In my opinion, some of your personal views and the letters
to the editor Meridian posted reflect what I
perceive as an extreme view. In trying to live the Word of
Wisdom to the letter, some people champion and preach their
own “special diets” and out-of-the-ordinary “food and drink”—things
that the Gospel Doctrine lesson warns against. Perhaps these
people really do feel that, for them their approach is the
“right approach.” And I can respect that. But such approaches
should not be preached as THE correct interpretation of the
Word of Wisdom for everyone. I can think of many people who
have just eaten and average, balanced diet and have lived
long, healthy lives—without adopting any kind of extreme approach.
For example, on writer speaks of the harmful effects
of eating animal protein, and yet, the Lord says:
“And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man
should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;
“For behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of
the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for
the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might
have in abundance.” (Doctrine and Covenants 49: 18-19)
Along those same lines, in the article, you seem to
present refined carbohydrates as just plain bad, and yet,
our own Church food storage program includes enriched white
rice and flour, refined sugar, and pasta. (In addition, if
you go to the cannery, you can get pudding, sweetened orange
drinks and the like.) Of course, we are encouraged to have
65% whole grains in our storage, but we are taught balance,
moderation, wisdom and order. I felt those important principles
were lost in all the other information in the article.
My point is this: The Word of Wisdom is specific about
certain things we should not take into our bodies. We all
know what those things are, and obedience to those requirements
is necessary to be considered temple worthy.
As far as what we SHOULD eat, that is basically left
up to the individual to figure out with the Spirit, and with
wisdom and order. If I were to try to eliminate everything
included in this article and some of the letters to the editor,
I wouldn’t feel the Spirit because I would be too stressed
out! In addition, my family would starve because they would
not eat such foods (my children are very young). I am constantly
trying to find ways to expose them to healthy foods, but I
can only do so much. And I feel that’s okay. The Lord knows
I’m trying. And I will continue to do so (even taking some
of the good principles in this article into consideration
to find ways to improve)!
I’m concerned that without a balanced perspective on
this issue, you may have readers who (given the high regard
they have for Meridian), may take the article and letters to the editor to an extreme—and thus
go AGAINST the counsel we have received regarding the Word
of Wisdom.
Let us all remember the following given by (then) Elder
Packer:
“The Word of Wisdom was ‘given for a principle with
a promise’ (D&C 89:3). That word principle
in the revelation is a very important one. A principle is
an enduring truth, a law, a rule you can adopt to guide you
in making decisions. Generally principles are not spelled
out in detail. That leaves you free to find your way with
an enduring truth, a principle, as your anchor. . . .”
[And I add that each of us may find our way in a little
different way.]
Elder Packer continues:
“[L]earn to use moderation and common sense in matters
of health and nutrition. . . . Avoid being extreme or fanatical
or becoming a faddist.” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Word of Wisdom”
The Principle and the Promises,” Ensign, May 1996, 17)
We should all, as President Hinckley is always saying,
try to do a little better (because we probably all can improve
our diet in some way!)—but remember that moderation, wisdom
and order are important in the process.
What’s a person to do? As far as I see it, I can’t
win!
Someone
else writes:
Dr. Gardner,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing such coherent,
thoughtful, intelligent articles regarding food. I have avidly
read each one of them. I keep thinking that I will find something
that I disagree with but so far you have answered and touched
on several articles that have concerned me, including: autism,
chronic fatigue, low-carb, healthy foods, sugar substitutes,
etc. I appreciate your study and focus on pure, wholesome
foods. You write with clarity and tempered wisdom.
I have struggled with health issues for 15 years. Most
have stemmed from and been a reaction to a continuing problem
with depression and obesity. They are family traits on both
sides. For the last six years, I have been particularly frustrated
with these problems and have spent a lot of time researching,
reading and trying to change. In the last year, many of these
answers have come together. I realize now what a major impact
processed carbs have had on my insulin levels and as I have
converted to brown rice, yams, squash, potatoes, oatmeal,
etc., my blood sugar has leveled out. I consume 2 ounces
of low fat protein 5 to 6 times per day and I couple that
with steamed vegetables, fruits, and these more wholesome
carbs.
My energy level has increased significantly—I actually
have dependable energy for most of the day. I also drink
100 ounces of water a day. I’ve known for a long time that
I needed to eat more fruits and vegetables and now I actually
do! My depression has been relieved (with the help of 40 mg
of Prozac a day) and I lost 55 pounds in four months. I feel
like a completely new person. I also have been going to a
holistic herbalist for the past several years and have gleaned
knowledge from her tutelage. I have been quiet about sharing
what I know because I don’t want to be ridiculed. So, it
is amazing to me to hear you, a doctor, so thoughtfully and
carefully present these things that I already believe are
truth! Thank you! Thank you for being courageous and voicing
the truth. I do not want to be a fanatic or an extremist
and I find it so encouraging to have you write these things
that I believe. I will continue to look for your writings.
I appreciate every word.
And
lastly, these two:
This is the first time I’ve read an article by Dr. Gardner,
and I love him already! It was just a little while ago that
I realized we’d been “sold down the river” by our modern system
of eating. I’ve diligently tried to eat food the way God
gave it to us, and to avoid anything that comes in a package.
(Well, okay, that’s really hard, but I eliminate as much as
possible.) One and a half years into this new diet, I wish
I had done this all my life. What a difference it makes in
my health and outlook. I nearly gag when I see so many people
chugging down the coke nonstop. But thanks for making more
of us aware of what REALLY is out there.
I am new to Meridian and overjoyed to find
Dr. Gardner. I have only read his recent responses to emails
regarding a previous article, but I was astounded at his insight,
his balance, his content, and tone. I have wondered why LDS
people are often so oblivious to diet and exercise as a part
of living the commandments. We should take more care if for
no other reason that that we are commanded to show gratitude,
and how can you do that when you are trashing the gift? I
live in Oregon where thinking outside
the box is the norm (I sometimes wish some boxes existed here)
and so I’ve happily been introduced to the health benefits
of many alternative forms of medicine and lifestyle.
For example, the use of homeopathy, under a skilled
and trusted practitioner, has completely changed my family’s
health, we haven’t bought soda in a decade, we drink filtered
water, eat tofu, compost our kitchen scraps, and were practicing
yoga long before Madonna made it faddish. All this is very
acceptable in our community, but has all been looked at askance
and even ridiculed by our LDS community. Thank you for helping
us feel a tiny bit more acceptable if not yet mainstream.
And your quote, “Any time you think outside of the accepted
‘box,’ you must be better prepared to defend it than if you
live within the ‘box’—and you must be wiser about those with
whom you share your thinking!” is going on my refrigerator.
Maybe I’ll even cross stitch it. Just kidding.
The
articles on carbohydrates, fats, fluids and meats which have
appeared in Meridian Magazine and appear today represent an
interpretation of the Lord’s law of health, and not the
interpretation. Each individual must prayerfully make personal
choices for himself or herself.
In
my medical practice, the people who come to me for treatment
are usually quite ill, although many are also interested in
preventing illness by being proactive in their health. Some
have bodies that have been out of balance for some time, and
they are feeling the effects of poor diet, toxins, stress,
and other factors which combine to make us sick. Their immune
system is not functioning properly, and they need to take
action to restore their bodies to health. Many of the quotes
which I have gathered from the scriptures and Church leaders
in the present and past have helped me in my quest to provide
better health options for my patients, and I share them with
you. I believe that our bodies are capable of healing themselves
when they are given the proper “tools”—nutrition, fluid, rest,
and other elements of good health—to rebuild, restore, and
replace what has become dysfunctional.
Those
of you who have health issues which are troubling to you will
find that many of these suggestions for a healthier body will
benefit you, if they are applied in your life. The suggestions
are intended to provide a dialog of options for you if your
body is out of balance, and a resource if you want to increase
the healthy options for you and your family.
Brigham
Young made this promise: “If you observe faithfully the Word
of Wisdom, you will have your dollar, your five dollars, your
hundred dollars, yea, you will have your hundreds of dollars
to spend for that which will be useful and profitable to you.
“Why should we continue to practice in our lives those
pernicious habits that have already sapped the foundation
of the human constitution, and shortened the life of man to
that degree that a generation passes away in the brief period
of from twenty-seven to twenty-nine years? The strength, power,
beauty and glory that once adorned that form and constitution
of man have vanished away before the blighting influences
of inordinate appetite and love of this world.
“The
health and power and beauty that once adorned the noble form
of man must again be restored to our race; and God designs
that we shall engage in this great work of restoration. Then
let us not trifle with our mission, by indulging in the use
of injurious substances. These lay the foundation of disease
and death in the systems of men, and the same are committed
to their children, and another generation of feeble human
beings is introduced into the world. Such children have insufficient
bone, sinew, muscle, and constitution, and are of little use
to themselves, or to their fellow creatures; they are not
prepared for life. 12:118 [1]
I
wonder if sometimes we are afraid to explore options and think
them through prayerfully for ourselves. We are perhaps worried
that others might find our actions and ideas too extreme.
I recently read a devotional address by Elder Henry B. Eyring,
entitled “A Child of God.” [2] In it, Elder Eyring describes five characteristics
of a great learner:
- Welcome correction
- Keep commitments
- Work hard
- Help other people
- Expect resistance and overcome it
In
our quest to learn how to become healthier, there will be
many different perspectives on health and its elements. Again,
the Spirit is paramount. It will guide us in our quest.
As
our bodies clean themselves from harmful substances, and we
listen to our bodies, we will each discover things unique
to our bodies. I would challenge all to prayerfully consider
their dietary intake in relation to the Lord’s law of health,
and not let “tradition” dictate their eating patterns. Just
as each of us has a unique personality, we each have unique
health needs and concerns. Seeking the Spirit’s guidance
in what we eat can help us learn how to feel and be our personal
best.
Let’s
look at what Elder. John A. Widtsoe had to say in his book,
The Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation. In Chapter
4, entitled “Evils and Designs,” he made this comment about
refined food: “Modern knowledge has given man the power to
refine his foods, until some of them may become very much
changed from the natural conditions in which they are found.
The common use of such refined, and in most cases concentrated
foods, has at times, for want of adequate knowledge, led to
injurious results.” (page 40) And on food fraud: “The best
protection against food fraud is to use natural foods and
food products, even though the cost may seem higher.” (page
36)
To
continue, John A. Widtsoe commented in Chapter 12 entitled,
“Grains,” on sugar: “There are many disadvantages resulting
from the excessive use of sugar as food. It is an artificially
prepared product, is totally lacking in protein, mineral salts
and vitamins. It is distinctly a habit-forming food; those
who have never used it do not like it, but a taste for it
is readily acquired, after which one is tempted to overeat
on sweet foods which leads to an unbalanced diet. This habit-forming
nature has contributed greatly to the consumption of sugar.”
(page 180). Elder Widtsoe quotes McCollum on page 180:
“Sugar,
being readily soluble, is quickly absorbed from the digestive
tract, and if eaten too freely at one time tends to enter
the blood faster than the liver and other tissues can abstract
it and causes a high tide of sugar in the blood. . . .Nature
did not intend that we should eat freely of the simple sugars
and did not make them available. She gave us much starch
instead. This was a wise provision, since starches eaten
with an ordinary meal require several hours for complete digestions
and absorption; hence the resulting glucose enters the blood
slowly and does not cover the high tide of blood sugar.”
And one last quote: “One of the commonest dietary errors
of today is the overeating of starchy foods, with or without
fats and sugars, such as macaroni, rice, cereals, cakes, pastry
and desserts—thereby satisfying the hunger so that no desire
remains for foods that contain building materials with regulating
minerals and vitamins.” (page 177)
Our
food storage is designed to sustain us in times of famine
(disasters, wars, truck strikes). Although we are encouraged
to rotate and make use of our food storage items on a regular
basis, it is difficult to match the quality of fresh foods
with stored foods. I’ve not ever been involved with the choices
which the Church makes in their variety of food storage options,
so I cannot comment on the question posed in the letter printed
at the beginning of this article about the sugar and refined
carbohydrates in the Church’s food storage items. However,
there are some whole foods that have enough omega-3 and omega-6
fatty acids in them that would go rancid (free radical oxidized
state) and thus become inedible in their natural stored state.
Pressing these oils out of the stored product is the only
way that they could be stored. I’m not familiar with the
sugar content in the Church’s food storage of pudding and
sweetened orange drinks. However, in famine and traumatic
situations, people (especially children) handle the upheaval
more easily if some of their food choices are familiar.
When
the industrialized world introduced “white rice” to the Japanese
population after World War II, beri–beri, which is a thiamin
(Vitamin B1) deficiency, occurred in all ages of the population.
The B vitamins necessary for the breakdown of carbohydrates
were lacking in the postwar starvation state, and removed
from the brown rice when it was polished to make white rice.
If
our food storage contains a high concentration of sweet and
sugared products, I would expect to see mild beri-beri symptoms
manifested as neurological problems, heart problems, and skin
edema, in the event of our having to live entirely on food
storage, with no additional fresh/ whole food sources. In
our family food supply, in addition to the grains, we like
storing nuts and seeds. They are an excellent source of proteins,
fats and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals.
Legumes are also rich in a variety of good fats and proteins
and carbohydrates.
The
word “fanatic” or faddist is difficult to interpret. As teenagers,
we thought our grandmother was a fanatic about diet, because
she believed and stated frequently that white sugar and white
flour was bad for you: “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’re
dead.” A number of my nonmember friends think we are unusual
(weird? fanatics?) because we don’t drink, don’t smoke and
have high moral standards. “How do you have fun?” they ask.
I wonder if the Nephites thought Samuel the Lamanite was a
fanatic, up there on the wall of the city? Being labeled
fanatic may simply be based on the vantage point from which
one views another. In the world of learning disabilities,
how many science geniuses (because our schools value science)
would be learning disabled if schools valued music and the
arts more highly than science and math?
John
A. Widtsoe observed, “Food fads and fancies have therefore
multiplied. Some of these rest upon sound knowledge; many
of them are worthless and dangerous. Here are some of them:
use no meat; eat no vegetables; eat only fruit; pay attention
only to vitamins; minerals are the only concern; eat very
little; fast a great deal; drink nothing but grape juice;
eat salads to reduce; eat salads to grow fat, etc., etc.”
The
more I study the counsel of the Brethren and the admonitions
given to us by a loving Father in Heaven regarding our health,
the more I am convinced that the Lord has provided us with
a marvelous plan for wellness through the Word of Wisdom.
Healthful
Hints:
- The Lord has given us a pattern to follow in the
foods we should eat and the things we should avoid which
can harm our body
- The Lord has also warned us of “evil and conspiring
men” in the last days.
- Each of us must study the issue of health in our
own minds, prayerfully explore what the Brethren and the
Lord have had to say about our food, and determine what
course is best for us
- Each of us has the personal responsibility to prayerfully
consider our food choices.
- The definition of “fanatic” probably depends upon
your vantage point, your experience, and your perspective
