Ellen White and the Ministry of Healing
Ellen White and the Ministry of Healing
Whenever I tell someone that I am a Seventh-day Adventist they immediately respond with, “Oh, you’re a vegetarian.” For some reason our faith has become widely known from the writings of the prophet Ellen White on health and diet. Her writings have directed many Seventh-day Adventists to a diet consisting of “grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables” which is the diet she says is “the diet chosen for us by our Creator” (113). She advocates this diet because she believes that this is the best way to provide “strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet” (113).
In creating this healthful diet we should use nuts and nut foods in the place of flesh meats (114). We can also use olives as a substitute to butter and flesh meats (114). The health and diet message also states not to use much baking soda, milk or sugar when cooking. Not only does she describe what we should eat, but also she goes into detail about how we should eat our food. Ellen White states that “there should not be a great variety at any one meal for this encourages overeating” (115). She also says that “there should be a specified time for each meal” and that an individual should not eat before bedtime (117-18).
The whole point of the diet and health message is to promote the idea that “our bodies are Christ’s purchased possession, and we are not at liberty to do with them as we please” (121). Thus, it is our responsibility to take care of the sanctuary of God.