by Lynda Phillips

Created on: May 15, 2009   Last Updated: May 22, 2009

I love meat, and never thought the day would come when I would find myself willing to give it up for awhile. I'm not a vegetarian, and believe meat was meant for human consumption. The Bible specifically tells us in Genesis chapter 9 Vs. 3 that, "Every living thing that moveth shall be meat for you." The same chapter Vs. 4 tells us, "but flesh with the life therof, which is the blood thereof, shall you not eat." This means no rare steaks folks! Meat is to be thoroughly cooked until it is done.

In the book of Leviticus, Moses gives the laws to the people over which meats and fish are clean and unclean for us to eat. The unclean foods are listed as swine, hare, mouse, rodents, turtles, owls, swans, pelicans, storks, eagles, and nothing with four paws.; All mammals that are healthy to eat should, "chew cud and divide the hoof." Only fish with fins and scales should be eaten, and no insects except beetles, locusts and grasshoppers.

A lot of our health problems with meat are due to eating unclean foods. If one believes in a creator, then one should also believe HE would best know what suits are bodies and what does not. In the Bible we are also cautioned about being gluttons, drinking a little wine to aid in digestion, and not to take in too much red meats.

One factor of importance is that meat has bacteria in it. Another being that it is a lot harder to digest than fiber, fish and chicken, and moves through the colon much more slowly. Meat is the most difficult thing for the body to break down. Meat is often fried in grease, and often the fat of meat is consumed. Fat and grease are harder for our bodies to break down. Too much red meat raises the blood pressure, and has become the catalyst that affects millions of African Americans with high blood pressure. The fat is stored in our bodies, and too much fat is not broken down, but just stored as fat that leads to body bulges. Meat can also have worms, and those and any other parasites are taken into our bodies as well.

After a full meal of greasy, fatty red meats, the body wants to sleep. Instead of energy, the meat has slowed us down, making the body lethargic and tired.

Even though the Bible was read on this subject, I still loved meat. . .that is until I too acquired the dangerous high blood pressure .A visit to the doctor advised me to cut out red meats for awhile, and replace them with nuts, berries and dried figs. I felt like Yogi The Bear. I've heard of people complaining about salads as being rabbit food, and here I was eating like a bear! However, it worked!

Reducing our intake of meats will help with weight loss. I had blown up to 161 pounds on January 2nd, 2009. After following my Doctor's advice, and that of the Bible, I amazingly dropped to 134 pounds by early April. Folks that's a weight loss of 27 pounds just by cutting back on red meats to once or twice a week! It was effortless!

If less animals were slaughtered for consumption, this would certainly improve the environment, eliminating a lot of blood and innards. All things go hand in hand; respecting our bodies, the animals, and the planet that sustains us all. With the proper balance, things can work together for all three entities.

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