food for thought

Well, as I previously mentioned, I've been reading a book called "The Maker's Diet". I've now finished it and it's provided me with a lot of stuff to chew on for the next little while (no pun intended). It's written by a Messianic Jewish man, Dr Rubin, who became deathly ill with Crohn's Disease in his early 20s, and searched the world over for relief from his constant pain, trying every remedy he could find. The final thing he tried was a "bible-based diet" which took the regulations from the Law of Moses in the Old Testament, and put them into practice, eating only certain foods (no pigs, no shellfish, no yeast, little sugar, etc) and in turn, all organically grown produce and hormone-less, antibiotic-less meat. It also incorporated certain hygiene principals (widely used today), certain forms of exercise, and some spiritual content as well. He had a miraculous recovery from near-death, and lives today to tell the tale, and to make a killing on the empire he's building around this "Maker's Diet".

Now, upon hearing about the book, and starting to read it, I was intrigued. Could this be the ticket to healthy living, as Dr Rubin promised? Apparently the Israelites (and the Jews, later on) were among the healthiest people in history, and avoided diseases and plagues far better than any of their counterparts of the day. Only in the past 100 years have they joined the rest of the world in their rates of heart attack and other diseases, and that due to many people giving up the traditional ways. My questions revolve around a few central claims that Dr Ruben makes.

1. Did God intend for Christians, not only the Jews, to be following these laws of hygiene and eating?

2. If a "gentile" (non-Jew) becomes a Christian, is he or she supposed to take up the traditions of the Jews, celebrating Passover and such? Paul didn't think so, but the early church that was started in Jerusalem after Jesus died led by his brother, James, and all the other apostles did. They went to the temple daily to worship, and followed all the traditions of their Jewish heritage, though they were outcasts because of Jesus.

3. (and here's where my skepticism comes in) Could this diet really be a true way to become healthy and live free of the worry of disease and senility in old age? That's what Dr Rubin suggests, but it just sounds like such a lofty promise.

The fact that Dr Rubin is making millions off this little empire he's building DOES bother me. It makes me skeptical about the whole thing. So I went and read Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the three books of the OT that he takes his theory from. A lot of it added up, although it was apparent that he'd elaborated on some big points. He added in quite a bit of today's nutritional and hygienic knowledge, which is great, but I did feel like I could never have gotten as much out of those books as he did.

On the other hand, he claims he's on a mission from God.

But so did Osama Bin Laden.

Well, if anyone has read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. It's such an interesting read. I've certainly gotten a lot out of it, apart from the theological questions. You won't catch me eating pork again (ugh!!), or shellfish (blah!!), and I plan to start buying simpler, healthier, organicker foods for my family. :)

Feedback! Bring it on! Answer my questions! Give me your opinions! (But if you write mean things I won't post it!) Haha.

http://www.makersdiet.com/public/default.aspx