When you read an article with this title you wonder, is this a joke? I wish it was a joke but it is not.
Many scientists that believe we have a few days to save the planet from destruction are now trying to convince people that eating bugs is a good choice to save the planet. They say if we stop eating the meat from cows, pigs, and chickens, which are big pollutants, it will help the environment become better.
For a long time they advised people to stop eating meat altogether, but the idea was not popular, now they promote eating bugs as a more environmentally friendly choice. They claim bugs as a source of protein to take the place of the meat that we are used to now. Scientists mow say we can eat mealworms, crickets, cockroaches, and locusts. They claim that bugs are a good and healthy choice and they will also help us to sustain the environment and not destroy it. Already we can see this propaganda on videos from the World Economic Forum.
Hollywood celebrities are promoting eating bugs and famous chefs are showing how to cook these bugs.
Some will ask : Are the people so gullible to fall for this propaganda? The pandemic has shown us that people are easily manipulated and I believe many will not be able to discern the truth from fiction.
So what can we do as a Christian to prepare for what is about to come? One step is to educate ourselves on good nutrition !
The real question is how much protein do we need for a good diet? Where can we get it from that would best benefit our health?
Protein
We heard about the Atkins diet which promoted a high protein intake but has now faded away because it was proven not to be good for your health. That was now resurrected in a way by the Keto diet which also promotes a high protein intake with the difference that they accept plants that are high in protein while the Atkins diet was mostly animal products.
The word protein was made by a Swedish chemist, Jons Jacob Berzius in 1838, from the Greek word proteios, meaning “holding first place”. When it comes to protein there are a lot of misconceptions about what’s the best source of protein for a good diet, and how much we need in our day to day life.
When I talk to friends that still eat meat, I ask them, as I ask you, dear reader, “do you eat it because it's a good and healthy source of protein, or do you eat it because it tastes good?” If you eat it because the taste is good, I would tell you I will pray for you so that you will overcome those fleshly lusts and desires.
If you were to say it is a good source of protein I would ask you is that true? And let us look at what happens to our bodies when we consume meat and how our bodies digest and absorb it.
A protein molecule consists of many amino acids, to form long chains like many beads on a string. There are about 20 different amino acids that occur naturally in proteins. From these 20, 8 are considered essential amino acids that you need to digest in your diet from day to day food, and from those you can obtain the other 12 to form protein chains.
Those 8 amino acids are all present in animal products. There are only about 7 plants that contain the 8 amino acids which are now extremely popular due to protein hysteria. Those plants are quinoa, soy (tofu, tempeh, edamame) amaranth, buckwheat, spirulina, hemp seeds, and chia seeds. But if you eat a few plants at your meal you shouldn't worry if you have all the essential amino acids you need to make your protein .
When you eat food, your stomach has to break down all these amino acids in the proteins and then, it takes those amino acids and transforms them into protein needed by the body. Here is why plants are a better source of protein. Proteins found in plants are much simpler to be broken down and do not have as much toxic waste as meat.
When you intake protein from animal products your body has to work harder to break them down to obtain the amino acids, and there is significant toxic waste in meat.
Here are some more facts about protein. Your body can not store protein. Protein that is left after digestion has to be burned. For your body to properly burn that protein, it has to be converted into glucose, to then be used as energy, and you have ammonia as a byproduct. If there is too much protein in your diet your body may not be able to burn it all, and protein may be in your bloodstream, and that may cause cancer (source, The China Study, by Colin Cambell).
It is extremely rare to hear about protein deficiency but i heard about a young lady dying because of too much protein consumption especially those supplements that those gym gurus are selling to people as a secret to a nice big body.
Deception
I would not be surprised if some Christians who believe the climate change propaganda about eating bugs, bring up that John the Baptist also ate locusts. We must first figure out what locust the Bible talks about? I believe it refers to the beans of the Locust tree, from which carob is made. If you ask a Hungarian what the word for carob is in their language, they will say it is Szent Janos Kenyer, which means “the bread of saint john”.
John the baptist had a diet high in carbs. And I believe that is good nutrition, as carbs are fuel for our body, and it is most needed in our diets. We must be smart and take carbs as God made them to be eaten, and not as man processes them.
Of course there will be many that will say, we must listen to the specialists (or scientists). My issue is there are many ideas that specialists promote that are conflicting and hard to see which one is the best advice. To filter out the best advice, we Adventists have a source that is reliable. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy.
Wisdom
Here is some of advice from the Spirit of Prophecy “The more we depend on the fresh fruit, just as it is plucked from the tree, the greater will be the blessing”( 7T 136).
Here in Ohio, it is now apple picking season. So if you have the time, go and be blessed. “It will be well for us, to do less cooking, and to eat more fruit in its natural state” (7T 134).
Here is some advice on dried fruit, and I must point out that i heard some Adventists giving nutritional counsel, and they are incriminating dried fruits. I believe they are wrong (I know some dried fruits have chemicals added that are used to preserve them that are bad for your health).
The Spirit of Prophecy says “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 as a stable articles of diet, much more freely than it is customary, with the best results to the health and vigor of all classes of workers” (MH 299).
Here is my final line: eat fruits, be blessed and be happy.
Don’t eat the bugs.
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Nick Hojda is a bricklayer and an Adventist from Ohio.