MY BODY TEMPLE 

We all know that if we do not eat we will lose weight and become very weak. Did you ever think how much one eats in the course of a lifetime? Let's see if we can figure it out. How much do you suppose a boy eats in a day? Let us say two pounds. How much does he eat in a year? There are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year; 365 multiplied by 2 equals 730. So a boy eats a good many times his own weight in a year. How much would a person eat in fifty years?

Our bodies are made of what we eat. If we eat bad food, our bodies will be made out of poor material and will not able to work or play well. So we need to learn about our foods and know what things are good for us to eat, and what will do us harm.

Foods are those substances that nourish the body and keep it in good working order. People get foods from both animals and plants. All food really comes from plants, for those animals some people use as food, live on the plants, which they eat. For example, the ox and the cow eat grass and furnish people with beef and milk. Chickens eat corn, and other grains, and supply eggs and meat also.

The principal animal foods are milk, cheese, eggs, and flesh-meat like beef, (cows) mutton, (sheep) pork, (pigs) fish, fowl, (Chicken and Turkey) and wild game.

More kinds of food comes from plants than from animals. Most plant foods are included in three classes: fruits, grains, and vegetables. Fruits are the fleshy parts of plants which contain the seeds. Our most common fruits are apples, bananas, melons, pears, peaches, plums, grapes, cherries, and nuts.

The seeds of grass-like plants are called grains; we have wheat, rye, barley, corn, and rice.  Some seeds grow in pods; such as peas and beans, which are a bit like grains. We also have sunflower seeds which grow in a flower-head.

We eat the leaves, stems, or roots of some plants, as cabbages, celery, turnips, and potatoes. Foods of this kind are called vegetables.

There are things, which, if we eat or drink them, will make us sick or do us harm. These are called poisons. Only food that is pure and free from poison is good or safe for us to use.

 There are things known as narcotics and stimulants; which, have bad effects on our body, and are really poisons. Tobacco, opium, alcohol, and cocaine are really poisons. People have died from using them. We’ll learn more about tobacco and alcohol later.

People eat things that are not good for them; they do not stop to think if what they eat is good for them or harmful. Without knowing it sometimes, we eat harmful things. We should try to learn what is good to eat and what is not, and be very careful not to eat anything harmful.

“Diseased” mean to be sick. Animals are often sick or diseased. In fact because of the cruel way the poor birds and animals people eat, are fed and treated these days, it is almost impossible for them not to be diseased! The Spirit of Prophecy tells us that in our days animal products are not safe to use because of this.

Pork, the flesh of the pig, is said by the Bible to be ‘unclean’ and unfit for food. The same with lobsters and sea-food. These animals are natures garbage eaters: we are not to eat the garbage eaters.

Food that is spoiled, or stale, musty, or moldy, should not be eaten as it can make you very sick. People often get sick or even die of ‘food-poisoning’ when they eat foods, especially containing animal products that have stood in a warm place or not been carefully cooked. Germs in these foods grow and multiply and harm the body when eaten. Plain fruits, grains and vegetables are much less likely to contain hidden germs like that.

Condiments and seasonings are things people use on their food to change the flavor. They are not foods, and don’t nourish us. Many of them are harmful to our bodies.

Mustard, black pepper, hot pepper sauce, ketchup, cinnamon and other spices all are irritating. If we put mustard upon the skin, it will make the skin red, and even blister it. If we get a pepper in our eye, it hurts and makes it very red and inflamed. When we put these things into our stomach, its lining becomes red and irritated, just as our skin or eye does. Vinegar is bad for our liver and stops food from digesting right.

God put into our foods very nice flavors and we can learn to enjoy eating them the way he made them. It is far better not to use harmful condiments. There are good condiments we can use freely; things like lemon or lime juice, onion or garlic, and mild seasoning herbs.

Tobacco comes from a plant with long, broad leaves that are dried and then rolled up into cigars, ground into snuff, shredded into cigarettes, or prepared for chewing. Tobacco makes people sick when they first begin to use it; for it contains a very deadly poison called nicotine, as well as many other harmful things. Tobacco will quickly kill a cat or a dog. A boy once gave a piece of tobacco to a monkey, which swallowed it not knowing what a bad thing it was. The monkey soon died.

Doctors have noticed the bad effects that come from using tobacco, it will especially do great harm to boys and girls! It makes them puny and weak, so they can’t grow up into strong and useful people. No one should use it or go where people are smoking it. If tobacco is not good for monkeys, it is not good for boys and girls, or grown-ups either!! -. =^..^=