“How can it be that with so many temple attending, word of wisdom followers. so many of them are grossly overweight, to put it mildly?” (Jim)
For the same reason that so many of them are not overweight.
“How can it be that with so many temple attending, word of wisdom followers. so many of them are grossly overweight, to put it mildly?” (Jim)
For the same reason that so many of them are not overweight.
Because lots of Mormons focus heavily on what they are NOT supposed to eat/ drink and ignore that they should be doing (eating healthy/exercising).
It is against the word of wisdom to be grossly overweight.
Nothing in the word of wisdom mentions our weight levels, but certainly it does seem to say we should eat healthy foods.
Many church members are overweight because they eat a diet that is high in animal products and processed foods and low in plant foods, rather than eat a diet high in the foods that the Lord says we should eat – grains, all herbs (all plant food), and fruit. The Lord says we should eat meat sparingly. The word “sparingly” could be a relative term so the Lord defines what He means by “sparingly” – in times of winter or cold (when plant foods don’t grow, and may be unavailable), famine or excess hunger. So essentially, when grains, fruit and veggies are not available, it’s ok to eat meat. We have to understand that in the Word of Wisdom, the Lord, our Creator, is recommending what we should eat. Just like a car manufacture will recommend the type of gasoline and the type of oil that should be put in a car in order for the car to function properly, so the Lord is recommending what we should eat to nourish our bodies in order for it to function properly.
If you would like to read testimonials of people who have decided to follow the Word of Wisdom in exactness, in order to turn their health around, I recommend you read this:http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=13 and this: http://www.drmcdougall.com/star.html. It is truly amazing to read these stories and see the huge improvements in their health. The interesting thing is, they don’t know they are following the Word of Wisdom. These people, in order to help reverse their Type II Diabetes, their heart disease, their arthritis, etc. and in order to lower their cholesterol without drugs, and in order to lose weight without having to count calories or restrict their calories, decided to eat a diet of plant based whole foods – which is what the Word of Wisdom is! Yes, they gave up meat, dairy (even cheese!), processed foods, alcohol and tobacco. They put their trust in the healing power of eating plant based whole foods and they saw miracles in their lives.
Most people don’t want to change the way they eat. I recommend reading Alma 32 and “experiment upon the word”. Put your faith in the Lord. Try an experiment for 3 or 4 weeks and eat the food the Lord recommends. Eat things like chunky veggie chili, spaghetti with marinara sauce, a burrito with seasoned rice and beans. Eat fruit for a snack. Eat oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon for breakfast. It would be ideal to have your blood tested before and after to see the changes in your health but I realize that that might not be practical for a lot of people.
About 1 1/2 years ago I decided to change the way I eat. I decided i was going to eat plant based whole foods. I was worried, even panicky, because I didn’t know what I would eat. I found recipes and learned to cook a new way. I found my taste buds changed and they learned to love these new foods! I have so much energy now. My blood pressure is low, my cholesterol is low, I lost weight. I now weigh what I did in high school (5’7″, 125 lbs)! I will never go back to my old way of eating. The catalyst to this change was reading the books The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn also books by Dr. John McDougall and alsowatching the documentary Forks Over Knives. While I read The China Study, I kept turning to D & C 89 and marveled that they were saying basically the same thing!
Has this change been hard? Surprisingly no! It wasn’t hard because the food is delicious! My family (husband, grown children) has been supportive to this change. In fact, 3 of my adult children now eat this way and cook this way for their families. My husband is supportive and likes the new foods I’m cooking.
The Lord has given us a dietary pattern to help us prevent disease and, if we change the way we are eating, to help heal us from so many diseases that are common to societies and cultures that eat a diet high in animal and processed foods and low in plant foods, namely heart disease, diabetes, obesity, kidney stones, arthritis, stroke, cancer, multiple sclerosis,etc.
I think it relates to the previous “staff of life” or grain question. A staff is a support and not a foundation.
Number one, “grossly overweight” is not putting it mildly!
Number two, I don’t see how obesity is contrary to the Word of Wisdom or holding a temple recommend. The biggest culprit of weight gain is excessive amounts of processed sugars and white flour. Sugar comes from a plant, which we learn in the word of wisdom is okay. White flour has become the norm in our society, many people don’t see the difference between it and whole wheat. If you are not using your grandmothers recipes, or reading every label on the food you consume, you are probably consuming a lot more sugar than you think. Sugar is a preservative, and is even used in the process of canned beans, among many other surprising things. And try finding a chili recipe online that calls for soaked dry beans. If you haven’t learned this, you probably think that using can beans is equivalent to your grandmothers dry beans.
I am struggling with my weight because I had to take steroids during chemo treatment. I would gain ten pounds each week after taking the steroid for only two days, no matter what my diet looked like. When gaining weight this fast your body has to produce more fat cells, and you cant loose fat cells once you’ve gained them. You can shrink them, but this is way more difficult than just “staying thin.”
I had always been a thin person, even after five kids, never being bigger than a size 4. I attribute that to genes. After chemo, I became “overweight” and was shocked at how hard it was to loose the weight. After two years of dieting, I am not considered overweight anymore but definitely not back to my previous size. I have prayerfully studied the Word of Wisdom and have followed it my whole life. The changes I made to loose weight have nothing to do with the Word of Wisdom!
This observation is extremely judgmental. Worry about yourself, and your worthiness to go to hold a recommend. You are judged by your actions, not others around you.
As I am learning about my own health issues and what has caused them (via extensive testing), I have also learned that for a great many obesity can be caused by a whole boatload of malfunctions with our hormones. THere are thin people who likewise don’t eat wisely and feel crummy. Food is only one of a variety of things that can kill our body’s ability to burn fat and retain muscle: lack of adequate sleep, prolonged stress of any type; changing hormones. I too have at times neglected how I eat, sleep, manage stress, get checkups from really GOOD docs who want to get to the bottom of things rather than just throw pills at you. My current doc is a naturopath/MD; not LDS. Doesn’t matter. He understands the body–MY body–and is leading me on aroad to health. That road on the surface seems to be contrary to the WofW. But like all revelation, the personal revelation you receive for YOU may mean you have to travel a different path (think Nephi killing Laban). So I am on a ketogenic diet: 65% fat; 35% protein; 5% carbs. Finally I am losing weight, arthritis is gone, and lab results are starting to improve. WIlll I go back to my old diet that pretty generally was WofW? Probably not since grains are toxic to me and sugar (including fruits) drive my arthritis.
Great point. I have seen seemingly overweight people working out at the gym for an hour or more every day and who eat healthy, whole foods, and I’ve seen seemingly “ideal”-weight people who never exercise and who eat junk food regularly.