What I Eat

I do my best to follow the Word of Wisdom, a revelation from God to the prophet Joseph Smith that explains how to care for our bodies, or rather, "the will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days" (D&C 89:2). It includes a fabulous promise I want in my life (D&C 89:18-21). This promise motivates me to obey and obey with exactness.

As I understand it, the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89) directs me to:

• vs. 4-9 Avoid coffee & tea (I avoid all products using the coffee or tea plant). Also, avoid alcohol and tobacco. To me this counsel extrapolates to avoiding anything harmful or addictive. Thus I avoid caffeine, energy drinks, illegal drugs, legal drugs, food additives & preservatives (such as aspartame, MSG, and things that are difficult to pronounce), and processed sugar.
• vs 10-11 Eat primarily herbs, meaning fruits and vegetables. Eat enough of them that they form the "constitution and nature" of my diet, meaning the bulk of what I eat.
• vs 11 Eat fruits and vegetables "in the season thereof," meaning when they are in season, not when they are available in the grocery store. I think it also means organic or sustainably produced because they "are to be used with prudence and thanksgiving" and "with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion" (D&C 59:20). Most industrial farming methods fall under the "extortion" category in my mind. Consequently, I plan my meals around whatever is available at local, organic farms.
• vs 12-13 Eat meat sparingly and only during the winter, long cold spells, or food shortages. For me this is 1-2 times per week in the winter months and not at all in the summer. When we do eat meat, it is served as a side dish to vegetables.
• vs 14 Eat grain as the "staff of life". I grew up assuming that meant the primary source of calories, but as an adult I realized a staff, like a shepherd's staff, is actually a support for when we are weak. It's meant to be a hiking stick, not my own two legs! So now I eat grains as a side dish, an add on when local produce isn't enough to keep me (and especially my children) satisfied.
• vs 15 I've struggled with the pronoun in this verse. To what does it refer? To grains? To all animals (as most around me believe and as stated in prophetic quotes)? Most recently I've felt that it refers to the noun immediately preceding it: wild animals. Therefore, until we experience famine, we avoid hunting.
• vs 16-17 I hear God instructing me that wheat is meant to be eaten by man. Therefore, gut issues and gluten intolerance (which I have experienced) are not something God intends for me. Consequently, though I avoided wheat and even all grains on my physical healing journey, I continued to press forward pursuing a miracle from God so that I could obey this counsel and enjoy the health benefits of eating wheat. And it worked! He healed me spring of 2020. :D
• vs 17 "barley... for mild drinks, as also other grain." I don't know how to live this yet. Do I make my own mild brew? I haven't felt prompted to try that. Does it mean porridge, gruel, or a similar grain-based drink? Perhaps; one of these days I intend to try Barley Tea to see how that feels. I welcome your suggestions.
• D&C 42:43 "And whosoever among you are sick, and have not faith to be healed, but believe, shall be nourished with all tenderness, with herbs and mild food." This counsel and others led me to pursue herbal medicine. Since then, I have come to love eating an abundance of medicinal herbs and spices along with our regular diet. They fill in nutritional deficiencies that regular food alone doesn't satisfy. In addition to herbal remedies, I also pursue healing directly from God Himself. I understand this quote to say that when my faith is strong enough, God supplies the health and healing rather than food and herbal medicine.
• JST Genesis 9:10-11 & Hosea 2:18 One day the spirit brought these verses to my attention. Shortly afterward our family felt to transition from eating meat sparingly to not eating meat and cultivating a love of all creatures under heaven. I don't think this change is right for everyone, particularly in light of D&C 49:18. But this is what we currently feel prompted to do.

What it looks like...

In the summer it may look like:

• Breakfast -- Salad.
• Lunch -- Snack of fresh fruit. Maybe veggie crudités with hummus or baba ganoush.
• Dinner -- Sautéed beets and onion with avocado, sauerkraut, olive oil. Or maybe avocado, tomato, sprout sandwiches on whole wheat sourdough bread.

In the winter it may look like:

• Breakfast --  Oat groat porridge seasoned with spices & ground flax
• Lunch -- Snack of dried fruit & nuts
• Dinner -- Swiss chard quinoa pilaf. Or maybe vegetarian chili or butternut squash soup.

We start the day with water and herbs as needed.

If I remember, we end the day with a cooled herbal tea. I set it to steep while I make breakfast, and we drink it after dinner.

* Eating whole foods is time consuming! After praying about it my husband and I felt prompted to reduce lunches to snacks instead of meals. It took 2 days for our bodies to switch over and everyone was happier, kids and parents alike! We feel better and spend less time on meals. We still eat the same amount just in two meals instead of three. Our snacks are usually fruit, nuts, or veggie crudités.

A few specifics...

Within the word of wisdom guidelines there are still lots of food choices to make, particularly because so much of the food in our grocery stores is grown, harvested and processed with "extortion" (D&C 59:20). Here are the choices that feel and seem best to my mind and body:

• Organic, non-GMO, locally grown and direct from farmer to consumer as much as possible. If you have to choose, follow these guidelines with animal products first of all, and see how the animals are raised.
• Variety in color & species: Seek out heirloom varieties, and incorporate local herbs & weeds as much as possible (our favorites are dandelion, purslane, common mallow, self heal, and lemon balm). Find a way to enjoy everything edible.
• Fats: 
• EVOO & butter for eating fresh, sautes, baking. 
• Lard, tallow, macadamia nut oil or unfiltered, extra virgin, cold processed coconut oil for stir fries & popcorn (high heat).
• Dairy: 
• Raw, whole goat products are my first choice. 
• Raw, whole cow products second. All used sparingly.
• Sugar: 
• Fruit, in season or dehydrated at the peak of its season.
• Stevia leaf (not extracts or powders)
• Raw unfiltered honey as medicine (sparingly and never heated)
• Occasionally applesauce or bananas (because bananas are never in season in Utah!).
• Processing: 
• Do the processing myself, and minimize it. Such as eating the fruit instead of the juice, or grinding whole grain myself to make flour. 
• For preservation: Pickle in apple cider vinegar, ferment, or dehydrate.
• I avoid freeze drying, canning, and pressure-cooking because foods prepared that way don't feel right in my body. They feel flat or "dead" instead of vibrant and "alive."

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