We know that ancient Israelites ate lamb and goat meat, but meat was probably more of a special treat for Jesus than a daily staple. Instead, he might have relied on legumes, like beans or lentils, and fish for protein.
WE LEARN in the New Testament that Jesus ate fish from the Sea of Galilee, and, after the resurrection, that he even cooked fish and bread over coals for himself and his disciples (John 21.9). “We certainly know that Jesus ate clean unpolluted fish almost every day of his life,” Colbert concludes.
Scriptures show Jesus' Mediterranean diet included figs, fish, lamb, wine, and olive oil. What can God do in your life with one Bible verse a day?
JESUS' FAVORITE FOOD WAS FISH
But there does seem to be a lot of fish in the New Testament accounts about His life. For one, He chose to call “fishermen” as His followers.
The food was more scarce and less convenient than today. It's availability was seasonable, and all the elements needed to be made from scratch, including hauling in the water from wells etc. Meals were simple but wholesome. Bread, usually barley bread, was a feature of every meal, and women made it as often as needed.
Among the early Judeo-Christian Gnostics the Ebionites held that John the Baptist, James the Just and Jesus were vegetarians. Some religious orders of various Christian Churches practice pescatarianism, including the Benedictines, Franciscans, Trappists, Carthusians and Cistercians.
Jesus Ate Fruit and Vegetables Too
Much of the diet in ancient Palestine consisted of fruit and vegetables. In Matthew 21:18-19, we see Jesus approach a fig tree for a quick snack. Other popular fruits were grapes, raisins, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, melons, pomegranates, dates, and olives.
Jesus ate figs, which we know from the fact that on his way to Jerusalem, he reached for a fig tree but it was not the season for figs.
Probably lamb or sheep would have been most available.” Leslie Bilderback, a Pasadena, Calif., chef, baker and author of “The Complete Idiot's Guide to Good Food From the Good Book” (Alpha Books, 2008), said the terrain in the Biblical region supported a multitude of edible plants, such as fruit trees and herbs.
And when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with tax collectors and sinners, they told his disciples, "Heeats with tax collectors and sinners." And when Jesus heard it, he told them, "Those who are well do not need a physi- cian, rather those who are sick.
The seven plant species mentioned in the Bible describes the fertility of the Promised Land. These are: wheat, barley, the grapevine, the fig tree, the pomegranate tree, the olive tree and the date palm.
The seven species listed are wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranates, olive (oil), and date (date honey) (Deuteronomy 8:8). Their first fruits were the only acceptable offerings in the Temple.
John 6:35. “Then Jesus said, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. '”
As the authors explain, "In biblical times, most foods would have been parboiled in cauldrons or cooked in clay pots over an open fire, fried on hot stones or hard earth with coals set on top, or baked in makeshift ovens.
He wore a tunic (chitōn), which for men normally finished slightly below the knees, not at the ankles. Among men, only the very rich wore long tunics.
According to legend, the fish Peter caught was a kind of tilapia, which is now happily exploited by restaurants all around the lake. The shores of the Galilee are dotted with restaurants offering St. Peter's Fish, usually to tourists hitting the area's Christian sites.
Furthermore, there is no mention in the New Testament of Jesus eating poultry, beef or lamb, even during the last meal with his disciples, where Scripture mentions only bread and wine. The feeding of thousands with a few fishes and loaves of bread? Not true. Those miracles, PETA says, involved bread only.
Biblical references to eggs are only in reference to gathering them from the wild (for example, Deuteronomy 22:6–7 and Isaiah 10:14). Eggs seem to have increased in use for food only with the introduction of chickens as food and were commonly used as food by Roman times.
It is only in Leviticus 11:7 that eating pork is forbidden to God's people for the very first time—“… and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” This is where and when pork in all its forms (including ham, bacon, sausage, etc.)
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Those who are in Christ are distinguished from unbelievers in that they have been gifted with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to bear fruit.
A controversial fruit and vegetable nativity scene that depicted baby Jesus as a carrot has been given the church's blessing.
The Catholic Church follows the Latin Vulgate version of Galatians in recognizing twelve attributes of the Fruit: charity (caritas), joy (gaudium), peace (pax), patience (patientia), benignity (benignitas), goodness (bonitas), longanimity (longanimitas), mildness (mansuetudo), faith (fides), modesty (modestia), ...
They see the risen Lord calling them from the shore. When they arrive, they find that he has cooked a breakfast of bread and fish for them and invites them to “Come, have breakfast.” (John 21:1-14) I'll bet there were some eggs and pancakes on the side too!
There is no direct statement on the subject by Jesus in the New Testament. The story of Jesus feeding fish to people would support the view that Jesus may have been a pescatarian. Paul seems to have been more open to meat eating, but even Paul was open to vegetarianism.
Jesus essentially ate a Mediterranean diet rich in whole grains, fish, fruit and vegetables and with modest amounts of olive oil, meat and wine, Colbert says.