Food and drink

There are a number of ways in which food and drink are related to the Bahá'í religion. These would include advice on consumption generally, on diet in particular, and on fasting or abstinence.

Advice on consumption

Bahá'u'lláh states that the law of moderation applies to all things, and so moderation can be taken as an underlying piece of advice to Bahá'ís relating to food consumption:

In all matters moderation is desirable. If a thing is carried to excess, it will prove a souce of evil.

There also exist references from 'Abdu'l-Bahá to the mixing of foods, in other words combinations of food which do not agree with one another.

Diet

Main article: Diet

'Abdu'l-Bahá states that in the future, meat will no longer be eaten. However, there is no ban on Bahá'ís eating meat:

"As humanity progresses, meat will be used less and less, for the teeth of man are not carnivorous. For example, the lion is endowed with carnivorous teeth which are intended for meat and if meat be not found, the lion starves. The lion cannot graze; its teeth are of different shape. The digestive system of the lion is such that it cannot receive nourishment save through meat. The eagle has a crooked beak, the lower part shorter than the upper. It cannot pick up grain; it cannot graze; therefore it is compelled to partake of meat. The domestic animals have herbivorous teeth formed to cut grass which is their fodder. The human teeth, the molars, are formed to grind grain. The front teeth, the incisors, are for fruits, etc. It is therefore quite apparent according to the implements for eating, man's food is intended to be grain and not meat. When mankind is more fully developed, the eating of meat will gradually cease."

"The food of the future will be fruit and grains. The time will come when meat will no longer be eaten… our natural food is that which grows out of the ground. The people will gradually develop up to the condition of this natural food.”

Prohibitions

In previous religious dispensations, there have been prohibitions against certain foods. In Judaism and Islám, for example, pork and shellfish are forbidden - deemed as unfit for human consumption. In both cases, modern science knows of clear health risks associated with these foods, which are exacerbated in hot conditions. The two religions in question were both revealed in, and largely flourished in, relatively hot countries.

No such prohibitions exist in the Bahá'í dispensation. However, alcohol and that which takes away reason are prohibited.

Although 'Abdu'l-Bahá explains that in the future meat will no longer be eaten, there is no prohibition on the eating of meat. He actually recommends meat for those of "a weak constitution".

Fasting

See also the main article Fast , which also explains the exemptions

The Bahá'í fast lasts from sunrise to sunset each day during the month of Alá. It applies to Bahá'ís between the ages of 15 and 70, and consists of abstention from both food and drink during daylight hours.