 - Starting an Exercise Program
Chapter 19 - More on Exercise
Chapter 20 - Practical Tips
Chapter 21 - Supplements: Part One
Chapter 22 - Supplements: Part Two
Chapter 23 - Personal Diet, Supplement, and Exercise Program

Appendix - About Darkness to Light

Sample: From the Introduction

A popular diet program being promoted today, especially on the Internet, is the "Paleolithic Diet." The idea of the diet is to eat like a "Paleo-man" i.e., a caveman. The theory behind the diet is that the healthiest way to eat is the way our ancestors ate from when we first evolved into Homo sapiens about two million years ago, until our diets changed a few thousand years ago. Such a diet would be how evolution "intended" us to eat.

Such a diet does have plausibility, if one believes in the theory of evolution. I for one do not. But this "Paleolithic Diet" got me thinking as to what a diet based on the theory of creation would look like. But before looking at what a "Creationist Diet" would involve, some of the basic points of the creationist position need to be summarized.

Summary of Creation Theory

According to the theory of creation, God "created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1) about 10,000 years ago. This creation was accomplished in six, 24 hour days. On day six, God created the man (Adam) and the woman (Eve) and placed them in the Garden of Eden.

After an unspecified amount of time, Adam and Eve sinned against God and were cast out of the Garden of Eden. It was at this time that suffering and death entered the world (Rom 5:12). Adam and Eve proceeded to have "sons and daughters" (Gen 5:4). These children populated the world.

But over time, humanity became increasing wicked, and God punished the world with a worldwide flood (Gen 6-9). But first he told righteous Noah to build an ark for himself, his family, and sets of animals. This Flood destroyed all humans and animals, except for those kept safely on the ark. After the Flood, the world began to be re-populated by Noah and his family, and the animals from the ark.

However, rather than scattering over the earth as they were supposed to, these humans built a tower that was to reach into the heavens (Gen 11:4). God judged this project by confusing the languages of the people. Then "the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the earth" (Gen 11:7-9). It was this scattering of people that was the origin of the different human races.

Implication of Creation Scenario

This creation scenario has several implications that will bear on the question of diet. First off, all human beings are descendents of Adam and Eve. As such, any dietary directives God gave to Adam and Eve would apply to and have been passed on to all human beings. Furthermore, these were the only God-given dietary directives for human beings during the entire antediluvian (before the Flood) era.

Second, all human beings alive today are descendents of Noah and his family. So again, any dietary directives God gave to Noah would apply to and have been passed on to all human beings. However, it should be noted that any such dietary directives would have been given much later in human history than the ones given to Adam and Eve.

Third, the Tower of Babel is a turning point in human history. With the scattering of humans over the planet, and the division into races, no longer could dietary directives be given to the entire human race. Each people group would begin to develop their own, unique dietary habits.

The import of these three points is this: any dietary directives given to Adam and Eve would constitute the most "basic" or original diet for humans. Dietary directives given to Noah and his family would still be important for all peoples, but they would be later, less basic, and less original directives. And information about diet in the Bible after the time of the Tower of Babel would be even later, and even less basic, and in no sense original.

So the thesis of the Creationist Diet is that the earlier a dietary directive is given, the more basic and applicable it is to all peoples. Or to put it another way, the earlier a food entered into the human diet, the more likely it is that it is a healthy food for all peoples. Whereas, the later a food entered into the human diet, the less likely it is to be a healthy food for all people.

So with that background, this book will now try to ascertain from Scripture when different kinds of foods entered into the human diet. And most of all, this book will try to discern what are "God-given foods" based on dietary directives given in the Bible.

What this means is Genesis chapters 1-11 will receive the most emphasis in developing a Creationist Diet, which is appropriate as it is from these chapters that the creation theory is developed. However, since "All Scripture [is] God-breathed and [is] beneficial" (2Tim 3:16; ALT), other parts of Scripture will be taken into account at appropriate points.

In addition, throughout this book, numerous scientific studies will be cited which demonstrate science is finally catching up with the Biblical teachings on diet.

Update

Shortly after my Creationist Diet book was published, I began to experience various various health problems. Eventually I was diagnosed with first fibromyalgia and then stiff person syndrome. I am now mostly recovered from these problems. NAET, careful attention to my diet, supplements, and a sound exercise program all contributed to my recovery.

What led to my problems was mainly allergies. I first began to be allergic to many items in the environment and then to most foods. But along with allergies, my doctor determined that what was contributing to my problems were numerous nutritional deficiencies.

For a long time I was reacting to just about everything I ate; I was barely eating and lost a considerable amount of weight. As a result I became deficient in various nutrients.

In addition, I had been following a vegetarian or near vegetarian diet for most of the preceding 20 years, and this probably also contributed to these deficiencies. Some of the nutrients I was deficient in, such as zinc, are ones that are commonly low in vegetarian diets. In fact, my problems really began back in the summer of 2000 when I was following a full vegan diet as mentioned in my book.

So what I believed happened is that my nutrient levels were rather low from the years of following a vegetarian or near vegetarian diet. Then when I tried the vegan diet, this further depleted my nutritional stores. Meanwhile, I was slowly developing allergies to various foods and nutrients. And all these factors together contributed to my developing the deficiencies.

So what this means is, I no longer following nor particularly recommend a vegetarian diet. I especially would not follow nor recommend a vegan diet. Such diets might be good for some people, but many others will run into problems as I did.

Yes, there can be benefits from a vegan diet. But such benefits can be attained from eating a healthy diet that includes animal products, without the risks of a vegan diet. So if I ever publish a new edition of my book I will probably re-title the chapter on “Benefits of a Vegan diet” to “The Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of a Vegan Diet.” Let me make it clear, I still stand by and follow most of what I wrote in my book. But I would definitely like to tone any recommendations for vegetarian and vegan diets.

As evidence that following a omnivore diet, but one which follows the principles in my book, I am now mostly recovered from the above health problems, despite the fact that they are considered "incurable." And I'm recovered to such a degree that I was able to start powerlifting again, breaking six International Powerlifting Association world records in my first contest in 21 years.

My new book God-given Foods Eating Plan greatly expands on this book and includes information on how meat can and should be included in a healthy eating plan. So this newer book is recommended instead of the above book.

The above preview was posted on this Web site May 17, 2000.
The Update was added July 12, 2003.
The new book became available in February 2007.

Additional Books and eBooks by the Director

Alphabetical List of Pages Subject Index
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