Health
Bible-based diet could unlock the secret to lasting wellness, experts say
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Many people turn to the Bible for guidance in times of both triumph and hardship — but some say it can also serve as a guide for physical health.
Dr. Josh Axe and Jordan Rubin, co-authors of the book “The Biblio Diet,” believe that ancient foods of the Bible can be transformed into a modern dietary plan to enhance health and even help reverse life-threatening conditions.
“I think the Bible is the greatest health book ever written,” Axe, a doctor of natural medicine in Tennessee, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “If somebody’s dealing with any health condition, whether it’s depression, anxiety, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, PCOS, infertility, hypothyroidism or low testosterone, the Bible has a solution. If you follow a diet based on the Bible, you can be made well.”
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Here are more details.
Faith and healing through biblical principles
Both Axe and Rubin have faced serious health challenges that deepened their faith and inspired their work, they said.
Dr. Josh Axe and Jordan Rubin are co-authors of the book “The Biblio Diet.” (Hannah Corwin; courtesy of Dr. Josh Axe.)
Rubin was diagnosed with Crohn’s colitis as a teenager, and later with severe cancer.
After visiting dozens of doctors with no success, he met a man who told him that if he were to follow a diet based on the Bible — proven through history and confirmed by science — he could be well.
“After another 40-day period of an upgraded diet — plus detoxification, and emotional and spiritual therapy — I overcame cancer that was referred to as terminal and did not undergo chemotherapy, radiation or additional surgeries,” Rubin told Fox News Digital.
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Dr. Axe’s own journey began while he was helping his mother overcome breast cancer.
“I put together a program for my mom that included certain foods in the Bible, like pomegranate and olive oil — and also prayer, faith, praise and worship,” he said.
“I think the Bible is the greatest health book ever written.”
Later, when a medical procedure left Axe with a spinal infection, he again turned to a Bible-based diet and prayer, combining them with regenerative treatments to heal.
“I listened to the diagnosis of my great physician, not my ordinary physician,” the doctor said. “The great physician tells you to live with hope in all things and believe in the miraculous — and I did. Now I’m 100% healed.”
What a Bible-based diet looks like
Food is mentioned repeatedly in the Bible, and both authors believe the core foods discussed can form the foundation of a healthy modern diet.
Key examples include red meat, whole-grain sourdough bread, olive oil, dairy, fruits like pomegranates and figs, and natural sweeteners, such as raw local honey.
A Bible-based diet includes foods like red meat and dairy, which some have argued should be foods to avoid. (iStock)
Red meat, the authors say, is a “superfood” that provides protein, creatine, glutamine, carnitine, zinc, iron and B6.
“If you look at the Bible’s longest-lived heroes, anytime they could afford red meat, they would consume it,” Rubin said.
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Bread, often demonized in modern diets, also plays a key role when prepared correctly.
“Properly sourced and properly prepared grains can be a part of a healthy diet,” Rubin said. “With Jesus being called the bread of life, it wouldn’t make sense if bread was bad for everyone. The way it’s processed and preserved matters.”
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Olive oil, frequently referenced in scripture, supports skin, metabolism and cardiovascular health. Dairy — particularly from sheep, goats or certain dairy cows — can also be beneficial.
“The land of milk and honey was not just a euphemism,” Rubin noted. “Dairy can be very healthy if it’s whole, raw and grass-fed.”
Raw, local honey serves as a natural sweetener and immune system booster, while unprocessed whole salt provides essential minerals. Avocados, figs and fresh fruits are other staples.
“Eat foods that God created and in a form that’s healthy for the body,” Rubin advised. “You can take red meat or an apple and make it unhealthy by how you grow, raise, process and prepare it.”
Foods to consider avoiding
The authors argued that people should avoid foods labeled “unclean” in Leviticus — such as pork, shellfish and shrimp.
“Pigs, shrimp and other scavengers don’t have the system to properly process toxins,” Rubin said.
Axe believes that living a healthy life is one important factor to living faithfully. (Courtesy of Dr. Josh Axe.)
They also warned against modern processed foods, including those with high-fructose corn syrup, food dyes and refined sugars.
Even foods considered healthy can become harmful when overly processed.
“If Moses were here today, what would the food laws look like?” they ask in “The Biblio Diet” — encouraging readers to apply biblical principles to modern nutrition.
Fasting and other biblical health practices
Beyond food, Axe and Rubin highlight spiritual disciplines that impact both body and soul — particularly fasting.
“There’s no doubt that fasting is one of the greatest healing breakthroughs someone can experience,” Dr. Axe said.
Fasting can begin simply by avoiding food for a 10-hour window overnight, allowing the body to “clean up damaged cells, cancer cells, parasites and infections.”
“Fasting is one of the greatest healing breakthroughs someone can experience.”
He added, “There’s a lot of medical literature on it being the greatest thing you can do to reverse the aging process and activate longevity.”
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For some, fasting can also bring spiritual clarity.
“I can tell you personally [that] spiritual growth [brings a] deeper connection to God [and] clearer thinking — the ability to hear God’s voice,” Dr. Axe said.
Olive oil is a key food noted in the Bible, and can be used in a variety of recipes. (iStock.)
Rubin agreed, emphasizing the importance of emotional healing as well.
“During my successful battle with cancer, I made spiritual health a priority,” he said. “I wrote out a prayer from the Bible and quoted it out loud three times a day — it was medicine to me.”
He also focused on forgiveness, calling it “essential” to his recovery.
Best to consult multiple sources
The authors stressed that “The Biblio Diet” isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
“It’s a great diet for everyone, but due to the number of health problems people have today, there is a level of customization that people can benefit from,” Dr. Axe said.
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The diet, they noted, isn’t restrictive — it can even include waffles, pizza, cookies and ice cream made with wholesome, Bible-approved ingredients.
Rubin advises anyone facing health challenges to stay calm, seek peace and consult multiple sources.
Jordan Rubin still eats delicious foods while following a Bible-based diet, but he does so in a healthy way. (Sarah Partain Tran.)
“Take a deep breath. Believe that God has provided for your healing. Seek a second opinion, and most of all, do what you have peace about.”
Axe and Rubin view health as a form of worship, they said — a way to honor God through the body.
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“I think God wants us to be excellent in everything we do,” Dr. Axe said.
“One of the greatest things we can do to influence others and let them see the truth of the Bible and what Jesus teaches is by being physically healthy.”
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In a dramatic turn of events that’s captured the attention of animal lovers worldwide, Punch — the young macaque at a zoo in Japan famous for his inseparable bond with a stuffed orangutan toy — has reached a major milestone in his journey toward social integration.
On Thursday, visitors and staff at the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden witnessed a breakthrough: Punch was seen cuddling with and hitching a ride on the back of a fellow macaque.
Punch’s story began with hardship. He was abandoned by his mother shortly after his birth in July 2025 — and to ensure his survival, zookeepers stepped in to hand-rear the primate.
On Jan. 19, 2026, the zoo officially began the process of reintegrating Punch into the “monkey mountain” enclosure.
The transition was initially fraught with tension.
Punch’s story began with hardship when he was abandoned by his mother shortly after he was born. To help him, zookeepers gave him a stuffed toy that he began dragging around everywhere he went. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
As a hand-reared infant, Punch was bullied and ignored by the established group of monkeys.
He was often seen huddled alone with his orange plush companion while the rest of the troop interacted.
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In an official statement released Feb. 27, the Ichikawa Zoological and Botanical Garden detailed the meticulous care behind this process.
Previous viral videos showed Punch bullied by the rest of the troop, running to his plushy toy for comfort. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“From an animal welfare perspective, our primary goal is to reintegrate Punch with the troop,” the zoo said.
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The strategy involved nursing Punch within the enclosure, so the troop could recognize him as one of their own, and pairing him with a gentle young female macaque prior to his full release to build his confidence.
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The latest footage, captured by X user @tate_gf, suggested the zoo’s patience is paying off.
The video shows Punch seeking physical contact not from his toy, but from another monkey — eventually climbing onto its back for a vital social behavior for young macaques: the “piggyback ride.”
The zoo’s strategy appears to be paying off: Punch, shown at far left, was recently seen riding on the back of a fellow macaque. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
While Punch still carries his stuffed toy for comfort during moments of perceived danger, the zoo remains optimistic about his progress.
The organization cited the successful 2009 case of Otome, another hand-reared macaque who eventually outgrew her stuffed toy, successfully integrated — and went on to raise four offspring of her own.
The zoo has had crowds coming to see Punch, with hundreds of people lining up to get inside to see the young star, according to reports.
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“I’m hoping Punch has a good life like everybody else does, and think he’s a cute little guy,” one person commented online.
“Such a precious baby,” another person wrote.
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This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Artificial intelligence has been touted as a boon to healthcare, but a new study has revealed its potential shortcomings when it comes to giving medical advice.
In January, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, the medical-focused version of the popular chatbot tool.
The company introduced the tool as “a dedicated experience that securely brings your health information and ChatGPT’s intelligence together, to help you feel more informed, prepared and confident navigating your health.”
But researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that the tool failed to recommend emergency care for a “significant number” of serious medical cases.
The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Feb. 23, aimed to explore how ChatGPT Health — which is reported to have about 40 million users daily — handles situations where people are asking whether to seek emergency care.
Artificial intelligence has been touted as a boon to healthcare, but a new study has revealed its potential shortcomings when it comes to giving medical advice. (iStock)
“Right now, no independent body evaluates these products before they reach the public,” lead author Ashwin Ramaswamy, M.D., instructor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
“We wouldn’t accept that for a medication or a medical device, and we shouldn’t accept it for a product that tens of millions of people are using to make health decisions.”
Emergency scenarios
The team created 60 clinical scenarios across 21 medical specialties, ranging from minor conditions to true medical emergencies.
Three independent physicians then assigned an appropriate level of urgency for each case, based on published clinical practice guidelines in 56 medical societies.
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The researchers conducted 960 interactions with ChatGPT Health to see how the tool responded, taking into account gender, race, barriers to care and “social dynamics.”
While “clear-cut emergencies” — such as stroke or severe allergy — were generally handled well, the researchers found that the tool “under-triaged” many urgent medical issues.
The team created 60 clinical scenarios across 21 medical specialties, ranging from minor conditions to true medical emergencies. (iStock)
For example, in one asthma scenario, the system acknowledged that the patient was showing early signs of respiratory failure — but still recommended waiting instead of seeking emergency care.
“ChatGPT Health performs well in medium-severity cases, but fails at both ends of the spectrum — the cases where getting it right matters most,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “It under-triaged over half of genuine emergencies and over-triaged roughly two-thirds of mild cases that clinical guidelines say should be managed at home.”
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Under-triage can be life-threatening, the doctor noted, while over-triage can overwhelm emergency departments and delay care for those in real need.
Researchers also identified inconsistencies in suicide risk alerts. In some cases, it directed users to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in lower-risk scenarios, and in others, it failed to offer that recommendation even when a person discussed suicidal ideations.
“ChatGPT Health performs well in medium-severity cases, but fails at both ends of the spectrum.”
“The suicide guardrail failure was the most alarming,” study co-author Girish N. Nadkarni, M.D., chief AI officer of the Mount Sinai Health System, told Fox News Digital.
ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm, the researcher noted.
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, the medical-focused version of the popular chatbot tool, in January 2026. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“We tested it with a 27-year-old patient who said he’d been thinking about taking a lot of pills,” Nadkarni said. “When he described his symptoms alone, the banner appeared 100% of the time. Then we added normal lab results — same patient, same words, same severity — and the banner vanished.”
“A safety feature that works perfectly in one context and completely fails in a nearly identical context … is a fundamental safety problem.”
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The researchers were also surprised by the social influence aspect.
“When a family member in the scenario said ‘it’s nothing serious’ — which happens all the time in real life — the system became nearly 12 times more likely to downplay the patient’s symptoms,” Nadkarni said. “Everyone has a spouse or parent who tells them they’re overreacting. The AI shouldn’t be agreeing with them during a potential emergency.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Open AI, creator of ChatGPT, requesting comment.
Physicians react
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, called the new study “important.”
“It underlines the principle that while large language models can triage clear-cut emergencies, they have much more trouble with nuanced situations,” Siegel, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
ChatGPT and other LLMs can be helpful tools, a doctor said, but they “should not be used to give medical direction.” (iStock)
“This is where doctors and clinical judgment come in — knowing the nuances of a patient’s history and how they report symptoms and their approach to health.”
ChatGPT and other LLMs can be helpful tools, Siegel said, but they “should not be used to give medical direction.”
“Machine learning and continued input of data can help, but will never compensate for the essential problem – human judgment is needed to decide whether something is a true emergency or not.”
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Dr. Harvey Castro, an emergency physician and AI expert in Texas, echoed the importance of the study, calling it “exactly the kind of independent safety evaluation we need.”
“Innovation moves fast. Oversight has to move just as fast,” Castro, who also did not work on the study, told Fox News Digital. “In healthcare, the most dangerous mistakes happen at the extremes, when something looks mild but is actually catastrophic. That’s where clinical judgment matters most, and where AI must be stress-tested.”
Study limitations
The researchers acknowledged some potential limitations in the study design.
“We used physician-written clinical scenarios rather than real patient conversations, and we tested at a single point in time — these systems update frequently, so performance may change,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital.
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Additionally, most of the missed emergencies happened in situations where the danger depended on how the condition was changing over time. It’s not clear whether the same problem would happen with acute medical emergencies.
Because the system had to choose just one fixed urgency category, the test may not reflect the more nuanced advice it might give in a back-and-forth conversation, the researchers noted.
ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm. (iStock)
Also, the study wasn’t large enough to confidently detect small differences in how recommendations might vary by race or gender.
“We need continuous auditing, not one-time studies,” Castro noted. “These systems update frequently, so evaluation must be ongoing.”
‘Don’t wait’
The researchers emphasized the importance of seeking immediate care for serious issues.
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“If something feels seriously wrong — chest pain, difficulty breathing, a severe allergic reaction, thoughts of self-harm — go to the emergency department or call 988,” Ramaswamy advised. “Don’t wait for an AI to tell you it’s OK.”
The researchers noted that they support the use of AI to improve healthcare access, and that they didn’t conduct the study to “tear down the technology.”
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“These tools can be genuinely useful for the right things — understanding a diagnosis you’ve already received, looking up what your medications do and their side effects, or getting answers to questions that didn’t get fully addressed in a short doctor’s visit,” Ramaswamy said.
“That’s a very different use case from deciding whether you need emergency care. Treat them as a complement to your doctor, not a replacement.”
“This study doesn’t mean we abandon AI in healthcare.”
Castro agreed that the benefits of AI health tools should be weighed against the risks.
“AI health tools can increase access, reduce unnecessary visits and empower patients with information,” he said. “They are not inherently unsafe, but they are not yet substitutes for clinical judgment.”
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“This study doesn’t mean we abandon AI in healthcare,” he went on. “It means we mature it. Independent testing and stronger guardrails will determine whether AI becomes a safety net or a liability.”
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