10 healing foods recommended by the Bible

Treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit includes eating naturally healthy foods. It is not surprising that God has given us many good food choices in his Word. If you want to add a healthy diet, here are 10 healing foods from the Bible:

1. Fish
Leviticus 11: 9 TLB: "As for fish, you can eat anything with fins and scales, whether it comes from rivers or the sea."

Luke 5: 10-11 MSG: Jesus said to Simon: “There is nothing to fear. From now on you will go fishing for men and women. ”They pulled their boats onto the beach, left them, nets and all the rest and followed him.

In God's instructions to his people in the early days of the Bible, he specified fish from rivers or seas with fins and scales. In the days of Jesus, fish represented a basic food and at least seven of his disciples were fishermen. On several occasions he ate fish with his disciples and performed two miracles using a boy's lunch of small fish and loaves of bread to feed thousands of people.

According to Jordan Rubin, fish are an excellent source of nutrients and proteins, as well as healthy omega-3 fatty acids, especially those caught by cold water sources such as rivers and oceans: fish such as salmon, herring, trout, mackerel and white fish. . The American Heart Association recommends consuming two servings of fish per week to include heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids in the diet.

One of my favorite ways of cooking salmon is to season each piece with seafood or blackened seasoning, a little onion and garlic powder and a sprinkling of smoked paprika. Then I skipped them about three minutes on each side in a small amount of olive oil and / or butter (fed on grass). A mixture of honey and spicy mustard makes an excellent dipping sauce.

An easy way to get the benefits of fish is without having to cook it daily with a fish oil supplement.

2. Raw honey
Deuteronomy 26: 9 NLT: he brought us to this place and gave us this land that flows with milk and honey!

Psalm 119: 103 NIV: How sweet are your words for my tastes, sweeter than honey for my mouth!

Mark 1: 6 NIV: John wore clothes made of camel hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.

Raw honey was a valuable resource in the Bible. When God gave the Israelites their promised land, it was called a land that flowed with milk and honey - a fertile agricultural area capable of producing extraordinary food - including bees with raw honey. Not only was honey nutritious and abundant (John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin and prophetic forerunner, he ate a diet of wild locusts and honey), it was also a precious gift and a sweet metaphor for the Word of God.

Because of its antioxidant, antifungal and antibacterial properties, raw honey is often called "liquid gold". It is used to help strengthen the immune system, soothe sore throat or cough, soften dry skin and even help heal wounds.

I often replace raw honey with sugar in the kitchen (or at least partially honey) and I have found numerous recipes online that use raw honey instead of sugar (or less sugar) for general sweeteners or healthier desserts.

3. Olives and olive oil
Deuteronomy 8: 8 NLT: “It is a land of wheat and barley; of vines, figs and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. "

Luke 10:34 NLT: “By going to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and took him to an inn where he took care of him. "

Olive oil was abundant in biblical times, due to the abundant harvest of olive trees that continue to bear fruit even in old age. The garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed for God's will to be accomplished the night before his crucifixion, is known for its gnarled and twisted olive trees. Green olives produced the best fruit and oil. The olives have prepared delicious side dishes in brine or with taste. The versatile pressed olive oil was used for baking bread and for ointment for wounds, softening the skin, for lamps or even as sacred anointing oil for kings.

Jordan Rubin claims that olive oil is one of the most digestible fats and helps reduce the aging of body tissues, organs and even the brain. Others, besides Rubin, believe that it protects against the risks of cancer, heart disease and can even protect themselves from stomach ulcers. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make olives and olive oil a precious product for your pantry.

I still use pan-fried extra virgin olive oil, although some say it is less effective when heated. But it makes excellent salad dressings. Add 3 parts of olive oil to one part of your favorite vinegar (I like flavored balsamic) and an assortment of your favorite seasonings, with a touch of honey if you need a sweetener. It will keep refrigerated for days and maybe weeks unless fresh seasonings are used. The oil will become thick, but you can heat the container in hot water, then shake it to reuse it.

4. Sprouted cereals and bread
Ezekiel 4: 9 NIV: “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelled; put them in a jar and use them to make bread for you. You must eat it during the 390 days when you lie on your side. "

In the Bible, bread repeatedly appears as the substance of life. Jesus even referred to himself as the "Bread of life". Bread in biblical times did not use any of today's modern and harmful refining methods. The type of nutritious bread they served often involved the germination of natural cereals and was a key part of their diet.

Whole sourdough and sprouted wheat loaves involve soaking or fermenting cereals overnight until the seeds have partially sprouted. This process makes these carbohydrates more easily digestible. A recent study showed that wheat sprouted for 48 hours had a higher count of amino acids, dietary fiber and antioxidant activity. Ezekiel bread is a type of sprouted bread that boasts great health benefits.

You can find both the pros and cons of this nutritious bread. More and more grocery stores supply spelled flour, barley or other healthy cereals. Spelled flour is one of my favorites and, although it is a heavier flour, I replace it in recipes for all my flour needs, including cakes and sauces.

5. Milk and goat products
Proverbs 27:27 TLB: Then there will be enough lamb's wool for clothes and goat's milk enough for food for the whole family after the hay has been harvested, and the new harvest appears and the mountain herbs are harvested.

Raw goat milk and cheese were abundant in biblical times and were not pasteurized like our modern food. Goat's milk is easier to digest than cow's milk, it also has less lactose and contains more vitamins, enzymes and proteins. According to Jordan Rubin, 65% of the world population drinks goat milk. It can help in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, it is a complete protein and it is also useful in soaps.

6. Fruit
1 Samuel 30: 11-12 NIV: They gave him water to drink and food to eat - part of a pressed fig cake and two raisin cakes. He ate and was revived.

Numbers 13:23 NLT: When they arrived in the Eshcol valley, they cut down a branch with a single bunch of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also reported pomegranate and fig samples.

Throughout the Bible, small fruits such as figs, grapes and pomegranates have been widely used in drinks, cakes or eaten as fresh fruit. When the two spies scoured the land of Canaan before crossing the land that God had promised the Israelites, they returned with clusters of grapes so large that they had to use a stake to transport them.

Pomegranates have high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and even anticancer properties. Loaded with minerals and vitamins such as vitamins A, K and E, fresh figs also have few calories and a high fiber content. Grapes contain resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant known for protecting against colon and prostate cancer and for reducing the risk of stroke. They too are rich in vitamins and minerals and make excellent fresh or dry snacks.

7. Spices, condiments and herbs
Exodus 30:23 NLT: "Collect the chosen spices: 12 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 pounds of scented cinnamon, 6 pounds of scented calamus."

Numbers 11: 5 NIV: "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for free - also cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic".

In the Old and New Testaments, dozens of spices were used both as food and as medicine, as well as to make perfumes or incense, and were given as expensive royal gifts. Today, cumin is an excellent source of minerals such as calcium, potassium and zinc and is rich in B complex vitamins. Cinnamon, known for its aromatic fragrance, as a spice has one of the highest known antioxidant values. Today garlic is often linked to heart aid and immune problems. Other spices from the Bible include coriander, incense, mint, dill, balm, aloe, mirrae rue. Each contained healing properties such as promoting digestion, helping the immune system, relieving pain or fighting infections.

Many of the biblical food spices are an excellent addition to savory meals. In small quantities, cinnamon is an excellent addition to desserts, milkshakes, apple cider drinks or even coffee.

8. Beans and lentils
2 Samuel 17:28 NIV: they also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted wheat, beans and lentils.

Beans or lentils (legumes) were widely served in the Old Testament, probably because they are so good sources of protein. This may have been a part of the red stew that Jacob prepared for his brother Esau (Genesis 25:30), as well as in Daniel's "vegetarian" diet (Daniel 1: 12-13).

Legumes are abundant in foliates, particularly important for pregnant women, are good antioxidants and have few saturated fats. And they make an excellent meatless meal with their high protein and high fiber content. Who can resist a southern corn bread and bean recipe? Rubin suggests dipping the beans overnight in filtered water with a tablespoon or two of whey or yogurt and a teaspoon of sea salt. This process contributes to the nourishing value of beans or lentils.

9. Walnuts
Genesis 43:11 NASB: Then their father Israel said to them: “If it has to be like this, then do this: take some of the best products of the earth in your bags and bring a man as a gift, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachios and almonds ".

Pistachios and almonds, both found in the Bible, are low calorie snacks. Pistachios are high as antioxidants and contain more lutein (1000%) than other nuts. Like grapes, they also contain resveratrol, an ingredient for cancer protection.

Almonds, mentioned several times in the Bible, are one of the highest protein and fibrous nuts and contain manganese, magnesium and calcium, necessary ingredients for the body. I keep my pantry stocked with almonds as a snack or as ingredients in a salad or oven.

I love these raw almonds which are organic and steam pasteurized without chemicals.

10. Linen
Proverbs 31:13 NIV: Select wool and linen and work with anxious hands.

Linen was used with linen in the Bible to make clothes. But it also had a great medicinal value because of its high percentage of fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, proteins and lignan. It contains one of the highest plant sources of lignans, almost 800 times more than any other. These help as antioxidants, in maintaining blood sugar, cholesterol and even in cancer prevention.

I like to use ground flax seeds as a great nutritional intake in cereals, smoothies or even in cooking. Flaxseed oil, although expensive, is available in most health food stores. Here's one of my favorites: ground organic flax seeds.

These are just some of the healing foods in the Bible that offer us good food choices. And the more we can eat grass-fed and organic products to protect ourselves from harmful antibiotics or pesticides, the better our foods can help us stay healthy. When sin entered the world, disease also entered. But God in his great wisdom created the sources we needed and the wisdom to use them the best we can to honor him and keep our bodies healthy as temples of the Holy Spirit.