The Bible's original diet - Explore the Faith

In the beginning, when we humans walked in the Garden of Eden, what did the LORD God command us to eat? The Bible’s answer may surprise you.

1. FRUIT-ONLY DIET

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were gatherers. The LORD God told them:

Genesis 2:16. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;

They were to eat freely from the trees that grew in the Garden. In other words, they were to live on fruit and nuts.

The Hebrew word for “tree” is עֵץ (“ets”). It really does mean “tree.” It is not a code-word for something else.

In God’s original plan for the human race, raw fruit and nuts were the human diet.

However, that changed.

2. FRUIT PLUS HERBS

After the fall into sin, Adam and Eve were cursed. Their curse was to become farmers.

The human diet would change. They would also eat herbs:

Genesis 3:18. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.

The Hebrew word for “herb” is עֵ֫שֶׂב (“eseb”). It means grass, or any tender shoot. Think: leafy greens.

To their diet of fruit, they were to add raw leafy greens.

if you add raw leafy greens to a raw fruit diet, you are still called a fruitarian.

That is because leafy greens have so few calories that almost all your calories are still coming from fruit. The leafy greens simply add minerals and phytonutrients that are not available in fruit alone.

This fruitarian diet was accurately depicted in the 2014 film “Noah” starring Russell Crowe.

“But wait,” you might be saying. “I like eating meat and milk and grains and beans. Wasn’t that allowed?”

No. That came later in the biblical narrative. Much, much later.

“How much later?”

After the Flood.

3. OMNIVORE

Up to this point, people only ate vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds. They were vegans. Or more specifically, “fruitarians.”

However, as they exited the Ark, God said to Noah and his family,

Genesis 9:3. Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you.

This verse changes everything. It authorizes people to hunt down animals and kill them and eat their corpse. And eat anything.

We are not required to do so. Rather, it is merely allowed.

To be sure, being a fruitarian was still permitted.

In fact, the Bible never prohibits us from a fruitarian diet. The Bible never ever speaks poorly of it.

This era of the omnivore diet opened the door for the eating of bread, which was included as part of the curse:

Genesis 3:19. You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”

To eat bread is not a privilege. Rather, it is part of the curse.

TIMELINE

You might be wondering, “It wasn’t that way for very long, was it? From creation to the flood was just a short time, wasn’t it?”

Actually, it was a long time. A very long time.

According to the Timeline for the History of Judaism, the Flood was in the biblical year of 1,610. That means 1,610 years after the creation.

We humans were raw fruitarians for the first 1,600-some years of biblical history!

How does that compare with the entire biblical history?

Jesus was born in the biblical year of approximately 3,756.

That means humans were fruitarians for 42% of the Old Testament history!

Would you let the Bible inspire you to …

Try a fruitarian diet?
Try a fruitarian diet as a way of fasting?
Add more raw fruits and vegetables to your diet?

Medical experts are always telling us to eat more fruits and vegetables. Perhaps without knowing it, they are urging us to eat the Bible’s original diet for us humans!

OTHER BIBLE VERSES

Genesis 2:16. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;

Genesis 3:18. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.

Genesis 3:19. You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”

Genesis 9:3. Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you.

Genesis 27:3. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and get me venison.

Genesis 37:25. They sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

Genesis 45:18. Take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’

Exodus 12:8. They shall eat the meat in that night, roasted with fire, with unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.

Exodus 12:9. Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.

Exodus 12:15. “ ‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Exodus 12:18. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty first day of the month at evening.

NOTES

From the Timeline for the History of Judaism:

ADAM AND EVE CREATED:

Jewish Year: 1
Western Calendar: 3,760 BC

BIRTH OF NOAH:

Jewish Year: 1,056
Western Calendar: 2,704 BC

THE FLOOD:

Jewish Year: 1,610
Western Calendar: 2,150 BC

ABRAHAM BORN:

Jewish Year: 1,947
Western Calendar: 1,813 BC

BIRTH OF JESUS:

Jewish Year: ~ 3,756
Western Calendar: ~ 4 BC

NOW:

Jewish Year: 5,770-some
Western Calendar: 2019

CAUTION

Fasting and dietary experimentation are only for those who are medically capable. Experts say you need to be under the supervision of a doctor during such times. Check with your health care provider.

The Bible’s original diet