Nuts to Your Health
Genesis 43:11: "And their father Israel said to them, 'If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man; a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.'"
Between 70% and 90% of the calories in nuts come from fat. That's why they have traditionally been on the list of foods to avoid for those who want to avoid heart disease.
Some Christians have wondered why so many of the foods we eat seem to offer natural hazards to our health. Why would God place us in such a dietary minefield? Well, perhaps many of our fears are more the result of our ignorance than of God's design.
A study involving 31,200 people compared those who ate nuts at least five times a week with those who rarely ate them. To control other factors that affect heart disease, researchers used Seventh Day Adventists in their study. Seventh Day Adventists suffer fewer heart attacks than other Americans. This is thought to be due largely to their diet. When it comes to nuts, though, some eat nuts often and some rarely eat them. Researchers then kept track of who in the study group ate nuts, what kind and how often, and who had heart attacks. They found that those who ate nuts at least once a week lowered their chance of a heart attack by 25%. Those who had nuts five times a week were half as likely to have a heart attack.
While there surely are things in the creation that can hurt us, our Creator has filled the creation with many things that benefit us as well. Modern science is showing that perhaps many modern fears about the creation arise from ignorance about our Creator's excellent designs.
Prayer: I thank You, dear Father in heaven, for the many things You have created to help us in our lives here. Remove needless fears about the created world from my heart and mind and increase my trust in You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Notes: Raloff, Janet. 1992. "Heart risks: this is nutty." Science News, v. 142, July 25. p. 52.
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