In the book of Deuteronomy God has brought his chosen people the children Israel out of slavery honoring the oath he made to their ancestors. Deuteronomy 7:6 (NIV) God Speaking to the children of Israel, his chosen people He says: For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. God makes it clear he loves his chosen people and they mean everything to HIM! Question: When you love someone you want only the what for them?. Answer: The very best!
In the book of Deuteronomy 8: 7-8 (NIV) God -tells His beloved people, for the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. God leads his people to specific foods, and points out the fact that the land he will be leading his chosen people too , will be good land and he makes of point of naming the good foods, this is an important fact ! Why? Because the 7 foods mentioned in the bible in Deuteronomy 8: 7-8 (wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey)are refereed to as the biblical seven species , they were the staple foods consumed by the Jewish people in the land of Israel during biblical times.
The Biblical 7 Species Recognized as Having Great Health Benefits..
It is interesting to note that Israel, the Holy Landis part of the Mediterranean region in the middle east. The Mediterranean diet has it roots in the biblical traditional diet .
The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world! The biblical seven species are now scientifically recognized as healthy foods, and further improve the many beneficial effects of the Mediterranean Diet and additional Mediterranean fruits, has great health advantages.
The Biblical 7 Species Nutritional Facts:
1. Wheat
Whole Grain wheat products has proven to have many heath benefits. Studies has consistently shown that consumption of whole grains reverses the risk of major chronic diseases such as certain types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Dietary fiber has been reported to be responsible for the health effects of Whole Grain consumption.
2. Barley
Studies have consistently shown that regular consumption of whole grain barley reduces the risk of developing chronic diseases. The presence of barley fiber, especially β-glucan in whole grain barley, has been largely credited for these health benefits.
However, it is now widely believed that the actions of the fiber component alone do not explain the observed health benefits associated with the consumption of whole grain barley. Whole grain barley also contains phytochemicals including phenolic acids, flavonoids, lignans, tocols, phytosterols, and folate.
These phytochemicals exhibit strong antioxidant, antiproliferative, and cholesterol lowering abilities, which are potentially useful in lowering the risk of certain diseases. Therefore, the high concentration of phytochemicals in barley may be largely responsible for its health benefits.
3. Vine Foods (Grapes )
A popular vine food used in biblical times was Grapes, Grapes, are one of the most popular and widely cultivated and consumed fruits in the world, are rich in phytochemicals.
The phytochemicals present in fruits and vegetables may play an important role in deceasing chronic disease risk. Extensive evidence has linked the consumption of grapes with reduced risk of chronic diseases, including certain types of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Other studies have shown that grapes have strong antioxidant activity, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and suppressing platelet aggregation, while also lowering cholesterol.
4. Figs
Compared with vitamins C and E, dried fruits such as Figs have superior quality antioxidants with figs and dried plums being the best. Dried figs is a good source of fiber and a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K.
Foods high in antioxidants are know to protect us against cancer. The A I C R posted an article which claims vitamin k should be apart of your cancer fighting foods. According to the article, some studies show that people who eat more vitamin K-rich foods have stronger bones than those who eat less.
5. Pomegranates
Accumulating data clearly claimed that Pomegranate has several health benefits. Pomegranates can help prevent or treat various disease risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, oxidative stress, hyperglycemia, and inflammatory activities.
It is demonstrated that certain components of pomegranate such as polyphenols have potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic effects ( anticarcinogenic inhibits or prevents the development of cancer).
6. Olive Oil
The Mediterranean diet, in which olive oil is the primary source of fat, is associated with a low mortality for cardiovascular disease. Consumption of olive oil within the Mediterranean diet has been long known to have many health benefits.
There is converging evidence on the benefits of olive oil for preventing several CVD risk factors, including diabetes. Olive oil is also implicated in preventing certain cancers, with the most promising findings for breast and digestive tract cancers, although the data are still not entirely consistent and mainly from case-control studies. These health benefits are supported by strong mechanistic evidence from experimental studies.
7. Honey
Most ancient population, including the Greeks, Chinese, Egyptians, Romans, Mayans, and Babylonians, consumed honey both for nutritional aims and for its medicinal properties.
Honey is one of the most appreciated and valued natural products introduced to humankind since ancient times. Honey is used not only as a nutritional product but also in health described in traditional medicine and as an alternative treatment for clinical conditions ranging from wound healing to cancer treatment.
Many evidences suggest the use of honey in the control and treatment of wounds, diabetes mellitus, cancer, asthma, and also cardiovascular, neurological, and gastrointestinal diseases.
The information contained in this article is not to replace seeking the help of a medical specialist or any medical diagnosis or treatment. It is not necessarily the views of the author of this article. The information contained in this article was cited from various published works by various experts as listed below.
The Middle Eastern and biblical origins of the Mediterranean diet. -Berry EM1, Arnoni Y, Aviram M.
Bioactive phytochemicals in barley Idehen E1, Tang Y1, Sang S2.
Whole grain wheat and their health-promoting effects- WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
The role of olive oil in disease prevention: -Buckland G1, Gonzalez CA
Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research -Saeed Samarghandian, Tahereh Farkhondeh,1 and Fariborz Samini
Phytochemicals in whole grain wheat and their health-promoting effects – Elsevier B.V.
Grape phytochemicals and associated health benefits. –Yang J1, Xiao YY.
Potent health effects of pomegranate -Aida Zarfeshany, Sedigheh Asgary,1 and Shaghayegh Haghjoo Javanmard