Diet Decisions

Diet Decisions
for Latter-day Saints
by Joyce Kinmont

(from LDS-HEA newsletter #30)

The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

So, nearly twenty years ago President Benson expressed, I assume, the will of the Lord when he asked us to raise a generation that eats more like Daniel. He didn't say it very loudly, so not many people hear it, but if we had done what was asked, what a missionary force we would have today!

Instead, our missionaries are frequently unhealthy, and many of them are on prescription drugs. Our home school families are dealing with all manner of learning disabilities, behavior problems, and major illnesses. There is so much suffering, much of it that could be corrected. Homeschooling just isn't much fun under these circumstances.

For the past several years we have had a speaker at our conference on a health-related subject. When it came time for this year's Conference, I had so much information to share that I decided to write a book. The book covers the Word of Wisdom and other scriptures that teach us about how we should eat, and the emotion attached to diet. It asks, "Are there early graves?" President Benson said there are. Are we responsible, then, to keep ourselves on earth as long as possible?

The book includes chapters on how you might design your own vaccine, what happens when you play around with hormones, and what to do about chemical imbalance. It covers quite a lot of territory, and you may not always be comfortable with what it says.

We did introduced the book at our Conference (June '99) and at a couple of other gatherings, and we've had an excellent response. Many have said it got them thinking, or talking. That was our hope. I didn't want to set myself up as an expert (Although I did get lots of help from other experts, especially Thomas Rodgers); I just wanted to stir the pot for everyone's benefit. There is so much we still don't know; the sooner the Saints get serious about eating like Daniel, the sooner more information will be revealed.

The three comments we've received the most are: "the book's really got me thinking;" "my husband and I are reading it & talking about it;" and "I want to order copies for my family/friends." Here is our favorite letter:

"Thanks for writing this book. It is so informative. I am only about half thru it, but I am really impressed. I have had so many emotions as I read: excited, depressed, enlightened, discouraged, saddened, but mostly inspired!
– Colette

To a great extent we are physically what we eat. Most of us are acquainted with some of the prohibitions, such as no tea, coffee, tobacco, or alcohol. What needs additional emphasis are the positive aspects--the need for vegetables, fruits, and grains, particularly wheat. In most cases, the closer these can be, when eaten, to their natural state--without over refinement and processing--the healthier we will be. To a significant degree, we are an overfed and undernourished nation digging an early grave with our teeth, and lacking the energy that could be ours because we overindulge in junk foods. I am grateful to know that on the Brigham Young University campus you can get apples from vending machines, that you have in your student center a fine salad bar, and that you produce an excellent loaf of natural whole-grain bread. Keep it up and keep progressing in that direction. We need a generation of young people who, as Daniel, eat in a more healthy manner than to fare on the "king's meat"--and whose countenances show it (see Daniel 1).
Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 476-77, from "In His Steps," BYU Devotional Speeches of the Year, 1979