Well did you know that compared to other Americans, Seventh-day Adventist men live 7 years longer and Seventh-day Adventist women live 4.5 years longer? Sounds hard to believe, but our health message is no joke. In fact, we pride ourselves in it and in today’s health-conscious society this is often one of the primary reasons people take notice of Adventists and first begin studying what we believe. Essentially there are only a handful of principles that represent the pillars of the Seventh-day Adventist health message. We’ll try to list them for you here in layman’s terms, but be sure to go to our links page for listings of health sites that go into greater detail about how you can change your lifestyle physically, mentally and spiritually.

For starters, a lot of people associate all Adventists with being vegetarians, but statistically only one-third of us refrain entirely from meat. The reason people get confused is because we don’t eat pork, shellfish or other unclean meats as described in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. The Bible is very clear as to what we should and should not consume and Adventists consider God’s instructions here to be no less important than any of the other guidelines set forth in both the Old and New Testaments.

Another health imperative involves abstaining from alcohol and tobacco products. In the last few decades, science has finally caught up with

conservative Christians in proving our century-old contention that cigarettes and tobacco are incredibly harmful. And yet people continue to use these products, choosing to ignore their obvious ill effects and the Bible’s pleading: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

While very few people will tell you that tobacco is good for your health, it has become increasingly common to hear doctors and medical scholars promoting small amounts of alcohol consumption as a means to decrease heart problems. These studies almost always fail to mention that a clean and healthy lifestyle (including refraining from any alcohol at all) is the best way to try and steer clear of these complications. Prevention is, without fail, the best medicine and Adventists firmly believe that abstaining from alcohol is one way to protect and respect the bodies that God gave us from any unnecessary harm: “Alcohol is closely linked with virtually every negative aspect of society: suicide, violent crime, birth defects, industrial accidents, domestic and sexual abuse, disease, homelessness, and death. It knows no racial, ethnic, social or economic barriers.” (National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency)

The last issue we’ll talk about is rest. Adventists believe Saturday is the true Sabbath and honor the 4th Command-ment to our utmost ability by resting on the 7th day just as our Creator did: “Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days shalt thy labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work …” (Deuteronomy 5:12-14)

Sabbath is a time when Adventists put aside the worries and troubles that fill our week and focus on the character of God. This may seem like a doctrinal issue (as opposed to a health issue), but the two cannot be separated in this instance. God rested not because He was tired, but because He knew we would be. Can anyone argue that resting one day a week isn’t beneficial to our health? Hardly. In following God’s example we’re doing two things that are pleasing in His eyes: obeying Him and taking care of ourselves by allowing our minds and bodies a chance to relax and heal from the work of the previous six days.

These three basic principles protect our fragile bodies from the fast pace wear and tear of this sinful world. Other applications of these thoughts encourage common sense practices like exercise, moderation in eating and daily time with our Creator so our perspective is clear. The healthier we are the less temptation we are likely to fall prey to and more we can enjoy the many blessings He has lavished on us!