Food and Health

Many religions have standards about what can and can't be consumed. Collectively, the world knows that there something important about what eat. In this episode, we're going to explore that.

16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not [o]eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:16-17 NASB

27 Health Problems Cause by Poor Diet

1. Hypertension (high blood pressure)
2. Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia
3. Coronary Heart Disease
4. Stroke
5. Gall Bladder Disease
6. Osteoarthritis
7. Sleep Apnea
8. Respiratory Problems
9. Endometrial Cancer
10. Breast Cancer
11. Prostate Cancer
12. Colon Cancer
13. Dyslipidemia (an abnormal amount of lipids, or fat, in the blood)
14. Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (liver inflammation caused by a buildup of fat in the liver)
15. Insulin Resistance
16. Asthma
17. Hyperuricemia (an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood)
18. Reproductive Hormone Abnormalities
19. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
20. Impaired Fertility
21. Adult Onset Diabetes (Type 2)
22. Depression
23. Anxiety
24. Low energy levels/fatigue
25. Tooth decay
26. Acne
27. Digestive health issues

Abrahamic Faiths

Judaism

• Food must be Kosher
• Bible outlines clean vs. unclean meat
• Fat is not to be consumed
• Diary and meat can't be mixed

Islam

• Requires halal food
• No pork, meat must be halal
• Halal is similar to kosher but not quite the same

Christianity

• Technically, Christianity has Kosher laws as well, despite the fact that most Chrsitians don't adhere to them (search the blog for more info on why we should)
• Most food restrictions in Christianity are debated, such as alcohol and caffeine

Hinduism

• Mostly vegetarian
• Regards the cow as sacred so meat eaters do not eat beef
• Also stays away from fat

Sikhism

• Many vegetarians
• May not eat meat killed accroding to other religious laws (e.g., Kosher)

Jainism

• Vegetarian or vegan

Rastafari

• Vegetarian or pescatarian
• Concered about eating quality food
• Avoid processed foods

References

1. Kate Eller. "These 27 medical problems are caused by a poor diet". Health News; visited July 2021
2. Sarah Patience. "Religion and dietary choices". Independenct Nurse. September 19, 2016
3. "For Rastas, Eating Pure Food From the Earth is a Sacred Duty". National Geographic. July 19, 2016
4. "Poor Nutrition". CDC; visited July 2021