The Maker's Diet
by Jordan Rubin
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jordan RubinEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-04-05
ISBN: 0425204138
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Berkley Trade
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Book Reviews of The Maker's Diet
Book Review: A good diet wrapped in contradictory advice and bad theology
Summary: 3 Stars
God brought the Hebrews into a promised land flowing with milk and honey. Thankfully for them, Dr. Ornish and Dr. Atkins were not along for the ride or else the doctors would have argued against the health of the place. At least that's what Dr. Jordan Rubin, the author of "The Maker's Diet" believes. He claims in this latest chart-topping diet book that the Maker of Heaven and Earth was right all along.
Rubin starts this book with the same inspiring story he used to begin his bestselling "Physician Heal Thyself," his comeback from near death due to advanced Crohn's disease. In his latest, he details the diet that restored his health, one based on the Old Testament's dietary laws. While there's not enough space here to detail the specifics of eating kosher, the advice here boils down to avoiding eating "unclean" animals (e.g. - shrimp, pork, eels), buying organic, forsaking sugar, shunning processed foods, getting eight hours of sleep, developing a deeper spirituality, and doing "natural" exercises. Plus, eating a little dirt now and then helps, too.
What bothers me about "The Maker's Diet" goes beyond its infomercial script and to its very premise. The book is published by Strang Communications, a charismatic Christian publisher, and it claims the Bible as its source. Rubin argues that God gave Man the right to eat vegetables until the time of Noah, adding the eating of animal flesh after the flood. The Mosaic Laws further refined what was considered clean and unclean eating. It is largely the diet of Moses' day that Rubin endorses as being God's perfect diet.
But there is a convenient Scriptural omission: Mark 7:18-19, wherein Jesus Himself declares all foods clean. Later in Acts 10:9-15 Peter is told by God to kill and eat unclean animals. When he responds that he has never eaten anything unclean or "common," God replies, "You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean." Peter now understood that Jesus's finished work fulfilled the OT Law for all of us, rendering moot issues of what was clean and unclean. No longer were the Gentiles considered "unclean," just as food was no longer classified as clean and unclean (as in the Mark passage.) To further this point, the Apostle Paul routinely denounced Jewish Christians who insisted that the Gentile converts follow the OT laws (including the dietary laws espoused by Dr. Rubin.) As Paul writes later in Galatians 5:18, "But if you are being led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." Resurrecting the Law carries its own problems. James 2:10 says, "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it." Living by the Law instead of the Spirit, compels a person to obey the entire Law--a tall order that no one was able to accomplish, and one of the primary reasons why Jesus came. That a publisher like Strang overlooks the flawed theology in "The Maker's Diet" is simply inexcusable.
Some of the concepts Rubin lauds as gospel truth are questionable. The author routinely talks about the excellent heath of primitive people, but the lifespans of those people are remarkably low, in truth. Compare the overall appearance of an average woman in her mid-forties in a Western country with her primitive counterpart and the latter appears far older and decrepit. The author notes the perfect dentition of primitive people, but anyone with a few copies of National Geographic lying around can open to a lot of really poor teeth in the very people Rubin lauds. The argument for eating only "clean" foods also fails factually. The Japanese, for instance, live longer than anyone and enjoy remarkably healthy lives, yet they eat large amounts of meat (especially seafood) classified by Dr. Rubin as "unclean." Rubin also cites many older medical texts that support his claims, although some of the science in those texts has been disproven in other areas. Lastly, the author's own story relates his quest for health by noting he tried hundreds of different diets in an effort to erase his ill health before he settled on this one, supposedly God's very own. A different person might have responded positively to one of those other diets, as millions of others have, considering the testimonials we get in the cornucopia of diet books out there. If Rubin had gotten results from eating a Tibetan monk's diet, we'd probably be getting a completely different title for the book.
Inconsistencies in the advice abound, as well. Rubin says that exercise should not consist of unnatural exercises (e.g. - running, jogging) that elevate the heart rate for long periods. In other words, aerobics are out, while yardwork is in. Exercises that can put a lot of stress on the body, or are risky in general, are to be avoided, too. But then Rubin recommends exercising on a mini-trampoline, a completely unnatural exercise (by his own definition) that is the cause of thousands of injuries a year. Inconsistencies extend to the diet itself. Many of the foods of the Bible are uncommon around the world, and Rubin recommends foods (e.g. - blueberries, curry) that did not exist in the Hebrew diet. How this keeps in line with his premise is not clear. How do we know that God considers corn, a New World food, "clean?" Rubin doesn't say. Even specific foods are approached with contradictory advice: Peanut oil is highly recommended, but peanuts themselves are not. Rubin recommends fermented foods, but not fermented drinks (yet, some of the recipes included in the book include that classic fermented drink, wine.)
Dr. Jordan Rubin's "The Maker's Diet" is a frustrating book. Somewhat of an infomercial for itself and for the author's (convenient) nutrition company, it still contains decent dietary advice that, if followed, will produce a healthier lifestyle. However, despite the touting that this is God's own dietary advice to modern men, the advice distills down to little more than common sense and temperance.
Summary of The Maker's Diet
Are you looking for a health plan that is biblically based and scientifically proven? The Maker's Diet is just that. Using a truly holistic approach to health, this groundbreaking book leads you on a journey that will change your life. Discover how Jordan Rubin's faith-based journey from near death to vital health led him to uncover the timeless principles of the world's healthiest people. By following The Maker's Diet, your health dreams can become a reality.
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