I follow a fairly strict keto diet these days. I have for about 3 months. But have you ever thought about what the Bible says about diet? Here’s a small revelation: God originally intended us (and all land mammals) to be vegetarians. How did I arrive at this conclusion? If you look at Genesis 1:29-30, God says:
Gen 1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. (ESV)
Interesting…God specifically created plants for food, not other animals. Again, in Genesis 2:16, we see God referencing plants (in this case, trees) as food:
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden” (ESV)
As you can see, God commanded us to eat from trees. It isn’t until after the flood that God “ordains” the eating of animals, in Genesis 9:3:
Gen 9:3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. (ESV)
Now, I’m not sure what you do with that little tidbit, but in reading this, it seems perfectly obvious to me that God intended us to be vegetarians in the beginning. It didn’t end up that way. From my personal experience, Keto seems to be the most efficient way to eat these days.
I’m curious to know what you think—does this observation shift anything for you, or spark any other thoughts from Scripture? Please let me know!
—Daniel