Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7

Chapter 25—Healthful Foods

Cooranbong, N. S. W.,

March 10, 1900

During the past night many things have been opened before me. The manufacture and sale of health foods will require careful and prayerful consideration. 7T 124.1

There are many minds in many places to whom the Lord will surely give knowledge of how to prepare foods that are healthful and palatable, if He sees that they will use this knowledge righteously. Animals are becoming more and more diseased, and it will not be long until animal food will be discarded by many besides Seventh-day Adventists. Foods that are healthful and life-sustaining are to be prepared, so that men and women will not need to eat meat. 7T 124.2

The Lord will teach many in all parts of the world to combine fruits, grains, and vegetables into foods that will sustain life and will not bring disease. Those who have never seen the recipes for making the health foods now on the market will work intelligently, experimenting with the food productions of the earth, and will be given light regarding the use of these productions. The Lord will show them what to do. He who gives skill and understanding to His people in one part of the world will give skill and understanding to His people in other parts of the world. It is His design that the food treasures of each country shall be so prepared that they can be used in the countries for which they are suited. As God gave manna from heaven to sustain the children of Israel, so He will now give His people in different places skill and wisdom to use the productions of these countries in preparing foods to take the place of meat. These foods should be made in the different countries, for to transport them from one country to another makes them so expensive that the poor cannot afford them. It will never pay to depend upon America for the supply of health foods for other countries. Great difficulty will be found in handling the imported goods without financial loss. 7T 124.3

All who handle the health foods are to work unselfishly for the benefit of their fellow men. Unless men allow the Lord to guide their minds, untold difficulties will arise as different ones engage in this work. When the Lord gives one skill and understanding, let that one remember that this wisdom was not given for his benefit only, but that with it he might help others. 7T 125.1

No man is to think that he is the possessor of all knowledge regarding the preparation of health foods, or that he has the sole right to use the Lord's treasures of earth and tree in this work. No man is to feel free to use according to his own pleasure the knowledge God has given him on this subject. “Freely ye have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8. 7T 125.2

It is our wisdom to prepare simple, inexpensive, healthful foods. Many of our people are poor, and healthful foods are to be provided that can be supplied at prices that the poor can afford to pay. It is the Lord's design that the poorest people in every place shall be supplied with inexpensive, healthful foods. In many places industries for the manufacture of these foods are to be established. That which is a blessing to the work in one place will be a blessing in another place where money is very much harder to obtain. 7T 125.3

God is working in behalf of His people. He does not desire them to be without resources. He is bringing them back to the diet originally given to man. Their diet is to consist of the foods made from the materials He has provided. The materials principally used in these foods will be fruits and grains and nuts, but various roots will also be used. 7T 125.4

The profits on these foods are to come principally from the world, rather than from the Lord's people. God's people have to sustain His work; they have to enter new fields and establish churches. On them rest the burdens of many missionary enterprises. No unnecessary burdens are to be placed upon them. To His people God is a present help in every time of need. 7T 126.1

Great care should be exercised by those who prepare recipes for our health journals. Some of the specially prepared foods now being made can be improved, and our plans regarding their use will have to be modified. Some have used the nut preparations too freely. Many have written to me: “I cannot use the nut foods; what shall I use in the place of meat?” One night I seemed to be standing before a company of people, telling them that nuts are used too freely in their preparation of foods; that the system cannot take care of them when used as in some of the recipes given; and that, if used more sparingly, the results would be more satisfactory. 7T 126.2

The Lord desires those living in countries where fresh fruit can be obtained during a large part of the year, to awake to the blessing they have in this fruit. The more we depend upon the fresh fruit just as it is plucked from the tree, the greater will be the blessing. 7T 126.3

Some, after adopting a vegetarian diet, return to the use of flesh meat. This is foolish indeed and reveals a lack of knowledge of how to provide proper food in the place of meat. 7T 126.4

Cooking schools, conducted by wise instructors, are to be held in America and in other lands. Everything that we can do should be done to show the people the value of the reform diet. 7T 126.5