Welcome
What is the Adventist
Health Message?
Dr Bevan Hokin BSc MAppSc PhD
Director of Pathology
SYDNEY ADVENTIST HOSPITAL
The Adventist Health Message is:
• BIBLE Based
• John 10:10 I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full (NIV)
• 1 Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God
(NIV)
• 1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you?…
Therefore honour God with your body (NIV)
The Adventist Health Message is:
• Spirit of Prophesy based
• Originated with and is strongly supported by
Mrs E.G.White.
• Was developed from around 1880 to 1915 when
many of the ideas were contrary to the beliefs
of the day
• Is detailed primarily in the books Ministry of
Healing and Counsels on Diet and Foods
The Adventist Health Message is:
• Strongly supported by modern science
The US Government has spent over $US69
million studying the health of Seventh-day
Adventists (Adventist Lifestyle Studies). Over
250 peer reviewed papers have been published
on the resulting positive findings. The WHO,
and the American Dietetics Association have
modified their positions on diet as a direct
result of these findings.
This,The Adventist Health Message
presentation, is Sourced from:
• The Holy Bible
• The writings of Mrs E.G. White - particularly
Ministry of Healing and Counsels on Diets and
Foods
• The book Seventh-day Adventists Believe
• Peer reviewed scientific papers published in
reputable journals
• Papers presented at the 3rd and 4th
International Conferences on Vegetarian
Nutrition
The Adventist Health Message is:
• NOT a means of “currying favour” - or
earning brownie points with God - as a
means of salvation.
Gal 5:4 You who are trying to be
justified by the law have been alienated
from Christ; you have fallen away from
grace (NIV)
The Adventist Health Message is:
• NOT an excuse to do whatever we like.
Since works cannot save us, some are
tempted to believe it is OK to do
whatever we like.
Gal 5:13 You, my brother, were called to
be free. But do not use your freedom to
indulge the sinful nature. (NIV)
The Adventist Health Message is:
• NOT Judgemental
There is real common sense in dietetic
reform. The subject should be studied
broadly and deeply, and none should
criticise others because their practice is
not, in all things, in harmony with his
own. MH 319
The Adventist Health Message is?:
So what IS the Adventist
Health Message?
The Adventist Health Message is
Balanced :
• Those who understand the laws of health
and who are governed by principle, will
shun extremes, both of indulgence and of
restriction. MH 319
The Adventist Health Message is
Balanced :
• With many persons the reform consists
merely in discarding certain
unwholesome foods. They do not
understand the principles of health, and
their tables, still loaded with harmful
dainties, are far from being an example
of Christian temperance and
moderation……
(MH 318)
The Adventist Health Message is
Balanced :
• Another class, in their desire to set a right
example, go to the opposite
extreme…they adopt an impoverished
diet. Their food does not supply the
elements to make good blood. Their
health suffers, their usefulness is
impaired, and their example tells against,
rather than in favour of reform in diet.
(MH 318)
The Adventist Health Message is
Balanced :
....people are at different stages in their
progression toward vegetarianism. We
should consider the situation of the
people and the power of life-long habit,
and should be careful not to urge even
right ideas, unduly. None should be urged
to make the change abruptly.
(MH 317)
The Adventist Health Message is
Holistic:
SPIRITUAL
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PHYSICAL - HEALTH
The Holistic nature of the Adventist
Health Message is important because:
• Spiritual: God through the Holy Spirit,
can only communicate through our
minds. It is important therefore, that the
mind be clear.
• Mental: We have an obligation learn all
we can about salvation, about living and
to prepare for service - this is only
possible with a clear mind
The Holistic nature of the Adventist
Health Message is important because:
• Social: We have been put on earth to
interact with others - to be “loving and
lovable Christians” - to improve the
welfare of all with whom we come into
contact
• Physical: We need to be as healthy as we
can be for as long as possible, so as not to
deprive others of the service we can offer.
The Adventist Health Message
advocates: regular exercise:
• Regular exercise is the simple formula for
increased energy, a firm body, stress
relief, healthier skin, more selfconfidence, effective weight control,
improved digestion and regularity,
reduced depression, and reduced risks of
cancer and heart disease. It is not an
option - it is essential to maintaining
optimal health, both physical and mental.
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the benefits of sunlight:
• Sunshine promotes health and healing
• Sunshine (in moderation) is involved in
the production of vitamin D in the skin essential for calcium metabolism (Rickets
and osteoporosis) (Note findings of 3rd World
Conference on Vegetarian nutrition).
• Sunlight kills germs and mould and
promotes a clean environment
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of water:
• Used for cleanliness and relaxation!!
• Water is lost through exhaled air,
perspiration and excretion of waste
• Must be replaced
• Require 6-8 X 250mL glasses per day
• Thirst plus 1/3 rule
• WATER is superior to all other sources of
fluid, including fruit juices
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of fresh air:
• Fresh air provides the oxygen essential
for every cell in the body
• Polluted air contains excessive amounts
of dust, nano-particles, carbon monoxide
and carbon dioxide
• Polluted air can contain dangerous
chemicals such as lead, and other
industrial pollutants
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of rest:
• Proper rest is critical to a healthy body
and mind.
• Rest is more than sleeping or ceasing our
regular work.
• Weariness is not always caused by stress
or working too hard. Our minds can be
wearied by over stimulation through the
media, sickness or personal problems
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of rest:
• A compassionate Christ said “ Come with me
by yourselves to a quiet place and get some
rest”. Mark 6:31 (NIV)
• Periods of rest provide times of quietness for
communion with God. “Be still, and know that
I am God”. Ps 46:10 (NIV)
• God stressed our need for rest by setting aside
the 7th day of the week, as a day of rest.
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of sleep:
• In addition to rest, we need 6 to 10 hours
sleep each night, depending on the
individual and the type of work
performed.
• Require a comfortable bed, a
comfortable temperature and good
ventilation in the bedroom
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of sleep:
• A lack of sleep induces the production of a
hormone that stimulates hunger - leads to
over eating
• Sleep apnoea
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of regular
meal times, & avoidance of snacking:
• “Regularity in eating is of vital
importance. There should be a specified
time for each meal. At this time let
everyone eat what the system requires
and then take nothing more until the next
meal”. MH 303
The Adventist Health Message
recognises the importance of regular
meal times, & avoidance of snacking:
• Snacking impacts stomach emptying function.
• Excess calories lead to childhood obesity
• Poor breakfast- morning tea. Not hungry at
lunch time, so poor or no meal. Hungry at
afternoon tea - snack. Not hungry at dinner,
but “haven’t had a decent meal all day”, so
have a large meal just before bed-time….
• “Another pernicious habit is that of eating just
before bed-time…” MH 303
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of harmful
drugs:
• Illegal drugs - heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines,
LSD are clearly harmful
• Medicinal drugs. Mrs White is referring to
drugs in use in her day which included arsenic,
mercury, opium, tobacco
• Modern drugs, carefully and thoughtfully used
are acceptable
• Prevention of disease through a healthy
lifestyle, is preferable
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of tobacco:
• At a time when tobacco was prescribed for lung
conditions, Mrs White wrote in 1864: (MH 327-330):
– Tobacco is a slow, insidious, but most
malignant poison
– It is more subtle (than intoxicating drink)
and its effects are difficult to eradicate from
the system
– Multitudes have fallen victims to its
poisonous influence. They have surely
murdered themselves by this slow poison
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of alcohol:
• Alcohol, the most widely used drug, has
devastated untold millions of lives.
• It hurts the user, and society in general through
child abuse, wife beatings, broken homes,
accidental death and poverty.
• God communicates with us only through our
minds…alcohol adversely affects every body
function, clouding the mind and impairing
judgement
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of alcohol:
• As the level of alcohol in the system rises, the
drinker progresses through loss of coordination, depression, confusion, intolerance
leading to explosive anger, disorientation,
stupor, anaesthesia, coma and death.
• Regular consumption of alcoholic beverages
results in loss of memory, lack of judgement
and reduced learning ability.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of alcohol:
• Many who would not be guilty of serving wine
or liquor of any kind, will load their table with
food which creates such a thirst for strong
drink that to resist the temptation is almost
impossible. Wrong habits of eating and
drinking destroy the health and prepare the
way for drunkenness. (MH 334)
• Lab animals when fed the typical ‘teenager
diet’, choose alcohol to drink, instead of water
when offered both at the same time.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of alcohol:
But what about the ‘benefits’ of red wine?
• There is evidence that the moderate
consumption of red wine (1 - 2 X 125 mL
glasses/day) reduces the incidence of coronary
artery disease.
• The same beneficial effect can be obtained from
drinking red unfermented grape juice. The
benefit comes from the grape skin
(Resveratrol), not the alcohol!
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of coffee,
(and cola):
• Tea, coffee and other popular drinks act as a
stimulant…there is short-lived increased energy to
the entire system. When the influence of the
stimulant is gone, the unnatural force abates and
the result is a corresponding degree of languor and
debility. (MH 326)
• The continued use of these nerve irritants is
followed by headache, wakefulness, palpitations
of the heart, indigestion, trembling and many other
evils…that wear away the life forces. (MH 326)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of coffee,
(and cola):
• Caffeine is addictive - its action is damaging
• Coffee contains nitrosamines which are
carcinogenic
• Adventist lifestyle findings:
– men who drank two or more cups of coffee a day
had twice the risk of fatal bladder cancer, and a
modest increased risk of colon cancer
– men drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day had a 50%
higher risk of heart disease, while women had a
20% increased risk.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of coffee,
(and cola):
• Actions of caffeine:
– Acts on sympathetic nervous system to increase
heart rate
– Acts on adrenal glands to increase production
of adrenalin – flight or fright hormone
– Acts on adenosine receptors in the brain (ATP
to ADP to AMP to A) Receptor-bound A lass
available for energy production in cells
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of tea
drinking:
• Ellen White does not differentiate
between tea and coffee - both are equally
condemned for the same reasons
• Claims that tea is a good source of antioxidants are true.
• There are plenty of other sources of antioxidants that do not have the harmful
effects of tea.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the avoidance of tea
drinking:
Antioxidants
Caffeine
Addictive
Diuretic
>BP
The Adventist Health Message
recommends consumption of fresh
fruit and vegetables 1:
• In order to know what are the best foods,
we must study God’s original plan for
man’s diet…Grains, fruits, nuts and
vegetables constitute the diet chosen for
us by our Creator. These foods, prepared
in a simple and natural manner…are the
most healthful and nourishing. (CDF 81)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends consumption of fresh
fruit and vegetables 2:
• Nicely prepared vegetables and fruits in
their season will be beneficial (CDF 200)
• …fruit are essential to health (HFM 39)
• We are to regard the trees laden with
fruit as the gift from God, just as much as
though he placed the fruit in our hands
(1BC 1081)
• Vegetables, fruits and grains should
compose our diet. (CDF 380)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends consumption of fresh
fruit and vegetables 3:
• Of 156 scientific studies examining the
relationship of fruit and vegetable consumption
and the risk of developing cancer, 128 showed a
protective effect.
• Persons with low fruit and vegetable
consumption (those in the lowest quarter of the
population) had double the risk of developing
most cancers, compared with those who ate the
most fruit and veges.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends consumption of fresh
fruit and vegetables 4:
• Those consuming 2 or more servings of
fruit/day had 26% (1/4) the risk of developing
cancer compared with those eating fruit less
than 3 times/week.
• Those who consume less than 3.5 servings of
fruit/day increase their risk of developing
cataracts by 500%
• Those over age 60 who are high consumers of
fruit had an overall mortality of 30%
compared with low consumers.
The Adventist Health Message
advocates consumption of nuts 1:
• Grains , fruits, nuts and vegetables
constitute the diet chosen for us by our
creator (CF 363)
• When properly prepared, olives like nuts,
supply the place of butter and flesh meats
(CDF 359)
• Some nuts are not as wholesome as others
Almonds are preferable to peanuts (CDF 364)
The Adventist Health Message
advocates consumption of nuts 2:
• SDA Health Study:
– men who ate nuts at least 4 times each week,
had half the fatal heart attacks as those who
rarely ate nuts
– Walnuts and almonds lower blood fats,
including cholesterol
• Nuts are an excellent source of essential
Omega-3 fatty acids
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the use of dried fruit:
• Wherever dried fruits such as raisins, prunes,
apples, pears, peaches, and apricots are
obtainable at moderate prices, it will be found
that they can be used….freely…with the best
results to the health and vigour of all classes of
workers. (CDF 95)
• SDA Health study: Those who use dried fruits
regularly had only 19% of the usual risk of
getting pancreatic cancer and a 50% reduction
in prostate cancer risk.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the use of whole
grains and whole-wheat breads:
• Fine-flour (white) bread cannot impart to
the system the nourishment that you will
find in unbolted-wheat (wholemeal)
bread (CDF 320)
• For use in bread making, white flour is
not the best…it is lacking in nutritive
elements to be found in bread made from
whole wheat. Its use is neither healthful
nor economical. (Ibid)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the use of whole
grains and whole-wheat breads:
• There are two types of fibre in the diet;
– soluble fibre helps lower cholesterol and
triglycerides, hence reduce heart attack risk.
Best sources include oats, beans, apples,
barley.
– insoluble fibre as in wheat bran, reduces the
risk of colon cancer.
• SDA Health Study: Men who customarily ate
whole wheat bread had a 44% decreased risk of
having a heart attack.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the (moderate) use of
dairy products:
• Fruits, grains and vegetables, prepared in
a simple way, free from spice and grease
(animal fat) of all kinds, make, with milk
or cream, the most healthful diet. (CDF 92)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the (moderate) use of
dairy products:
• The time will come when we may have to
discard some of the articles of diet we
now use, such as milk and cream and
eggs; but my message is that you must
not bring yourself to a time of trouble
beforehand, and thus afflict yourself with
death. (CDF 206)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the (moderate) use of
dairy products:
• The incidence of some cancers is reduced
in those who use milk: stomach cancer,
oesophageal cancer, colorectal cancer,
bladder cancer.
• There has been reported an increased
risk of prostate cancer in high consumers
of meat, milk and cheese. (?contribution of the meat v dairy)
• Recommend modest use of low fat milk
as a source of vitaminB12
The Adventist Health Message recommends
the moderate use of sugar, & avoidance of
milk and sugar combinations:
• “Far too much sugar is ordinarily used in food”MH301
• “Especially harmful are the custards and puddings
in which milk, eggs and sugar are the chief
ingredients.”Ibid
• “The free use of milk and sugar taken together,
should be avoided” MH 302
Dr Garry Fraser’s NZ study into heart disease
implicated ice cream as the worst single
contributory factor. Impact on immune system
The Adventist Health Message
recommends the cautious use of
salt, & avoidance of condiments:
• “…do not eat largely of salt”
• “Mustard, pepper, spices..irritate the
stomach…Soon ordinary food does
not satisfy the appetite.”
MH 305
MH 325
Danger of aflatoxins
The Adventist Health Message
recommends a vegetarian diet:
• Grains, fruits, nuts and vegetables
constitute the diet chosen by our Creator.
(CDF 81)
• Vegetables, fruits and grains should
compose our diets. Not an ounce of flesh
meat should enter our stomachs. (CDF 380)
• The money that is expended in buying
meat, would purchase a good variety of
fruits, vegetables and grains. (RH 5-8-83)
The Adventist Health Message
recommends a vegetarian diet:
• Vegetarian men live 3.7 years longer than
non-vegetarian men
• Adventist consumers of meat have a 33%
higher death rate from all causes
combined, compared with vegetarian
Adventists
• Meat users in the general population in
their 40’s, have four times as many heart
attacks as vegetarian men
The Adventist Health Message
recommends a vegetarian diet:
• Non-vegetarian Adventist men have 3.8
times the risk of having “diabetes” on
their death certificate than vegetarian
Adventists.
• Persons consuming greater amounts of
fruit and beans and lower amounts of
meat had a lower risk of colon cancer,
lung cancer and cancers of the urogenital
system.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends a vegetarian diet:
• Consumption of meat, poultry and fish is
associated with an increased risk of
bladder cancer
• The intake of both red meat and white
meat double the risk of colon cancer.
• Men who consumed beef at least 3
times/week had a 60% increased risk of
fatal coronary heart disease
The Adventist Health Message
recommends a vegetarian diet:
• Adventists who ate meat at least 4
times/week had four times the risk of a
fatal heart attack in their 40’s; twice the
risk in their 60’s, compared with lactoovo-vegetarian men.
• For women over age 55, consuming meat
at least 4 times/week, the risk of a fatal
heart attack was 1.5 times greater than in
lacto-ovo-vegetarian women.
The Adventist Health Message
recommends a vegetarian diet:
• Men who adopted a vegetarian lifestyle before
age 20, had 1/2 the risk of fatal heart disease
compared with those who adopted
vegetarianism in their 50’s.
• Daily consumption of meat doubles the risk of
developing diabetes
• Non-vegetarian’s risk of fatal stroke is 30%
higher than in vegetarians
• Meat eating doubles the risk of dementia
The Adventist Health Message
advocates living a life of service, at
peace with God and man:
• The Christian lifestyle is a response to salvation
through Christ.
• All true obedience comes from the heart. If we
consent, He will so identify Himself with our
thoughts and aims…that when obeying Him,
we shall be carrying out our own impulses. The
will refined and sanctified, will find its highest
delight in doing His service. (DA 668)
The Adventist Health Message:
CONCLUSIONS
• The Seventh-day Diet. Rucker. Random House
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Eat breakfast
Cut out empty and refined calories
Eat more fruit and vegetables
Consume less fat
Learn to fast (not eat between meals)
Get plenty of exercise
Reprogram your mind
The Adventist Health Message:
CONCLUSIONS
• The Seventh-day Adventist Diet:
–before the 1960’s : Ridiculed
–in the 70’s and 80’s: Tolerated
–in 90’s: Accepted
–now: Acclaimed
The Adventist Health Message:
Our response
• What are we going to do with the
Adventist health message?
– Ignore it? OR
– Learn all we can about it?
– Give intellectual assent to it? OR
– Adopt it?