Based on the writings of Ellen White, here is some guidance on health and diet: ### The Foundation of a Healthful Diet Ellen White emphasizes that our dietary choices have a profound impact on our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The foundational principle is a return to the original diet God intended for humanity. * **God's Chosen Diet:** "Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods, prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing" (MH 296.1). * **Simplicity is Key:** "Fruits, grains, and vegetables, prepared in a simple way, free from spice and grease of all kinds, make, with milk and cream, the most healthful diet" (HL 78.6). ### The Connection Between Diet, Mind, and Spirit Your eating habits are directly linked to your mental clarity and spiritual health. * **Physical and Moral Health:** "The diet affects both physical and moral health" (HL 76.3). * **Influence on Spiritual Guardians:** For those in positions of spiritual leadership, temperance in eating is crucial. "Rich and luxurious food should have no place upon their tables" (GW 229). * **Dull Minds:** Many who wonder why their "minds are so dull" or their "religious aspirations are so feeble" need not look further than their dining table for the cause (CTBH 83.1). ### Practical Guidance and Avoiding Extremes While promoting reform, it's important to be balanced and thoughtful in how it is applied. * **Proper Preparation is Essential:** It is a mistake to think that a simple diet requires little care in preparation. "Much tact and discretion should be employed in preparing nourishing food to take the place of that which has formerly constituted the diet" (9T 161.3). A diet lacking proper nutrition can bring "reproach upon the cause of health reform" (9T 161.3). * **Avoid Meager Diets:** Some people, in an effort to reform, go to an unhealthy extreme. "Some restrict themselves to a very meager diet, not having sufficient variety to supply the needs of the system, and they suffer in consequence" (MH 318.3). This is described not as health reform, but "health deform" (6T 373.3). * **Adapt to Circumstances:** Diet should be adapted to individual needs. "Our diet should be suited to the season, to the climate in which we live, and to the occupation we follow" (MH 296.2). What is suitable for someone doing hard physical labor may not be for someone with a sedentary job. * **Consider Different Countries:** When teaching health principles, one must consider the circumstances of the audience. "As I preach the gospel to the poor, I am instructed to tell them to eat that food which is most nourishing. I cannot say to them: 'You must not eat eggs, or milk, or cream. You must use no butter in the preparation of food.' The gospel must be preached to the poor, but the time has not yet come to prescribe the strictest diet" (9T 163.1). In summary, the guidance encourages a simple, plant-based diet as the ideal, while emphasizing the need for careful preparation, nutritional balance, and consideration for individual circumstances.

Based on the writings of Ellen White, women have a vital and varied role in the ministry of the church. Her counsel highlights their unique ability to reach people and perform work that is essential to the growth and health of the church community. ### The Essential Role of Women in Ministry Ellen White saw women as crucial laborers in the gospel work, capable of reaching hearts in ways that men sometimes cannot. * **A Unique and Needed Work:** "They can do in families a work that men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is needed" (9T 128.3). * **A Power Exceeding Men:** She encouraged women to take their place in the work, stating, "If they are imbued with a sense of their duty, and labor under the influence of the Spirit of God, they will have just the self-possession required for this time. The Saviour will reflect upon these self-sacrificing women the light of His countenance, and this will give them a power which will exceed that of men" (6T 117.4). * **Instruments of Righteousness:** Women are called to be "instruments of righteousness, rendering holy service to God. It was Mary who first preached a risen Saviour" (GW92 383). ### The Ministry of a Minister's Wife The wife of a minister is seen as a partner in ministry, capable of accomplishing a great work. * **An Equal Contributor:** "The wife of a minister can do much if she will. If she possesses the spirit of self-sacrifice, and has a love for souls, she can with him do almost an equal amount of good" (GW 201.3). * **Work in the Line of Ministry:** Even without formal ordination, her work is considered ministry. "If the Lord gives the wife as well as the husband the burden of labor, and she devotes her time and strength to visiting from family to family and opening the Scriptures to them, although the hands of ordination have not been laid upon her, she is accomplishing a work that is in the line of ministry" (GW 452). ### Women in Official Church Roles Ellen White also supported women serving in official capacities within the church. * **Selection for Church Office:** When establishing new churches, she advised, "Great care should be exercised in selecting officers for the new churches. Let them be men and women who are thoroughly converted" (6T 85). ### The Home as a Mission Field The most foundational ministry for a woman was often seen as her role within the home, which she described in the highest terms. * **Missionaries in the Highest Sense:** "These women who are doing with ready willingness what their hands find to do, with cheerfulness of spirit aiding their husbands to bear their burdens, and training their children for God, are missionaries in the highest sense" (2T 465.2). In summary, Ellen White's writings affirm that women are called to be active participants in every facet of the church's mission, from the home to official leadership roles, using their unique gifts to advance the work of the gospel.