Treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit includes eating naturally healthy foods. It’s not surprising that God gave us many good food choices in His Word. If you want to add to a healthy diet, here are 6 healing foods from the Bible:
1. Fish (Leviticus 11:9 TLB): “As to fish, you may eat whatever has fins and scales, whether taken from rivers or from the sea.” According to Jordan Rubin, fish are a great source of nutrients and protein as well as healthy omega-3 fatty acids, especially those caught from cold water sources such as rivers and oceans: fish like salmon, herring, trout, mackerel, and whitefish. The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish per week to include heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids into the diet.
2. Raw Honey (Deuteronomy 26:9 NLT): “He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! Raw honey was a valuable asset in the Bible. Due to its antioxidant, antifungal, and anti-bacterial properties, raw honey is often called “liquid gold.”It’s used to help boost the immune system, soothe a sore throat or cough, soften dry skin, and even aids in healing wounds.”
3. Olives and Olive Oil (Deuteronomy 8:8 NLT): “It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey.” Rubin says that olive oil is one of the most digestible fats and helps to reduce aging of body tissues, organs, and even the brain. Others as well as Rubin believe it protects against the risks of cancer, heart disease, and can even guard against stomach ulcers. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties make olives and olive oil a valuable product for your pantry.
4. Fruit (1 Samuel 30:11-12 NIV): “They gave him water to drink and food to eat—part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived.” Throughout the Bible, small fruits like figs, grapes, and pomegranates were used widely in beverages, cakes, or eaten as fresh fruit themselves. Pomegranates have high anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even anti-tumor properties. Loaded with minerals and vitamins like Vitamin A, K and E, fresh figs are also low in calories and high in fiber. Grapes contain resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant known for guarding against colon and prostate cancer as well as reducing stroke risk. They, too, are rich in vitamins and minerals and make great fresh or dried snacks.
5. Spices, Seasonings, and Herbs (Exodus 30:23 NLT): “Collect choice spices—12 pounds of pure myrrh, 6 pounds of fragrant cinnamon, 6 pounds of fragrant calamus.” Cumin is a great 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 antioxidant values known. Today garlic is often linked with helping heart and immune issues. Other spices of the Bible include coriander, frankincense, mint, dill, balm, aloes, myrrh, and rue. Each contained healing properties such as promoting digestion, aiding the immune system, relieving pain, or fighting infections.
6. Nuts (Genesis 43:11 NASB): “Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.” Pistachio and almond nuts, both found in the Bible, are low calorie snacks. Pistachio nuts are high as antioxidants and contain more lutein (1000%) than other nuts. Like grapes, they also contain resveratrol, a cancer-protection ingredient. Almonds, mentioned several times in the Bible, are one of the highest protein and fiber nuts and contain manganese, magnesium, and calcium, necessary ingredients for the body.
These are just a few of the healing foods in the Bible that offer us good eating choices. And the more we can eat “grass-fed” and organic products to protect from harmful antibiotics or pesticides, the better our foods can help to keep us healthy. When sin entered the world, disease entered too. 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.