Salt, Eggs and Honey
Here are three all-natural foods, found often in the Bible, that have been under attack by the “diet dictocrats”, as Sally Fallon likes to call them. Just as with the other foods we’ve looked at, these foods are actually essential to our good health and have been a staple of many cultures around the world. All three are held in high esteem within the Word of God:
"Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." (Mark 9:50)
According to the medical community, salt is not good for us. Studies indicate that Americans consume way too much sodium and we need to work hard to eliminate most of the salt from our diet. Yet Adonai holds salt in such high esteem that He compares us often to salt. We are to be the salt of the earth… does that mean we are supposed to be bad for one another, just like salt is bad for us? How could this be?
There are certain properties within salt that are necessary for our bodies, and once they are gone, what good is salt? Remember, it is good for nothing except to be used to melt ice (Matthew 5:13). The salt that we buy in the supermarket is not the salt it once was. It has been highly processed, removing many of the nutrients that God created within salt. We can’t do anything to restore its properties once they’ve been removed, so we try to find other sources of these nutrients in the form of artificial vitamin and mineral supplements. We also tend to use more of it than we should because the salt can no longer do what it was designed to do, and that is to enhance our food as well as help to preserve it.
Our bodies need salt to maintain optimum health. Sodium is what regulates the passage of nutrients to our cells. Without the proper amount of sodium in our diet, the nutrients are unable to pass through the cellular membrane and we literally starve from malnutrition. Sodium is also vital for proper brain function. Without enough salt, one can actually become an idiot. Salt prevents dehydration, believe it or not, and was found in every traditional diet, worldwide. The minerals that are removed from salt in the refining process have been known to be sold to vitamin manufacturers, who in turn sell them back to us in a form that is not easily digested.
Wouldn’t it be simpler, and less expensive, to just buy salt that hasn’t lost all of the nutrients God put in it? Maybe if we purchase some unrefined salt, and then used a salt grinder? Then we would not need to buy all those other vitamins and mineral supplements. Studies have indicated that freshly ground salt has more minerals than salt that has been ground and then allowed to sit, because the minerals tend to dissipate over time. This is part of the reason why highly refined salt is not good for us.
Celtic sea salt is highly recommended by many people from various fields of study. It is harvested naturally, the old fashioned way, using salt flats and allowing the sun to dry the salt naturally. The salt is then packaged and sent on its way to a retailer near you. That’s it. The sea salt God made is the sea salt we get, full of all the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to build up the immune system and keep us healthy. Diabetics are notoriously deficient in many minerals, all of which can be found in simple sea salt. With diabetes on the rise in dramatic proportions, I think that we should all take a look at our mineral intake.
There are many signs of nutrient deficiency, but most of us are unaware of what they are. For example, growing pains, which were once thought to be a natural part of growing up, are now understood to be the result of mineral deficiencies. Other signs that we are nutrient deficient include: rough, dry skin and hair, goose-flesh bumps on thigh and back of upper arms, dry, sore eyes and bad night vision, fatigue, irritability, red, sore tongue, cracks at the corners of the mouth, red eyes, sensitivity to light, loss of appetite, and sleeping and concentration problems.
Not only does fresh ground salt contain over 80 trace minerals, but it tastes better as well and there is less of a chance of over salting our food. Taste it and see for your self. It actually tastes good, not overly salty like you might expect. Salt has been used as a preservative forever and the basis for all meat marinades is salt. Each and every one of the sacrifices offered at the Temple contained salt.
Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. (Leviticus 2:13)
With all of the salt that would be used on the Temple mount, it is a very good thing that Adonai provided the Dead Sea to provide all of that salt! But what exactly is this, “salt of the covenant of your God” that we see mentioned here? This is not the only time we see the words “salt” and “covenant” together in one verse either. The Levites were given a covenant of salt:
"But the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh.
"All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you." (Numbers 18:17-19)
This phrase, “covenant of salt” is a very interesting phrase and it appears only one more time in the Bible. In the book of 2 Chronicles we find it, only this time the covenant was made with King David:
Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel: Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?” (2 Chronicles 13:4-5)
We think of salt as a spice, but historically salt has always been used primarily as a preservative. So why put salt on the sacrifices that were placed on the altar? Because it symbolizes the eternal nature of the covenant agreement that our sins would be forgiven. The Levites had the assurance that as long as the firstling of the flock would be sacrificed, they would eat and eat well. David was guaranteed that as long as his sons obeyed El Shaddai that his sons would always sit on the throne of Israel. Each covenant was eternal, but each was also conditional.
Could this be because of the corrosive nature of salt? It does have a tendency to eat away at certain substances… could this have a spiritual aspect as well? Since we are called to be salt, this might explain the new believers tendency to “get on people’s nerves” because they are so worked up for Yeshua? Maybe we were to be reminded to put a part of ourselves on each and every offering made, regardless of its size or purpose?
Sacrifice is something that we don’t like to talk about. Most new covenant believers will tell you that God only gave us the sacrificial system because we wanted to be like the other nations around us, and they constantly sacrificed to their gods. However, there is no Biblical support for that statement. What we do see is a history of our fathers sacrificing their very best to Adonai, all the way back to Cain and Abel. Now we don’t know why exactly Cain’s offering was rejected and Abel’s was accepted, but I would wager that there was salt involved somewhere.
There are certain lessons that we are supposed to learn through the sacrificial system that we are not learning today simply because we ignore the “Law books”. Unless we study these things, we will never know all that He is trying to teach us. Looking closer at salt’s qualities should give us a better understanding of our own qualities, since we are so often compared to salt.
Salt deposits are found all over the world and people have been known to travel far and wide for a good source of the stuff. Our bodies crave salt and when we are not getting the good salt, we tend to use too much salt in a subconscious attempt to fulfill our body’s needs. Using a salt grinder (with plastic or ceramic gears that don’t corrode) takes additional time but is well worth the effort and is another reason why we don’t tend to use as much of the fresh ground salt as we would when using the regular table salt to which we’ve grown accustomed; it takes longer to salt our food. We simply need to become readjusted.
As a spice, salt is supposed to be used to enhance the flavor, not overpower our food.
"Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the white of an egg?” (Job 6:6)
Egg whites are a perfect example of a food that needs salt. In and of itself, egg whites do not really have a good taste, but they are good for us. They contain trace and fatty minerals, approximately 40 different proteins, vitamins and glucose. They can be used in a variety of recipes, and are the part of the egg that has not been under attack. Yet they don’t taste very well without salt, but once you add the salt, you can eat them all day long.
What about the egg yolk? Is it really so bad for us that we should eat our eggs without the yolk? Or is it truly the “incredible, edible egg!”
"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.” (Deuteronomy 22:6-7)
We often look upon this verse and think, “It may be well with me if I allow the mother to live,” but have we ever looked at it without the comma after yourself (added by translators) and thought, “If I take the eggs, I will be well and live long”? Why can’t it be read both ways?
Egg yolks contain the omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies need to maintain optimal health. They also contain even more protein and vitamins than the whites, including A, D, E, and zinc. Eggs also contain phosphorus, manganese, iron, iodine, copper, and calcium, necessary nutrients that our bodies are often lacking. In biblical times it was a given that we would eat the eggs found along the way. Now it is a given that they are not good for us? Give me a break!
Eggs do not increase bad cholesterol (if there is such a thing outside of what “they” have created) and also do not increase our chances of having a heart attack or stroke. Eggs from chickens who are pasture raised (as opposed to those raised in corporate hen houses) are the best and well worth the extra price. Pasture fed chickens produce eggs that are higher in folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, E, and B12.
It is recommended that pregnant and nursing women consume eggs daily, adding an extra yolk for good measure. Most of our baked goods contain eggs, either separated or slightly beaten, and even the cereal companies show eggs to be a part of their balanced breakfast. Although many of us gag at the thought of eating raw eggs, they contain certain nutrients that are eliminated when cooked. Since many ice cream recipes contain raw eggs, homemade ice cream can actually be considered a health food, especially if the milk and cream are raw as well.
What about salmonella? Most cases of salmonella poisoning that are tied back to eggs are in the restaurant setting because food tends to sit out longer in a restaurant kitchen than in our own. We also move slower, taking more time to look at each egg and, since we are the ones who will be ingesting this food, we tend to be a little more picking concerning the quality of the food. If it looks suspicious we are more likely to throw it away if we are the ones eating. As long as we properly handle our food, and all of the utensils used in its preparation, then we are very unlikely to develop any of these food-borne diseases.
Diabetics can eat lots of eggs without fear of an increase in their blood sugar levels, as eggs are almost entirely protein and don’t convert to sugar in our bodies. As mentioned previously, people with high cholesterol tend to live longer and eggs contain the cholesterol that is good for our bodies. Eggs, cooked with freshly ground sea salt, contain many beneficial vitamins and minerals (over 80 trace minerals in the salt alone) that diabetics are lacking, so eating them is better for us then taking a daily vitamin. Why? These minerals are in their natural state, enabling our bodies to absorb them. Synthetic vitamins are made from coal tar derivatives and cannot be broken down or absorbed as the natural ones are.
The protein and fatty acids in eggs help to keep our brain and nervous system functioning in top order. Those who have consistently eaten as many eggs as they want have shown to have less heart disease than those who cut eggs out of their diet under their doctor’s recommendation. “They” have recommended that we, especially those of us who have been around longer, to use an egg substitute, like they use at fast food restaurants. The problem with this advice is that scientists fed lab animals only egg substitutes and this diet caused rapid death in the animals.
Even before men began to “keep” birds for their eggs, like we keep chickens, man would gather eggs from nests in the wild.
“And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, and as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; and there was not one that flapped its wing or opened its beak or chirped." (Isaiah 10:14)
As a result, it didn’t take too long for man to notice that certain birds, like the partridge, will actually adopt abandoned eggs as her own. This is used by Adonai to speak to our hearts so that we might better understand His word.
"I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, so is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly; in the midst of his days it will forsake him, and in the end he will be a fool." (Jeremiah 17:10-11)
If it were expected that we would collect eggs, then it would be expected that eggs were traditionally part of our diet. What well stocked kitchen could be without them? Do you want your cake to be moist and delicious? Add an egg. Can’t get that hamburger to stick together? Add an egg. Need a quick, healthy, on-the-go snack that won’t add any weight? Hard boil some eggs; keep them on hand for egg salad or simply a peel and go… but don’t forget the salt!
Salt and eggs are just two of the foods mentioned in the Bible. One of the main foods mentioned is honey. Our father Israel believed honey to be among the best products of the land:
Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.” (Genesis 43:11)
Throughout scripture, honey has always been held in high esteem. When one wants to describe a land with good pastureland, it was said to be a land flowing with milk and honey.
“Hence I have said to you, ‘You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.” (Leviticus 20:24)
Land that has lots of grasses and wildflowers will provide good grazing for the Israelite’s flocks and herds. They also provide plenty of pollen for bees to make honey. Bee pollen is very good for us. If you can buy some locally raised, raw honey you will have access to 22 different amino acids, 27 minerals and over 5,000 enzymes and coenzymes which have detoxifying effects on our bodies. Bee pollen has been used throughout history to treat allergies, asthma, menstrual irregularities, constipation, diarrhea, anemia, low energy, cancer, rheumatism, arthritis and the many effects of the toxic environment that surrounds us.
My son, eat honey, for it is good, yes, the honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. (Proverbs 24:13)
Honey is a natural sweetener that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years without causing type II diabetes. We cannot say the same for white, refined sugar. In fact, more and more doctors and scientists are coming forward and admitting that processed sugar plays a very large role in the obesity and diabetic epidemics sweeping this country.
Traditionally honey has been used as a medicine more often than as a sweetener due to its antibacterial and antifungal properties. It has also been used to treat wounds. Even today we see many sore throat remedies contain honey to help sooth the throat. The antioxidants in honey help to prevent free radicals from taking over and damaging our bodies at the cellular level. These antioxidants help our bodies to fight cancer and heart disease. The darker the honey, the higher the antioxidant levels.
Royal jelly, a substance produced by worker bees inside the beehive, contains proteins, fats and many other vitamins, is used to treat problems caused by tissue deficiency or body frailty. It has been linked to regenerative benefits, like wrinkle reduction, and also contains antioxidants, with antifungal and antibacterial properties. It is also believed to help to relieve stress and anxiety. Good, raw honey will contain bee pollen and some royal jelly, as well as all of the other wonderful benefits from the other properties found in honey. But, like with all good things, we must remember to only use honey in moderation…
Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, that you not have it in excess and vomit it. (Proverbs 25:16)
We Americans tend to do many things in excess, and our sugar intake is one of those things. Sugar is very addictive. In fact, it is harder to eliminate sugar from our diets than it is to stop using heroin. This is why we must slowly eliminate the bad sugars from our diet without going overboard on the healthier ones. We will literally make ourselves sick. Our bodies really were not designed to digest and process the amount of sugar found in the Standard American Diet, hence the epidemic of type II diabetes. We are overworking our system and then we wonder why we feel so terrible.
Sugar is hidden in many foods that would not normally have it as an ingredient, or doubled unknowingly because we don’t understand all of the technical names for sugar. Many products have sugar listed among their top ingredients (by volume) and follow it with high-fructose corn syrup. This is simply another name for sugar, hidden from the average person because we are not taught the truth about the ingredients used in food manufacturing. These sugars increase not only our weight, but also our cravings for more sugar.
And the food manufacturers know this. They bank on this. This is the reasoning behind the addition of high-fructose corn syrup to our soft drinks (soda pop). Soda consumption has skyrocketed in the last few decades, especially among our young. Years ago a Coke was considered an occasional treat; today it is part of our daily diet and the source of most of our liquid intake in this country. Our bodies are made up of water and we need to maintain adequate hydration levels or we get sick. Sugar, especially in the high-fructose form, prevents our body from absorbing the water in the beverage, and can actually cause dehydration. Think about that the next time you reach for something to quench your thirst.
Sweets have a place in our diets, but not in the amounts we currently consume them. Natural sweeteners like honey and the sugar found in fruits, are designed, by our Creator, to be absorbed and nourish our bodies. Highly processed sugars, from white refined all the way to high-fructose corn syrup, cannot be properly digested and lack the nutrients essential to the proper upkeep of our bodies, while blocking our bodies ability to absorb water. Water absorption is absolutely necessary to our health, especially at the cellular level.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)
Self-control is another subject that most of us do not like to talk about. In a society where, “anything goes!” and usually does, it is harder than ever to maintain self control… but it is also more necessary than ever. This is a foundational teaching of Scripture, yet how often do we practice it? Gluttony is considered to be one of the seven deadly sins, yet many of us practice this without even thinking about it. Why? Because sugar is so addictive that we lose all reason, searching for our next “fix”.
As Aristotle said, “Moderation in all things.” As long as we keep our intake of sweets regulated, and use natural sources for our sweets, like honey, we can feel free to enjoy the occasional sweet treat without guilt. As stated earlier, when the ingredients are unprocessed, even ice cream can be considered a health food. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and should be the natural reaction to our life in the Spirit. It is proof, if you will, of the presence of the Living God in our lives.
Everything you have just read here is in complete contradiction to the beliefs of the established medical community. “They” teach us that we need to reduce the salt in our diets, and that we need to avoid raw honey as it may contain harmful bacteria. “They” prevent us from consuming many of God’s best foods in their raw (and most nutritious) state simply by using the word “may”. We are told that this food “may” cause this disease and that food “may” contribute to another disease, and that’s all we need to know. We then avoid that food like the plague.
If we use their logic then we must avoid milk entirely, regardless of our age. Why? Because studies have indicated that milk consumption may lead to heroin addiction (almost all heroin addicts consumed milk as children) and we don’t want to become a heroin addict. You can prove anything by this kind of logic, which is, by the way, illogical.
We are not expected to realize these things and, for the most part, we don’t. We hear on TV that this thing is good for us or that thing is bad and we take it for granted that we are being told the truth. Many of these voices are nothing more then that of advertising executives and they don’t care one iota about our health. They simply want to sell their product and are willing to do whatever it takes to do so… including bold-faced lies. We have to realize that they are not doctors. Just because an advertisement states that a product is “heart healthy”, that does not necessarily mean that it is. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that many doctors prescribed a stiff course of leaches.
If God says that salt is good, that is good enough for me… pass the salt, in its natural form. The same holds true for milk, honey and eggs. Milk was intended to be consumed in raw form and the sooner we get back to consuming it as God intended, the better off we will be. God told us that honey is good for us, but we also must learn self-control or we will get sick. Eggs have always been seen as an excellent source of protein. Now we know that they are also an excellent source of fats and cholesterol that our bodies need to function properly.
Raw salt and honey and farm-fresh eggs are all staples of the traditional diet of our people. Once we return to using these wonderful foods in their natural state, we will begin to feel better as our immune system is boosted. We will also be able to better fight off any infectious diseases that come our way.