Plant Foods

God also specified the food he gave as “herb of the field” (Genesis 3:18) and “the green herb” (Genesis 9:3).  In fact God Himself “planted a garden” specifically for Adam and Eve.

     Genesis 1:29a:

     And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face

     of all the earth...

An herb is defined as a “seed-bearing annual, biennial or perennial that does not develop

persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing season” or “a plant or plant part

valued for its medicinal, savory or aromatic qualities.”  The word “bearing” means to sow or

scatter.  Plants drop or scatter their seed in order to start another generation after their own

kind, or genus.  Unlike animal foods, there are no prohibitions of any plants in the biblical

commandments.

     Genesis 2:9: And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the 

     man whom he had formed.

The term vegetable can include the edible parts of these plants such as the leaves (e.g. spinach),

the roots (e.g. carrot), tubers (e.g. potato), stems (e.g. celery), flower cluster (e.g. nasturtium),

seeds (e.g. legumes) and other bits of plants that you might eat. Some foods that we culturally

call vegetables are actually fruits. The fruits of herbs include things like tomato, cucumbers,

peppers, melons, squashes and strawberries. And then there are also the grains which are the

small dried fruits or seeds of the cereal grasses. In areas of seasonal climate fluctuations, the

leafy greens of these plants are available in abundance through much of the year until the winter

cold comes, and then some of the fruits, roots, tubers and grains which were harvested in the fall

become sustenance until the next season.

Scientific research has revealed that leafy greens and green herbs are one of the most

nutritionally dense foods known to man and the most healthful nutritional base for any diet.65

Many health problems can be greatly improved or even eliminated simply by adding more greens to one’s diet. In Genesis 9:3, God stated that He had given them the “green herb” for food. The herbs that have been discovered to have the most healing properties in herbal medicine are the same herbs that are most commonly used in cooking.  In fact, according to Exodus 12:8 and

Numbers 9:11, “bitter herbs” were to be eaten with the Passover lamb during the Israelite's

annual feast. Experts believe that “bitter herbs” could have included mint, endive, chicory, dandelion, sorrel, parsley and or watercress.  These herbs are excellent digestive aids as they are

known to stimulate the production of bile in the liver.  They also act as blood purifiers carrying

oxygen throughout the body.