Health Reform—What It Is Not

At a recent camp meeting, a conscientious Seventh-day Adventist said, "I believe in health reform, and I would like to live fully in accordance with the health reform ideal. But really we are in such close financial circum­stances, and health foods are so high in price, that we simply cannot afford to buy them."

This statement reflects a confusion that ex­ists to a greater or less degree in the minds of many of our people. We have concentrated on an intensive selling campaign among our people in efforts to sell food products manufac­tured in our denominational health-food fac­tories. And we have tried to imitate those who have sold vast quantities of processed breakfast foods and other health-food products through advertising on a grand scale. But we can never hope to attain to leadership by such methods.

These foods are excellent, and their sale in large volume would provide a profit to the in­stitutions that sell them. But true health re­form, the health reform message that has been given us through the Scriptures and the Spirit of prophecy, is not to be confused solely with the manufacture and sale of health foods, however good they may be. It is not necessary, in order to practice health reform, to use one single item of commercially manufactured health food.

Our people need to understand the value of simple, natural, inexpensive foods that are available to nearly all, and their proper prepa­ration. This education is a duty that our doctors, our dietitians, our nurses, yes, and our ministers, owe to our people and to the world.

In so far as it may be necessary in the minds of each one of us, let us divorce the thought of monetary profit from our health reform teaching, and teach the health reform message in its purity and simplicity, as given to us originally through the inspired messages of the Spirit of prophecy. Patented and copy­righted health-food names and expensive proc­essed health foods cannot be substituted for that message, even though these products may have a place in leading some away from im­proper foods into the light available through divine direction on the subject of diet.