The Dr. Josh Axe Show - The Most Important Diet You’ve Never Heard Of (Biblio Diet)

Episode Date: August 4, 2025

What did people in the Bible actually eat; and does it still matter today? In this episode, Dr. Josh Axe unpacks the Biblio Diet: a way of eating that’s rooted in Scripture, seasonal foods, gratitude, and healing. You’ll learn how ancient meals connect to modern health, why clean vs. unclean foods matter, and how honoring God with your body can start on your plate. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the Bible really says about food and health How the Biblio Diet compares to the Paleo Diet  What Jesus, Moses, and others actually ate The science behind clean, whole foods Why meals were spiritual—and still should be #thebibliodiet #drjoshaxe #viralpodcast #biblicaldieting #holistichealth ------  Want more of The Dr. Josh Axe Show? Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Follow Dr. Josh Axe Instagram Twitter Facebook TikTok Website ------  Staying healthy in today's world is an upstream battle. Subscribe to Wellness Weekly, your 5-minute dose of sound health advice to help you grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Every Wednesday, you'll get:  Holistic health news & life-hacks from a biblical world view Powerful free resources including classes, Q&As, and guides from Dr. Axe The latest episodes of The Dr. Josh Axe Show Submit your questions via voice memo to be featured on the show → speakpipe.com/drjoshaxe  ------  Links:  ht⁠tps://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Genesis%201%3A29 https://biblehub.com/lexicon/deuteronomy/8-10.htm https://www.learnreligions.com/foods-of-the-bible-700172 https://www.thomasaquinas.edu/a-liberating-education/why-we-study/st-thomas-aquinas-eucharist-spiritual-food https://aleteia.org/2020/02/09/what-did-people-eat-in-old-testament-times/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043661816307848 https://hcscchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/food.pdf https://christianpure.com/learn/what-did-jesus-eat/ https://biblehub.com/luke/24-42.htm https://www.esv.org/Luke+24/ https://gospelcenteredhealth.com/biblediet/ https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-fasting/ https://acts242study.com/why-do-we-bless-our-food/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353386978_Eucharist_and_Meal_Christian_Sacraments_as_the_Fulfillment_of_Human_Experience https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-bread-and-wine https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.313348 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0939475318301261 https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/trichinosis/fact_sheet.htm ------  Ads:  Discover the CLEARSTEM difference and experience clear, healthy skin for life. Go to https://clearstem.com/DRAXE and use code DRAXE at checkout for 15% off your first order. At MyBloodwork.com, you can uncover what’s really going on in your body with advanced biomarker testing for hormones, thyroid, and metabolism. You’ll also get a 1-hour consultation with a Senior Health Advisor to help you take action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine a diet rooted in over 3,000 years of wisdom, one that fed prophets, kings, queens, and even Jesus Christ himself. Long before modern nutrition trends, the Bible described a way of eating that was about using real food and spiritual wisdom to help people heal and live the healthiest life possible. It's actually the diet that helped my friend Jordan Rubin reverse ulcer of Clydes and Crohn's disease and certain principles of that diet that help my mom. heal from cancer and a biblical diet can help you promote health, boost longevity, and reverse any disease. Welcome to the Dr. Josh Jack Show. So the biblical diet is a scriptural framework for how ancient people approach food and they ate food that was real, whole, seasonal, and spiritually intentional. And the Bible emphasizes foods that were grown, raised, and harvested with reverence so deep respect and eaten in community and connected to worship and celebration. And when we look at the

Bible itself, when you look at what Jesus talks about when he's saying his parables and teaching his parables, you see his greatest reference is to farming and food. Of all the things he teaches, of all the things he talks about. And think about Jesus feeding the 5,000. Think about, you know, him referencing, you know, a mustard seed, right? And talking about the harvest constantly. again, these were agricultural references, and actually at that time, around 90% of jobs, I believe, had some sort of agricultural component or people lived on farms. I mean, this is where people were spending their time. And we see throughout the Bible references, starting in Genesis all the way through Revelation, in terms of agriculture and food references. And in Genesis 129, God says to Adam, I have given you every plant yielding seed,

that is on the face of the earth. And every tree with seed in its fruit, you shall have them for food. So we see there in Genesis God saying, hey, eat plants. And we really believe in my study and theological study of nutrition in the Bible, that what Adam was doing at the time was God was calling him to spread out something we'd call a regenerative food forest. And so when you look at the greatest way to feed people, the thing that creates a tropical paradise, it is tending to and helping grow foods that naturally grow on their own every year. So what we're used to in the United States and the Western world is what we call mono agriculture.

So one. So it's you grow soybeans. You grow corn. You grow wheat. And every year you have to retill the soil and replant those plants. And what that does is it actually creates this carbon issue and depletes the soil of all of its nutrients. and makes the earth sick and makes us sick. However, in Genesis, when we see Genesis 1 where God is talking to Adam,

we really believe that was a food forest, where it was a lot of fruit-bearing trees and berry bushes and things that grew year after year after year, and we would just tend them. And then you would have animals going in and out there as well, helping build up the top soil. So we see that there in Genesis, this idea of this beautiful food forest,

that they're helping grow in 10. Now, then we have the fall, and then we have the time of Noah, and then many people believe there was maybe even a change in the atmosphere, okay, because it didn't rain before, then it never rained. And many people believe, some scientists, that there was a canopy over the earth, and that allowed for animals to be larger, and you've probably heard this, right? If you go to areas where there's rainforest, some animals are bigger. Part of it is due to maybe greater oxygenation.

and we know that they're much more plant life there, greater humidity, and that may allow those animals to grow larger. Well, some scientists believe that's sort of why dinosaurs grew to the state. They believe that that's why some humans lived so long was actually due to the atmosphere. Well, then we had the flood, and then there was a change in the environment, possible changes in the landmass. And after that time of the great flood that the Bible accounts and many other cultures account, Here's what God says to Noah. He says, everything that lives and moves above will be food for you.

Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. Okay. And that included animals, lamb and cows and sheep and chickens and livestock in order to eat those as well. And I believe that there is a potential. And I'm not saying that this is a fact, but there's a potential when there was that environmental change that it became more necessary for us to eat. some of those things in order to be healthy. In fact, we know that really the only way we can get in most cases for most people enough vitamin B12 and specifically in certain nutrients is by eating meat in terms of our overall health. And so we see in the Bible, God commanding us first and foremost to eat fruits, eat vegetables, eat these things that grow on their own that are perennial plants. And then we see him saying meat. And so really we see fruits and vegetables and see

these things very early on, and then we see meat in Genesis 9.3. I think it's also important to note that food in the Bible was seen as more than just calories or fuel. It's intertwined with spiritual meaning, with community and divine connection, and eating was seen as a as nourishment, as an act of worship, as relationship, and remembrance. One of my favorite Bible verses, which I've signed sometimes when I've signed books. And it's one of my favorite Bible verses that I think really embodies health in the Bible or a biblical diet in the Bible. And it's not telling you to eat a specific type of a food.

It really has to do with the heart of why we eat what we eat. And it says this. This is 1st Corinthians 1031. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God, do all to the glory. of God. That's 1 Corinthians 1013. And that really, I think, reminds us that when you eat, part of it is a mindset. Part of it is an act of worship. I am eating to honor God with my body. And I actually think it is the single biggest verse that's overlooked in the Bible when it comes to nutrition, when it comes to overall health, is this mindset of when I'm eating fast food,

when I'm eating an organic apple, no matter what I'm eating, the way I'm feeding my kids, I am eating to glorify God. Because God created this body. and I want to honor him with it. And so I think that is the heart. If you want to know how to eat biblically, that is the first principle is eating to glorify God. And then earlier in Corinthians, we read this as well where Paul says,

do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? Who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You are bought with a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. Honor God with your body. So these two verses in Corinthians, I think, really tell us, Listen, eating, there are laws that are good to follow that the Bible lays out specifically in books like Leviticus on eating clean and God kind of making sure that we're protected from all of these pathogens that live in certain types of animals.

But more than that and before that, I really think it's the heart of honoring God with your body and treating your body as a temple. You know, I recently authored a book with Jordan Rubin and the book is called The Biblio Diet. Okay, you can see here. this book is all about healing secrets of the Bible and what real biblical nutrition is. And again, this is a diet plan that helped my mom helped her reverse cancer. It was a diet plan that helped Jordan reverse autoimmune disease and inflammatory bowel disease. It's a diet that has helped millions of people reverse chronic health conditions and promote longevity. And you think about it, we put such an emphasis on science today, which I think has great value. But I believe the Bible has even

greater value in understanding and knowing what we should be eating and how we should be practicing ideal health principles. And one of the, you know, there was a diet many years ago that somebody asked if I follow and I said no. And it was called the paleo diet. And the paleo diet is a diet that I do think has some some beneficial ideas. But I don't think it's the ideal diet. I would consume a bibliodiac, which is a biblical diet far before I would consume a paleo diet. And somebody said, hey, how are they similar? How are they different? And I want to answer that right now.

What is the difference between a biblical diet and a paleo diet? Well, first and foremost, it is the philosophy and worldview. A biblical diet is based on biblical creation that follows God's commands on eating foods that are clean in light of the New Testament. So a biblical diet is eating with that heart and mind and soul that I'm honoring God with my body, while also taking into consideration what God commanded about the food laws and the food that God prioritizes in the Bible, things like sourdough bread, you know, that was consumed biblically. A paleo diet is based on evolution.

So the Bible, Bibliot diet is based on creation, God creating the heavens in the earth. The paleo diet is based on man going from amoeba to monkey to this hunter gather. and in living that sort of lifestyle. So those are the difference philosophically. You know, the biblical diet prioritizes protein, okay, as we see in Genesis 9-3. But it also tells us not to eat scavengers and not to eat pork in shellfish. Okay. Now, we know pork is the greatest carrier of parasites of any animals, according to studies.

So we know that it carries loads and loads of pathogens because it's a scavenging. because it's a scavenger and it doesn't detox very well. So when you eat their tissues, it's full of toxins. Very same thing with shellfish. And, by the way, you can read all the medical science about this as well. Shellfish are the dirtiest animal in the sea, okay, holding dioxins and toxins and heavy metals and all kinds of things. So really, you know, in terms of protein, the Bible is really emphasizing wild caught meat

like venison, lamb, goat, beef. Okay, bison, chicken, and wild game, like pheasant, of course, is eaten in the wilderness. And so in wild fish, right? So those are the proteins. And the paleo diet says you can eat those things, but really the paleo diet, if you think about it, if you're living like a hunter-gather, you're not eating livestock like cows. You're eating animals you typically have to hunt. That could be wild boar. It could be venison.

It could be a bear. It could be a lion. It could be a dog, right? So it's really any type of animal you can eat their meat. Okay, so really there's no restriction around scavengers. And some people kind of like, when I mentioned dog there, they were a little bit, or cat, I know that might have affected some people. I want to think about a true hunter-gather, okay?

You're just trying to survive, okay? Do you think that they were, and you might already know this, many of you, that in a lot of other countries, they actually eat dog. Okay, they eat horse. They eat these animals that are non-bilical. The Bible says, do not eat those. Those are okay on a paleo diet. grains and legumes, those are allowed if properly prepared in the Bible.

Okay, we know via archaeological evidence and just the history passed down when they were consuming grains and legumes like beans or lentils in the Bible that oftentimes those were likely sprouted out in the sun so they would harvest in and soak them and sprout them. And then often some of them were fermented like into bread like a sourdough. So and these were ancient grains. an iron corn wheat, right? Ancient grains harvested and properly prepared to kill off phytic acid and enzyme inhibitor so you can better digest the food. Okay. So we know that the Bible is okay with grains and legumes that are properly prepared. Okay. The paleo diet does not allow any

grains whatsoever on the diet or beans. What's interesting, though, I do want to mention is every paleo diet that I've followed or seen people consume has done a lot of nuts or seeds that are raw. And I hear all of these people that are paleos saying, well, you know, hunters or gathers, they would eat in raw nuts and seeds like almonds and walnuts. We do know, though, that one of the reasons they say you shouldn't eat grains and legumes is because they're high in phytic acid, which is basically an enzyme inhibitor and mineral blocker. And but nuts have the same thing. Okay. Nuts and seeds have the same thing. If they're not sprouted. So, so I think there's a little bit of an incoherence there.

But all that being said, nuts and seed are allowed both on a biblical diet and on a paleo diet. Dairy. This was allowed from clean animals. Again, clean animals only like sheep milk, goat's milk, and cow's milk, okay? Water buffalo. But dairy is okay, especially if it's fermented most of the time. I think most of the time they would have made it into a yogurt and it would have been fermented. and then a paleo diet usually excludes dairy.

However, there are some people saying, no, it's okay. But you think a hunter-gatherer, I mean, I'm just thinking about this, okay? If you're really eating paleo, were paleolithic people, if that even ever existed, were they running up in like milking a cow, you know? They weren't raising livestock. So I don't know where they would have found dairy. So just that idea of a paleo where you're a hunter-gather, You know, it's interesting to think about.

Okay, fruits and vegetables. A biblical diet really focuses on eating fruits in season, okay? In fact, almost every festival is about, right, the feast of first fruits, right? When you look at different feasts in the Bible, it was harvesting things while they were in season and eating those in season, okay? And the paleo diet would have been very similar. If you're hunting and gathering, now it was a very different idea, but they were eating things that were, they could find. locally in season as well. So there's a lot of seasonal eating in both. And then sweeteners. The Bible prioritizes honey and dates. However, remember with honey in Proverbs, it says,

but just a little, not too much, or it will make you sick. Okay. So the Bible is okay with you doing honey. We know there's loads of benefits. It's one of the greatest forms of natural medicine, whereas the paleo diet might also be okay with honey sparingly as well, probably in a similar way. Firmated foods and prep methods. There is a strong focus on sprouting, fermentation, and soaking. We know in biblical nutrition, whereas Paleolithic, they're not cooking things, right? It's emphasis on raw. Now, they talk about simply cooked. However, if you're a Neanderthal, were you cooking food? I don't think so. So what you'll see is a lot of people in the paleo diet have this theory, and then they try and adapt it and sort of add in like, well, maybe

they figured out how to do a fire and they cooked meals. Maybe, maybe, but that's the emphasis there. And then alcohol. Wine was allowed in small amounts in moderation. It was very spiritually symbolic, whereas alcohol typically not allowed on the real paleo diet on sort of the ones that are more modernized, it is. And then the last thing here is this. A biblio diet has a great spiritual emphasis. it is seeing the food that you eat was given to you by God. God is your ultimate provider. And there's a level of gratitude, a level of praise, a level of awe and wonder and even thinking about the body and the digestive system when God created your body and what it does.

And also praying and thanking God for your food, God, thank you for this food. Will you allow it to nourish my body? And even something happening in terms of maybe even you having better physiological effects when you pray for the food or ask God to nourish it to your body because you believe that God is intervening for you. I mean, the greatest example of this, of course, is communion. You know, the Bible talks about, hey, when you drink this wine and you eat this bread, think of my blood and body given for me and what happens there with the Eucharist or communion. And so there's a spiritual emphasis of the, of a greater level of nourishment of what happens

here. And science might call some of what happens. They're a placebo effect. that can happen. But overall, there is a spiritual awareness of when you eat. Whereas when we see with the paleo diet, there's a secular approach that's focused on physical health. And so, listen, I think there are principles and ideas of eating like a hunter-gatherer that are interesting. But overall, I think the bibliot diet far outweighs it in terms of wisdom

and what I see in helping people heal. I'll give you an example. I had a patient I was taking care of. actually it was a doctor, his wife, and she was struggling with infertility for years and years and years and she was on a very strict paleo diet is what she told me and trying to get pregnant. And one of the things I realized on the diet was she was eating all these almonds, she was doing almost no carbs whatsoever. I said, listen, if you want to get pregnant, a pregnancy is about, in the Bible and in Chinese medicine about nourishing your body. I said, let's add in some sweet

potatoes. Let's add in some squash. Let's add in some rice even, you know, and some things. and three months later was able to get pregnant. And so, you know, I have seen a biblical diet, seen much, much greater results when you're following a true biblical diet over a paleo diet in almost every case. Here's the thing I want to mention again about food in the Bible. It was viewed as more than calories or fuel. It was intertwined with spiritual, meaning, community, and divine connection. Eating was seen as an act of worship and relationship.

And the Bible talks about when you eat, you want to focus on a word here called blessing. Okay, food is a blessing and you want it to be blessed. In Deuteronomy 810, here's what Moses says. When you have eaten and are satisfied, bless the Lord your God, okay? When you eat and satisfied, there's this level of gratitude of thank you, God, that you provided this food for me and it was so satisfying. Like, thanking God that you love the taste of things. He's like, you know, if you have a homemade pizza at home, wow, Lord, thank you for this. In biblical times, people didn't take meals for granted.

Eating was a time to give pause, to give thanks, and recognize God's hand in providing, and gratitude was expressed before and after the meal. Okay. So it was, you know, and Paul talks about this in the Bible. He says, you know, pray without ceasing. Whatever you're doing going on, live in a state of praise and gratitude. And so number one, one of the biggest principles of a biblical diet is blessing your food. Okay. Number two, covenant and community. Genesis 3154 says this.

Shared meals marked covenants, serious agreements or reconciliations between people. And we saw this even in the time of Jesus. You remember when Jesus was eating with sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, criminals. He was eating with these people. and the rabbis were so blown away by this and they said, how can you eat with these sinners? And Jesus at one time says, listen, who needs a doctor, right?

The sick or the well? These people are spiritually sick. I'm here to help them and eat with them. But the reason why that was so offensive to them was when you ate with somebody, that was like saying we're in relationship. If you think back to junior high or high school or elementary school when you're eating with somebody,

that's your crew, that's your crowd. that means, hey, we got a relationship together, right? You remember sometimes being nervous, like, I hope I can sit with these people, or maybe you were rejected at some point or accepted. And what that did to your soul or spirit, right? We still have this today even as grown up sometimes. But eating with somebody, it really marked during that time, even more than today, a connection to that person and having a relationship.

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Through the partaking of bread and wine, the Eucharist expresses the most intimate form of communion between God and humankind, introduced by the incarnation and fulfillment in Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. You know, I call communion the meal, that heals. Okay? It's the meal that heals. And we've had times in our life where my wife and I were praying for a spiritual breakthrough. We are praying for healing. And we took communion at our church, but also we said, okay, we're going to start doing communion every day for a week to pray for a breakthrough for somebody, healing for somebody for ourselves. And we would just take some sourdough bread at home, a little bit of wine or grape juice or tart cherry juice. I mean, you could, you know, I think any of those things are fine and sit there and have that and you say, God, I receive your body that's been broken for me.

I receive your blood that was spilled for me. I receive your healing, your nourishment. I receive you. Okay. And I believe that healing can happen through communion. Spiritual healing, physical healing, mental healing. And if you're a person that needs healing, I think following a biblical diet in partaking in communion has tremendous benefits.

Number three here, as I mentioned, is eating is for healing. Exodus 1526 says this, I am the Lord who heals you. God's promise of healing is both spiritual and physical, and food is part of that provision. Many of the foods listed in the Bible, like olive oil, honey, and herbs were used for nourishment, but also as a form of biblical medicine.

and ancient cultures understood that food was part of a broader system of health. Now, I really believe that if you want to heal, following a biblical diet is one of the best diets you could follow. Now, I do want to say, I might have somebody asked a question, okay, if somebody has cancer, okay, should they be eating bread? I would say this, in most cases, no, okay? I do think that there is a time and a place where somebody has an illness, and they shouldn't eat maybe a few of the foods reference in the Bible. I mean, bread is probably the biggest one and maybe beans and some of those things. But I would say that overall, for most people, especially kids and people generally speaking,

a biblical diet is the best or the biblical principles of a diet are the best food you could be eating. Now, I do think if somebody has cancer or a major, let's say, autoimmune disease, you maybe need to whittle down some of the foods and focus on just a few. maybe less foods for for healing i mean i'll give an example of this my mom now follows more of a biblical diet my mom will have sourdough bread my mom will eat a lot of fruits and vegetables she does pomegranate a lot she does wild fish does extra virgin olive oil is a main source of oil but there are a few things that are not referenced in the bible that she eats as well or does i mean my mom juices some vegetables my mom uh consumes a fair amount of coconut um and a number of other things so and i want to say

this too. If you think about it like this, the biblical, the foods referenced in the Bible were referenced primarily for those people at that point in time, a very specific group of people in the Middle East. Okay. Now, we can learn from those writings as well and their scripture in terms of having an eternal impact that we should try and follow those laws, but I don't think only the foods reference in the Bible or the food you should be eating. And maybe some of those foods, at times you want to keep out of your diet based on what we know today if you have a certain type of illness or a food sensitivity or allergy, right, as an example. Some of those things. I'll give you an example. I don't do well with a lot of dairy. Now, I can do a little bit of the raw A2 sheet

milk or goat milk a little bit here and there and I do fine. But if I would do it constantly every day, I start to get phlegm build up even with the really good stuff. Now, my wife and daughters, they just can eat it all day every day. But I'm not one of the people. And so again, there's this, there's this also thing where God made you you as a unique individual and you also need to listen to your body, listen to the Holy Spirit and figure out what you should be eating, what's best for you. I want to say this as well. Let's say the Bible wasn't written to the people of Israel. Let's say it happened in the Caribbean in St. Lucia, okay, in this island in the Caribbean. The foods for those people that their body is most adapted to,

they might need to eat more papaya and mango and passion fruit and ahituna and coconut. And that's what their body is going to do best with. But I think that principle from the Bible is this is one, eat real food, honor God with your body, and then figure out physiologically, based on your own unique biochemistry, what's best for you in that as well. So when it comes to foods of the Bible, they have incredible healing properties, as I'm about to get into. But I think it's important to remember, let's say you grew up in Ireland or the Caribbean or in the Pacific Islands. Your body, the Bible was written primarily for the people in Israel, in the Middle East, in those days, in what was available to them.

Okay. So the Bible is talking about the most healing and nutrient dense foods oftentimes for those people, and what was readily available. to those people in that time. However, if the Bible was written to these scriptures were written to people in, again, Ireland, the Caribbean, in the Pacific Islands, or Africa, some of those diets might be a little bit different. I'll give an example of this. The Bible really highlights pomegranates and figs. Okay, when you're reading about fruit, and we know pomegranates are an amazing superfruit and sore figs. However, what would you eat if you were in the Caribbean and maybe you don't have as many of those foods. Well, maybe you're eating mango and papaya and watermelon and coconut, which have food, which have nutrients that are better for that environment. For instance,

coconut water and watermelon are the most hydrating of all fruits. And then mango, papaya, melons, those are also going to be very high. Those grow naturally in the Caribbean, just naturally grow there. Those fruits don't grow as much in the Middle East. Okay. So these people, they have their form of figs and pomegranates, but they're actually foods for that environment that allow them to be even healthier in that environment they're in. Does that make sense? If you're in Ireland, it's probably going to be potatoes and apples, okay? Those foods that grow there more naturally in that climate. If you go to the Pacific Rim, more seaweed. You know, seaweed's not referenced in the Bible, but those are foods that bring great nourishment to the people

of Japan, right? So I think just knowing that, you know, the Pacific Rim, more seaweed. You know, seaweeds, you know, following the Bible biblical diet based on principles, getting a lot of those foods in your diet, but then having whatever region you live in, because people don't fully understand this most of the time. Oftentimes we don't fully understand this, but eating locally is one of the greatest things you can do to be healthy because those foods grow their, God is so good. He's like, okay, you're living in the Caribbean islands. You're going to sweat more. You're going to get more sun. You need to be more hydrated. So I'm going to have foods grow like coconuts and watermelon in that region and pineapple to keep you more hydrated. Okay.

Do you see? You see what I mean? And so it's important to understand that along with following a biblical diet. So I want to jump into the foods most referenced in the Bible. And these foods were unprocessed. They were nutrient dense. They were seasonal. They were highly anti-inflammatory.

And the first thing to remember is, foods were eaten seasonally in the Bible based on availability. So your diet would be changing regularly based on what's in season. Okay. Now, this diet you're going to see is high in fiber, high in polyphenols, high in antioxidants, high in amino acids and healthy fats. And these are linked to longer lifespan and the reduced risk for disease. I would say this is like one step beyond the Mediterranean diet in a lot of cases.

studies show that diets resembling a biblical diet, like a Mediterranean diet, reduce the risk of chronic diseases. In fact, people who follow a Mediterranean diet, which is probably the closest thing to a bibliot diet, have a 25% reduction in mortality, lower risk of cardiovascular disease risk by 31%, improved cognitive function. So reducing Alzheimer's risk by 33%, lower inflammation markers, lower oxidative stress markers, lower levels of obesity, lower levels of metabolic syndrome, lower levels of cancer. So much, much healthier people.

And another question I might get is what is the difference between a Mediterranean diet and a biblical or the Biblio diet? And I would say the real difference there is number one is the heart, right? You are eating to glorify God with a biblical diet. The other thing is the Bible is emphasizing things like eating red meat where a Mediterranean diet really focuses on fish and no red meat alone. And so those are some of the, and then the. Bible focuses more on eating clean, whereas you'll see Mediterranean diet. There's quite a bit of things

like maybe clams and shellfish and those on that diet as well. But there is a lot of overlap and things like they both emphasize extra virgin olive oil. They both emphasize wild caught fish and a lot of produce. Okay, so there's some overlap there. Let's walk through the most referenced fruits in the Bible. Number one, one of the most referenced foods are figs. Figs are referenced at least 60 times. We know that figs, this is interesting in Roman culture, which Jesus really grew up in this interesting culture of, of Hebraic and of Roman, okay? And in Roman culture, figs were known as the ultimate food for fertility. In fact, there is a principle, an ancient principle in nutrition, and it calls like supports like or like heels like. And if a food looks like an organ, it supports that

organ. Figs were believed to look like testes or testicles. And then if you would open them up, there's all of these little seeds in it, which the ancients believed those were to support sperm. Now, it is interesting, according to recent studies, figs support sperm and prostate health in men and have loads and loads of benefits is one of the most antioxidant rich foods. An amazing form of fiber, really, really good for the health of your gut microbiome, probiotics growing, colon health. are referenced at least 60 times in the Bible. The next food here would be olives and extra virgin olive oil mentioned at least 50 times in the Bible. They provide healthy mono and saturated fats and have anti-inflammatory properties. Also, when you look at high quality olive oil, it's very

high in antioxidants like oloropene and polyphenols. So when you're buying olive oil, it should taste a little kind of bitter. It should be full of flavor, a really, really strong flavor. And olive oil was used as the main cooking oil. It was also used in lamp stands. It was used for anointing. In fact, there was an oil called the Holy Anointing Oil, which was an olive oil base, and that's referenced in Leviticus 242. And so we see olive oil, an extra virgin, olive oil referenced many, many times there in the Bible. And we know, I truly believe that olive oil is the healthiest oil you can use for cooking. Now, there was a study that came out a few, many years ago, where they said, well,

olive oil has a lower smoke point, so it's not the best for cooking. A later study came out, this was just a few years ago that said, well, just because it smokes a little bit does not mean that anything is, that that's going to be bad for you. It's not changing the fat itself. And so olive oil is still probably the best fat or oil for most cooking. Now, I'm not talking about deep frying here, like you do falafels or a turkey in, but actually if you're sauteing vegetables or doing most cooking, even things like if you're making chicken parmesan at home, olive oil is still the best oil. And I believe it is the single best oil to cook with for most people. The next best, or what some people might do well with as well, would be like a coconut oil would be the next best, in my professional opinion. But again, olive oil loads and loads of benefits there for your health and the healthiest oil that's referenced in the Bible. And then number three, pomegranates mentioned at least 20 times in the Bible, packed with polyphenols, which help reduce oxidative stress, boost cardiovascular help.

You know, pomegranates are the number one food that is high in something called urolithet that can lead to something in your body called urolithin A. So pomegranates are very high in allegeic acid. Allegic acid is an antioxidant that when it gets in your gut microbiome can be turned into uralithin A. And this is known as the best form of fuel for supporting the. mitochondrial health and something called mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy, which is the cleanup of your mitochondrial cells. And this is really good for energy and cell energy production and fighting

cancer and reversing heart disease and overall just boosting your energy, supporting hormonal health. So pomegranates are maybe the number one longevity food in the entire world, according to some studies. Okay. So pomegranates are prize there in biblical cuisine and biblical medicine. And biblical medicine. And also, they were a sign in the Bible and they're symbolic of righteousness and fruitfulness in your life. Okay? So a rich and fruitful life. Pomegranates there. And those are reference in Exodus 28, 33 through 34. Number four, raw and fermented dairy are referenced numerous, numerous times in the Bible. Now, we see some sort of milk or cheese curds and those sort of foods are referenced at least 20 is the bare minimum. It's much, much higher than that.

But the Bible references to things like cheese curds, things like milk. We know they provide a great source of protein and calcium and fats there as well. And it's important to remember that those cows in those days or those animals have something only called A2 milk. Today, most cows milk has A1 milk, which is highly inflammatory due to the genetic breeding. You know how historically we ate iron corn wheat or an ancient form of wheat, but then we hybridize the wheat to have way more gluten. and other things that are inflammatory.

Well, think about, we've done the same thing to cows in our modern agriculture. We've taken cows, we've hybridized, and we've breeded them in a certain way to produce more milk and for it to have more sugar in it. And that's genetically changed the milk of cows to now where it's more inflammatory to humans when we consume it. So when you're consuming milk from the Bible,

it's organic, it's grass-fed, it's raw. And in most cases, because they didn't have refrigeration then, it would have been fermented as well. And so you are getting a probiotic punch. You are getting high protein, loads of healthy fat, and vitamin K2, some vitamin D, loads of calcium, magnesium, all of these nutrients in this raw fermented dairy is reference in the Bible. And the Bible actually talks about, one of the things that talks about the richness of your life is a land flowing with milk and honey. Okay. If your land was fertile, if it was healthy, you'd have plentiful milk support.

was the creamiest and richest of things, and the sweetest of things would be something like a honey. Okay? So we see this alluded to in the Bible, but we know that if it's in its perfect form, as it was in biblical nutrition, it has healing power. As I mentioned, one of my best friends, Jordan Rubin, Jordan had ulcer of clitis and Crohn's disease. You want to know the number one food he ate, almost the only thing he ate, that cured inflammatory bowel disease.

By the way, he was so sick. He lost 80 pounds and was in a wheelchair. was so sick they thought he was going to die. Got down to like 110 pounds when he was 195. He ate raw, organic, grass-fed, goat's milk kefir, or goat's milk yogurt. Every day. And actually, Jordan met a man who was actually trained by Jack Lillane. You remember the famous Jack Lillane?

Who was taught by Paul Bragg. You know the apple cider vinegar you like so much? It's called Bragg's vinegar. That man was the mentor of Jack Lillane. Jack Lane taught Bud Keith. Bud Keith taught Jordan Rubin how to eat a diet based on the Bible. And that's how Jordan reversed his Crohn's disease and autoimmune disease. And the things he ate the most worst.

Number one was, as I mentioned, was this raw fermented dairy. And he also ate some other foods over time like bone broth and wild caught salmon and some other foods there as well. Okay. Number five, raw honey. This is mentioned over 20 times in the Bible. It symbolizes nourishment, abundance, and divine provision, honey exhibits strong antimicrobial activity,

and also helps handle pathogens and breaks down biofilms and supports the growth of good bacteria like probiotics. Raw honey, it's also, when you look back at the food that can last the longest of all food, the food with the greatest longevity of itself is going to be honey. They went back to tombs 3,000 years old and found honey still good in the jars. Think about that. Any other food would disintegrate. Honey has a property to where it actually can keep the perfect level of moisture.

This is why if you ever have a scar or you ever have an area where you have an open wound and you want to keep it from getting infected, use honey because it has antimicrobial properties. It was like ancient Neosporin only 100 times better without the antibiotic side effects. Okay. Put honey on the area. And honey maintains the perfect moisture level for it to heal. This is why it's also the greatest thing to reduce scarring because part of scarring happens because it doesn't have enough moisture or has too much bacteria in the area.

It's not nourished enough. And so raw honey is the perfect thing for helping prevent scarring with injuries. It's great for so many reasons. But again, it was used as a form of medicine in the Bible and a form of something to help heal the body as well. But remember, not too much. It does have sugar. However, when you look at the studies, it affects your body way, way less in terms of a glycemic load than, let's say, even a coconut sugar. or a cane sugar.

Even those are organic, honey is better. Honey's better than maple syrup. Honey is better than coconut nectar has more benefits. And it actually acts in some cases as a natural immunization. Raw local honey has been shown in studies to reduce allergies over time because that's over 200 different types of pollen when you consume it. It actually helps your body better adapt to local allergens, strengthening your immune system.

So there's many benefits. and we know anyone from Samson, you know, reference, eating honey to beating reference in the book of Ezekiel and many other books in the Bible. We know John the Baptist, of course, ate raw locusts and honey as well there in the wilderness. Okay, number six,

fermented or sourdough bread is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. It was the staple of the ancient diet. Again, often sprouted and fermented, made from whole grains, and typically grains like barley, spelt, wheat, and millet. And fermented grains support gut health. They increase nutrient absorption and they may improve digestion.

You know, grains have gotten a bad rap because grains are so different today than they used to be. 99% of bread that you're buying in your grocery store today is white bread or wheat bread. And the wheat is hybridized. So it has very, very little level of nutrients. So here's what happens. One, when you buy grain, typically, it's grown in soil that it has very little nutrients. So it's already nutrient low in nutrients. Then it's harvested and ground, but then it sits for a while, so then the nutrient goes down more.

And then it's not sprouted and it's not fermented. And so there's all of these issues with grains and it's sprayed with things like glyphosate. If you're doing real grain, you're harvesting it. You're then grinding it and making bread right away. Okay. So those grains are still alive and living. And then, again, right before you make the bread, they're soaked, then they're dried in the sun. So they sprout, which creates more nutrients.

And then they're fermented, which actually breaks down the gluten and some of the sugars, starches and grains. And then basically you're absorbing everything in it. When you are consuming the grains today because they're not fermented or sprouted, there's something called enzyme inhibitors. you might have heard of phytic acid or mineral blockers. Basically, all the minerals like iron are bound together, and they pass through your digestive system and they're never absorbed. You just poop them right out. Okay, you never absorb them.

Sprouting or fermenting unlocks all the nutrients, the iron, the B vitamins, the calcium, the magnesium, and unlocks them, and now you can absorb and digest those nutrients. Okay. So the bread you see reference in the Bible or the bread that somebody's eating to do, day that's very healthy is radically different. Even today when we're eating sourdough that most people make at home, it's typically made from maybe a wheat bread. But, you know, even when you're comparing

wheat, the grains they were using at that time like barley and millet, those are more nutrient dense most of the time than the other. So again, I just want to say this, that this biblical bread was much, much more nutrient dense in a lot of cases. Number seven is fish, okay, of the most referenced foods in the Bible. Fish is referenced at least 20 times, especially in the New Testament. We know fish, of course, is an excellent source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, very easy to digest, loads of benefits there. Certain fish have also have antioxidants like Astazanthan, so lots of benefits there. We see Jesus, the foods he's referenced eating the most are bread and fish, okay? And we see it both before his death and after his resurrection of him eating fish. And so we see

This is an amazing food with loads and loads of benefits. One of the top foods my mom ate to heal from cancer was, and reverse her conditions, was wild-caught salmon. You know, so fish is great. Number eight, red meat, lamb, goat, beef. These are regularly mentioned in feasts and offerings. They're nutrient dense. It's satiating. You know, red meat, if it's done right, is really high in protein.

It's really high in healthy fats. It's high in iron, zinc and B-12. So these are very good, especially for women to help renew and rebuild their blood. For men, for strength and building testosterone. So red meat is something people need to eat more of. But again, it's referenced oftentimes when you read about Solomon and his daily provisions and what he was eating, it was a lot of red meat like lamb on a regular basis. And so again, red meat is a, and listen, red meat is one of the most villainized and outlaw foods,

and whether it be a vegan diet or even a Mediterranean. Terranean diet. You know, the heart association, what they recommend, red meat in the Bible is very different. Again, it's totally grass fed. It's leaner. It's healthier. And again, it's something that's a big part of a biblio diet. Do you have unexplainable illness, hormone dysfunction, weight loss, resistance, brain fog, and you're tired of being dismissed when you know something isn't right? Well, get my at-home testing of targeted biomarkers, including hormones, thyroid, and metabolism plus a full hour with one of my senior health advisors to help you understand your results. The truth is your doctor's probably reading your blood work all wrong. They're missing

the cellular issues behind the symptoms. This new testing flips the script. The future of interpreting test results is here. I'm currently offering a simple at-home blood test that actually test for the right things. And just as importantly, it comes with proper interpretation of your results. If you want to check it out and grab one before they're gone, just go to mybloodwork.com now. Bitter herbs. These are reference in Exodus 12, 8, but throughout the Bible, it could be coriander, cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, mustard. You know, these are referenced at least 14 times, but probably over 20, bitter herbs. And what would happen oftentimes in the Bible is they would use these as seasoning and foods. Sometimes, though, they would take extra virgin olive oil and herbs,

bitter herbs before a meal and eat those sometimes by themselves or with a little bit of bread. And those digestive herbs actually help your body produce more bile to better digest your food ahead of time. So these digestive bitters and bitter herbs act as a form of medicine to aid in digestion before a meal and natural detoxification. So herbs are mentioned in the Bible. And then 10 fermented foods, yogurt, wine, leavened bread. We know these are naturally probiotic rich foods, olive.

that are fermented are referenced in the Bible as well. Also, I want to mention salt is referenced 40 times in the Bible. Salt is great for preservation. It's great for adding flavor. We know the Bible talks about us being the salt of the earth. 12 is frankincense. Now, this isn't a food per se, but it is a resin that was used as an essential oil. It's referenced 20 times in the Bible. It was actually a form of wealth. Again, we know, you know, the three wise men brought Jesus, you know, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And then the holy anointing oil, this was a blend of extra virgin olive oil, along with certain essential oils or herbs added in there, like cassia and cinnamon and mure and others. And that's referenced 40 times in the Bible this holy anointing oil. So we see

the Bible has this great emphasis upon around foods that heal and using them both symbolically, also as nourishment to our bodies. You know, other foods, our reference in the Bible include grapes, dates, apples, onions, squash, veggies, almonds, pistachios, and other nuts. Also, we see fowl like quail. Our reference, vinegar, wine, lentils. There's actually a point in Timothy where Paul tells Timothy, stop drinking only water and use a little bit of new wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. Think about a little bit of new one. What's that like? Okay, a little bit of. a new wine would be like, you know, let's say you take a tablespoon. And by the way, I'm not sure

if wine and new wine, if that's just wine or if it was a specific type of wine, maybe it's longer fermented, so it's more like a vinegar. And you're taking that and taking a few tablespoons of that, having it with or before your meal. It'd be like we were doing apple cider vinegar before or with our meals today, right? Very, very similar principle in what Paul is telling Timothy to use as a form of medicine. Now, I want to mention, if you want to read a book that really dives deep into biblical nutrition. I wrote a book with Jordan Rubin. It's called the Bibliob Diet. And it's the healing secrets of the Bible and how to eat in order to reverse everything from autoimmune disease to hormone imbalance to gut issues to promote longevity. And if you really want to

honor God with your bodies and be as healthy as possible, you've got to check out this book. Jordan and I spent years writing this book going through food principles, modern day science, going through the Bible, going through theology, and writing a book based on the Bible. And I'm just scratching the surface here. It goes in so much more death has recipes as well in there and things you can do to really honor God. Talks about everything from fasting to using honey to heal. It talks about essential oils as medicine, herbs as medicine in the Bible, and so, so much more.

So I want to encourage you guys you can check out of this book nationwide. Go to Amazon.com. And this book comes out next month. I want to encourage you. I would appreciate, I know Jordan would appreciate you guys supporting us. in the launch of the book and buying it. We guarantee it's going to be the best book you've ever written, read on biblical health. And we're really excited.

I think you're going to be as well. Okay. So here's what a typical biblical meal could have looked like back in ancient days. Barley or spelt bread, often leaven, sometimes dipped in oil or vinegar or both. Grilled or broiled fish, like could be tilapia from the Sea of Galilee or goat or lamb. Olives or extra virgin olive oil. Oftentimes they would sort of drizzle olive oil on a lot of the meals. It could be a lentil stew. We know this is rich in fiber and protein like this stew Esau traded his birthright for. We know it probably had lentils and probably wild game in it like venison. Figs or dates served fresh or dried,

pomegranate seeds or juice, grapes or wine during meals as well. And then bitter herbs like part parsley, coriander, cilantro, used during meals as well, like during the Passover, and then honey. This is often drizzled or used on as sort of something sweet as a dessert on sourdough bread or consumed with different forms of cheese, like a raw goat cheese or sheep cheese. They're mixed with honey. So desserts, they didn't have, you know, taramisu or dark chocolate bars. They might have had access to a little bit of dark chocolate. But for the most part, they would have had things like fruit.

fruit and honey and bread and cheese. That would have been their dessert during those times. Now, I want to give you an example of what biblical figures actually ate, okay, in the Bible. And so here's Jesus. Jesus ate fish and leavened bread, wine, likely olives, grapes, and traditional Jewish foods at Passover, according to Luke 2442. After his resurrection, Jesus ate broiled fish and honeycomb, and during his ministry, he shared fish and bread according to these biblical verses as well.

And then Abraham served a meal of bread, cheese curds, and roasted meat to three visitors, which he said were the Lord and two angels. Okay, so he fed angels, possibly Jesus, possibly the angel of the Lord. We don't know who that was exactly, but he fed them meat and bread and dairy. Red meat, bread, and dairy, the three things that some diets would say you should never eat. That's what Abraham fed angels. So you're telling me that grass-fed wild red meat, sourdough bread, and raw fermented organic dairy are not healthy. Okay, well, again, Abraham fed those to angels.

Okay. Moses and the Israelites ate manna, bread from heaven, and quail and bitter herbs. That's a reference in Exodus 16. and then David. It says, Abigail brought David and his men figs, raisins, lentils, and roasted grain. These were all staple foods in Israel at the time. That's according to First Samuel. And then Solomon said his lavish diet from royal provisions ate olive oil, grains, wine, and meats there. That's in First Kings 422 through 23. Then, of course, we know John the Baptist, the most radical diet of all time, was known for eating locusts and wild honey in the desert. Now, do I think that's the single and the only thing he ate? Probably not.

But he probably had periods of time where he was fasting and eating nothing and other periods where because he was so focused on his ministry, he was eating wild honey and locusts in the desert. And it said, locusts are now being explored as a high protein, nutrient dense diet. And it's a sustainable food and modern nutrition. Now, again, when I think of eating these bugs, it reminds me of the Lion King, probably Simone and Pumba and Simba, you know, eating, you know, eating those foods. But, again, overall, you know, people eat crickets, people have eaten locust, and they are high in protein and they are fine to eat. I'm not saying they're delicious.

But that's what John the Baptist say. And then we see here, I want to dive into Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, the list of unclean foods. It says pigs, they do not chew cud and have cloven hoves. They're unclean. Okay. And again, we know pigs are the greatest carrier parasites. It's shellfish, according to Leviticus 11, have fins and scales. They're bottom feeders or scavengers, meeting they're more likely to carry toxins.

And we also see this from certain types of insects, crawling animals, some mammals, including camels, rabbits, hyenas, these animals are not kosher. They're not healthy because of the way that their own bodies work and they store toxins. That's the main reason. If you want to know why I don't eat pig, pork, and shellfish today, I don't believe it's that we're under the law from the standpoint of some of those laws apply to us today in terms of, you know, it's a great sin to eat those foods. I think that they're just not healthy. It's not like after Jesus' resurrection, those foods were made healthy.

Pork is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It's still a great character of parasites, and so it shows, so is shellfish. I eat them because of First Corinthians. Whether I eat, drink, or whatever I do, I do it all to the ground. glory of God. That's why I have chosen to avoid pork and shellfish. It's not out of the law. It's out of, I believe God told them not to eat it because what even science proves today, they're unhealthy animals. Now, I have people ask me all the time, what about a wild boar, if it's wild? My cousin, it was a big hunter. He went and killed a wild boar once when we were in college together,

and he ended up getting parasites from the wild boar. Okay, it's really no, it's really hardly different at all. Okay, so it's still not a good animal because it's a scavenger and how it lives. And so those animals just aren't healthy. I mean, what we do now in our home is we do beef bacon. Okay? We do beef bacon. We'll do turkey bacon. But if you want the thing that tastes the closest to pork and still taste amazing,

beef bacon is delicious. And so there are natural alternatives for these things you can enjoy. I want to mention fasting. The Bible mentions fasting 77 times throughout the old and New Testament. And fasting was common in biblical times. It was used for spiritual clarity, for repentance, for healing, for observing days and for honoring God during festival times. Typically, there was a combination of fasting and then they would feast afterwards. We know Moses did a 40-day fast in Exodus. Jesus did a 40-day fast in the wilderness. We know the early Christians fasted weekly. Often they picked one day a week, I believe sometimes it was either Wednesdays or Fridays, and they would not eat. for breakfast and lunch. They would still eat dinner, but they would basically take

the early part of that day and devote that to spending more time in prayer and more time in just saying, God, I'm dependent, not only on this earthly food, I'm dependent upon you. So early Christians, and Jews as well, they would oftentimes pick one day a week, either Wednesday or Friday,

and fast during those days. And oftentimes people ask about intermittent fasting. Listen, with most of the patients I care for, now at my virtual clinic, I don't recommend most of them do fasting from the standpoint of this long-term fasting. Now, when people get to the right state in a certain level of health, I do recommend that fasting one day a week for breakfast and lunch in the way that the biblical people did. Even a lot of monks do today. And so I would say I do believe that that is a great form of fasting for most people, rather than even every day. You do it one day a week. Or do what I call

a 10, 14 fast, where you maybe eat breakfast around 8 and then eat again around 10 or 1. You eat an earlier dinner around 5. So you still have 14 hours a day where you're not eating and you're only eating 10 hours a day, but you have a 14 hour fast. I think that sort of intermittent fasting is okay. But doing it to where you only eat twice a day or you really restrict that eating window too much. I don't like that for, I think it's hard on the body.

And the only time I think the Bible tells people not to fast, I think if it was known during that time, rabbis would say, listen, If you are really feeble and elderly, or if you're pregnant or have a certain thing going on, you shouldn't fast at this time. Okay. So when you're worried about fasting in the body, a lot of people fasted, but certain people with certain conditions, again, like pregnancy, they weren't fasting. Okay.

So it's, I think, important to understand that as well. But fasting has loads and loads of benefits, number one, for promoting autophagy, which is cellular cleanup, for improving insulin sensitivity and brain function, for longevity and reducing metabolic disease, but I think people that are weak and feeble, it may not be the best thing for them to do. I think if somebody is really, like, let's say overweight or diabetic needs to lose weight in men especially, do much, much better with fasting. So I do think fasting in order to honor God is great. I do think considering doing a 1014 fast or doing just a one day a week fast and still eating that day, just not breakfast and lunch. And maybe if you're really ill,

maybe you're just sipping on some bone broth. So you're getting a little something, and then you're eating a dinner that's really healthy, I think can be okay as well. But we do know fasting. There's numerous studies on its benefits. In biblical times, again, a big focus was spiritual breakthrough. I know that when I have been praying for things,

that's when I fasted typically, as I was wanting to honor God, or Chalice and I were praying for a physical breakthrough or a spiritual breakthrough or even a business breakthrough. I've spent time fasting. I know Jordan, Rubin and I and a friend of ours, Colt Morton, we have fasted together for certain things as well.

So I'm a big believer in fasting. But if you're sick or ill, sometimes you want to moderate your fasting and just follow more of that biblical diet instead. It's also important to note that in biblical times, food wasn't just consumed. It was offered back to God. There were grain offerings. There were animal offerings like lamb offerings, like in the fatted calf. Because meals were sacred.

This reminds us, what if your plate is your altar today? Think about that. What if your plate is your altar today? What would you offer? When you think about eating, don't ask the question, what can I get away with? Or what is the thing that can be most satisfying to my sweet tooth right now? Instead, think this. What is the thing that I could put on my plate right now that would bring the most glory to God,

that would bring the most health to this temple that God gave me? And I think the more we can operate with that, the healthier you'll be. If you sit there and think about, okay, what can I eat that's really biblical in nature? okay, I'm going to go and get some pomegranates. I'm going to go get some figs. I'm going to start using a really high quality extra virgin olive oil. I'm going to start buying animals that were ethically sourced, that are grass fed, that are organic, maybe that are kosher or that follow more of those biblical principles.

So eating in that way to honor God with your body, I think is so powerful and so healing. You know, the Bible's first sin was about food. The fall of Eden was based on a single bite of food. This shows how our powerful relationship to food. Think about that. The first sin was tempted by the tree and taking a bite of that fruit. The first sin. I think some of us have that today where food can be such a disruptor of our relationship

with God and a relationship with others and our success in life. Being able to have the discipline and the spiritual awareness of what food is and how it can affect our body. I mean, think about this. Every time you're eating a fast food burger or french fry, you're building disease. You're destroying the temple God gave you versus every time you eat a food that God created that's natural from the earth like a fig. That's bringing health and healing to your body when it's done in the right way.

So I think just thinking about sort of, you know, that first bite. And then we know a very similar thing, right? Cane and Abel. they both brought sacrifices and one was pleasing to the Lord and one wasn't pleasing. And so thinking about it that way. You know, we also see in the Bible, food being such a connector. You know, think about this. Jesus after his resurrection, this is in Luke 24, 42 through 43. It said, the resurrected Jesus ate broiled fish with his disciples. You know, you can imagine just sitting there on logs around a fire, you know, just talking, this deep human thing happening after his resurrection

and sharing a meal together. So here's some key takeaways. Number one, whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. And think about your body as a temple that you're going to honor God with. Okay, that is first and foremost. Number two, consider the foods of the Bible, extra virgin of olive oil, figs, herbs, you know, fermented foods, raw local honey, you know, eating locally in season. You know, organic meat.

Think about those foods. Try and eat more of those foods during healthy. your body. And if you live in a different air of the world, maybe your equivalent of a pomegranate as an assay-berry or maybe it's an apple, but eat real food in those categories to bring health and healing to your body. Number two, think about, you know, there's a study I read on family meals. And it said that kids have the best relationships with their parents and better success in life, the more family meals you eat together. Prioritize meals with your family. Prioritize during those meals having,

uh, uplifting conversation about God and encouraging your kids and family, doing this with other people. Maybe do a meal with somebody who just needs a word of encouragement. And that's a sign as well of, of deeply connecting with that person. Um, you know,

consider learning more about biblical medicine, about things like essential oils and how to use honey for healing and the benefits of fasting. Again, you can read about that more in the book that Jordan and I wrote called the Biblio Diet. Um, you can go on Amazon.com and buy that book. But that would be a good option to,

continue to be educated and learn more about how to honor God with your body as well. Remember, food can be your greatest form of medicine or one of your greatest poisons. And we want to eat to honor God with our body. And the Bible is full of so much wisdom on biblical medicine and nutrition and how to be as healthy as possible. There's farming practice. There's all kinds of things I didn't even get into, some of which we touched on in the book. But overall, remember, honor, God with your body. When you're eating before every meal, think about that, that like this,

this is my altar. Okay. I'm eating in remembrance of you, God, okay, in that way. All right. I want to say thanks so much for tuning in here to the Dr. Josh Jack show. Remember, each and every week, I'm diving deep into the science and principles of how you can heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. Hey, make sure to subscribe, by the way, the number one thing you can do to support this podcast is subscribe. I'm so grateful for so many, you that are subscribed. It allows me to bring more high-profile guests on the show. This is how we brought on, you know, Carrie Underwood in the past. And we've got Mark Hyman coming on in the future and so many people. So I want to say, thank you so much for subscribing and share. So many people

don't know the truth. Listen, there's a lot of people today who I think think they're doing good by eating a paleo diet and think, oh, that's the ideal diet or a vegan diet. That's not what the Bible says. The Bible is really clear about the way we should eat, what we should eat generally in terms of those principles and just generally some of the best foods to eat. So if you are a big believer in a biblical diet. Please share this episode. Thanks for doing that. And I'll see you on the next episode.