The universe would be nothing were it not for life and all that lives must be fed. Animals fill themselves; man eats. The man of mind alone knows how to eat. The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they are fed. The Creator, when he obliges man to eat, invites him to do so by appetite, and rewards him by pleasure. Brillat Savarin (Anthelme) 1755-1826
What does it matter and who cares where food comes from? It has here anyway, since thousands of years. Today, everything is different, and there is plenty of it. There must have been food at least since the first people on Earth, and probably much earlier to feed the dinosaurs. Since the latter are extinct, we are only reminded of them at the gas station, but the Human race is still thriving, and for its survival it is essential to revisit and understand the meaning of food in its original natural state.
There is much controversy about the age of the world and when exactly Adam and Eve lived. We can't find that answer in Scripture either, so it probably shouldn't really matter to us. However, we learned from historical sites and archeological findings, evidence that food was existent at least 12,000 years B.C. (according to scientist's beliefs)- and not just any food, but carefully prepared and celebrated food. Since it was delivered to us via wall paintings, etchings and in burial places, we conclude that food played a major role in the earliest cultures. Since the indication of early food cultures was found as far distant as in Japan and China, and we assume that people dispersed and migrated after they were given different languages at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:8 - the Garden of Eden must have existed at least hundreds, but more likely thousands of years earlier.
By any account, it is of essence that the food as it was originally provided to mankind survived virtually unchanged for thousands of years; moreover, it perfectly served the Provider's intent to multiply human life and have it populate the world. That's not all, people appreciated food so much that they learned to combine and create wonderful and delicious feasts and banquets that contributed to building friendships, societies and cultures. What subsisted and evolved for millennia without Human interference is now under serious assault, and at the verge of being changed forever. Only a few decades ago, science and industry started tampering with God's creation, promising to improve on it - and politicians let them do it with impunity. Are we wiping out in years what our ancestors developed in millennia? We will analyze the status quo later, but first, let's join the food journey from the beginnings through the ages.
While historians allude to all kind of artifacts about the role of food in early societal and cultural development, the only consistent, unequivocal written transcript on the ascent of food for Human development is found in the Bible. Scripture emphasizes the significance of food as early as in the first chapter of Genesis; in the Old Testament alone, we find food as subject in 257 verses. Food continues to be a subject matter 54 times through all the books in the New Testament, all the way through Revelations. Additionally, the Bible alludes to the nourishment properties of food specifically at nine locations.
It is well known that hydration is essential to life; we can live without food - as Jesus had demonstrated - for forty days, (Matthew 4:2) but not without water. It is not surprising then to find the words drink and drinking in Scripture in 385 verses. In contrast, the word medicine appears only once and herbs only six times. These numbers may vary slightly, depending on the translation, nevertheless there is awesome evidence in Scripture that God did not mean food to be a mere adjunct to sustain life - clearly, he wants us to enjoy it and use it as a means to build and nourish relationships. Otherwise, he could have endowed us with a single, colorless, bland semisolid substance for nutrition, or, as we do now, pop a few capsules or pills as meal replacements. Praise the Creator that he didn't!
God created food for the health and prosperity of Humans and all creatures he has given us dominion over to populate the world: "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Then God said: I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground - everything that has the breath of life in it - I give every green plant for food." God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:28-31 Herein lays the permission to use everything God bestowed on us for food, to use the abundant variety of his creation as we are neither confined to be vegetarians, nor to limit our diet to specific nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates or fats. Noah was told by God: Everything that lives and moves shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you Genesis 9:3 He didn't give us any instructions, expressed or implied that we should strip any foods of one or more of its nutrients or segregate it into molecules. Remember the sentence: God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. He did not say, OK, it's good enough for now but with a growing population there will not be enough for all and by that time mankind will have to improve on my creation. In fact, all indications are - including Scriptural prophecy - that famine is imminent and is caused by human tampering with food, particularly GMO-inhibited reseeding and the forced elimination of plant varieties in favor of monocultures. The Japanese food culture developed to its prominence from the notion that food is not just for the stomach but for the senses, the eyes, ears and sensory organs are an active part of enjoying and digesting food, but they didn't discover this fact: And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food Genesis 2:9.
Did nature provide a perfect gourmet food with all the nutrients we need, for an ideal balance of blood sugar and insulin levels, providing energy to spare and great digestion? Absolutely. Not only that, the Creator even told us how to make it: Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. (Ezekiel 4:9) A bakery in Southern California recreated this recipe, and trademarked their flourless, organic, complete protein, and sprouted whole grain Ezekiel 4:9 breads. While doing that, they made an interesting discovery, printed on their bread's labels: when these six grains and legumes are sprouted and combined, an amazing thing happens. A complete protein is created that closely parallels the protein found in milk and eggs. In fact, the protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread - from all vegetable sources - naturally balanced in nature.
This seems compelling evidence that Nature provided food that is naturally perfect, and we have seen time and again that Food that doesn't seem to make sense - is just waiting for mankind to be understood.
References:
CODEX designates GMOs as Contaminants in Food; Gregory Damato, PhD., August 12, 2008. Published on-line http://www.naturalnews.com/023838.html
About Food for Life and the Ezekiel 4:9 http://www.foodforlife.com
