Sarah
I ended up last week at a steak/sushi restaurant with seven co-workers: six associates and a partner. Everyone was excited.
We had just finished ordering when I heard my named called out. I looked down at the other end of the long table, and one of my co-workers, Joe, was saying something to me over the heads of the two people sitting between us. “I ordered a 24-ounce steak!” he called out. “I’m not eating meat sparingly!”
The table got silent. They looked at Jim. They looked at me. Jim was smiling. He said it again, loudly, to me but for the whole table to hear. “We’re not eating meat sparingly! Sorry!”
I smiled. “It’s okay!” I called back. “Ha ha ha ha!”
My co-workers kept looking between us. They didn’t start talking again; they did not know what was going on.
What was going on was that earlier that day, I’d been talking to Jim about the LDS code of health. I was on my first business trip, and, of course, my eating and drinking habits eventually came up. In an attempt to be thorough, I had explained to Jim that, among other things, the Mormon health code commands us to eat meat sparingly. “We don’t do a great job of it, ” I said. “Maybe because it’s easier to just abstain from things whole hog. In any case, we are supposed to eat meat sparingly.” Apparently, this had caught his attention.
I looked around the table. No one was talking. I decided to take the floor. “I’m Mormon, and I was telling Joe about the Mormon code of health.” All eyes were on me. “God told an early church president that we should do a bunch of things related to our health. We call it the Word of Wisdom. Not drink alcohol or coffee or tea. Not smoke. Etc. But He also told us to eat meat sparingly. I was telling Jim about that earlier.” No one moved. “So it’s sort of funny we’re now in a steak house.” I think it’s possible every single person at the table shifted in his or her seat. Except Jim. He was still grinning.
The partner looked at me and leaned in. “What did God tell you you would get if you did these things?”
“Long life, health, happiness,” I said. “To avoid the conspiring minds of men, it says, interestingly,” I said. The partner looked interested. “You know, when they received the Word of Wisdom back in the day, they didn’t know tobacco was that bad for you.”
The partner brushed that aside. “They knew,” he said. “I’ll bet they’ve always known. The colors it turns your hands and teeth. The way it smells.” Good point.
“Funny you should say that,” I said. “The story goes that one of the reasons God gave Joseph Smith the revelation of the health code was that the men of the early church would sit and spit tobacco juice on the floor, and Joseph’s wife thought it was gross and was tired of cleaning it up. So she asked Joseph what they should do, and he prayed about it, and God gave them the Word of Wisdom.”
The partner laughed generously and sat back in his chair. A waiter walked up to the table, ready to pour the wine.
I was unnecessarily glad I’d ordered the sushi.
* * * *
I thought about this experience on and off all last week and about how there really are parts of the Word of Wisdom that, in my experience, we Mormons just don’t talk about very often. Fruits in their season. Wheat for man. Corn for ox. And I thought about how I need to be better about living them.
Then I went and ate lamb on Friday, pork on Saturday, and chicken and this unbelievable roast beef on Sunday. “It’s winter and a time of cold,” Manfriend said.
But still. Meat sparingly my eye.
Clearly I’m not considering all the counsel I’ve been given.
38 comments
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February 22, 2010 at 12:26 am
dalene
i loved this. and yeah, my eye, too.
February 22, 2010 at 1:31 am
josephbrother
How exciting!
February 22, 2010 at 6:09 am
Louise Plummer
My Dutch grandmother fed her large family a spare piece of meat once a week on Sundays. When she joined the church and read the Word of Wisdom, that piece of meat got even smaller.
I’d forgotten that corn was for the ox. That makes more sense now.
February 22, 2010 at 6:49 am
brohammas
As an admitted meatatarian and someoene who has issues with moderation in anything, I agree with you.
On the note of our missplaced priorities I have always remembered a story someone once told at a youth conf. A tale was told of a nonmember who remarked, “I have no problem getting one of your Mormon girls to spend the night with me but I can’t get them to drink coffee with me in the morning.”
No, my point is not to deride the morals of Mormon girls (especially as I’m sure I’m still in the Apronstage doghouse), but it has always reminded me that sometimes our priorities get a little out of whack.
What is more soul damaging, hate, or a glass of wine? Which one does our culture get in more of a tizzy about?
February 22, 2010 at 7:59 am
CSIowa
It was useful for me to stop and count the prohibitions and the admonitions in the Word of Wisdom and realize that there are more admonitions. We don’t talk about them nearly enough.
February 22, 2010 at 8:22 am
living in zion
I once taught a RS class on the W of W. I went in depth, using texts from Brigham Young. Interestingly, Young was anti sugar, fatty foods, doctors and perscription drugs. He particularly had a problem with being fed rich desserts. How funny ” The Lion House Cookbook” from his original house in Salt Lake is known for its insanely rich desserts.
He was pro free range cattle (there was controversy in Salt Lake about keeping cattle in feed lots in town) loved fish and what he called “eating to feed the body and soul” not overeating.
That was the last time I was asked to teach RS.
A lot of women like their diet sodas.
PS : My daughter got married in the Nauvoo Temple over the weekend. She was beautiful, the cake was good and no reports of food poisoning. All went well.
February 22, 2010 at 8:45 am
gamma
The picky eaters in our family help muddy my feelings on eating meat sparingly. One household member manages his anemia by eating semi-cooked beef on a regular basis, at his doctor’s suggestion. (He has discovered this regimen is even more effective when the beef is eaten with orange juice.)
I feel a twinge of–what? rueful irony?–each time we eat another slab of cow. I feel like my sister-in-law, whose LDS doctor ordered her to sip wine to stop premature labor (so my naive brother bought vodka; that’s another story).
If there is a compensatory virtue, I am less likely to worry about what other people eat and drink.
The reality is, I just need to eat everything sparingly.
February 22, 2010 at 10:04 am
Kahalia
I get the point of this post but may I go on a tangent and say you really handled that well? I was cringing throughout the whole story. I’ve had that whole table looking at you as you try to explain what things are unique to our religion experience.
February 22, 2010 at 10:06 am
Kahalia
@ Gamma..” whose LDS doctor ordered her to sip wine to stop premature labor (so my naive brother bought vodka; that’s another story).”
This is an official request for that story as a guest post-sounds hilarious in a sad, sad, way.
February 22, 2010 at 10:09 am
Sara
Hey, I just re-read section 89 a couple of weeks ago and recommitted myself to eating meat sparingly and eating more grains and plants, so this post was fun to read! I, too, feel like we focus too much on the “no drugs” part of the Word of Wisdom and not enough on the food part. It’s unfortunate because it really makes the Word of Wisdom a lot more understandable to people, I think, especially in this age of healthy eating and living. For example, if we tell people that we’ve been commanded to keep our bodies in overall good health by eating nutritious foods and exercising and getting enough sleep and avoiding drugs, then the drugs part doesn’t seem so out-of-place and weird.
February 22, 2010 at 11:06 am
Tiffany Gee Lewis
Oh, Sarah, you just hit upon one of my favorite topics, which I couldn’t leave alone, so I wrote about it TWICE:
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/tiffany_gee_lewis/?id=11287
and
http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/tiffany_gee_lewis/?id=3351
You’re a brave woman to take center stage on this one in front of your colleagues!
February 22, 2010 at 11:16 am
Manfriend
Perhaps the partner was right that people already knew tobacco was bad for you. However, I’m pretty sure they couldn’t have known about the “evils and designs which [would] exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days.”
Most people nowadays would accept the idea that there was a conspiracy among tobacco companies, but I wonder how that verse applies to the other warnings in Doctrine & Covenants 89 … are people conspiring about meat? or alcohol? or against grain? or vegetables?
February 22, 2010 at 11:24 am
living in zion
Sara,
The “no drugs” was Brigham Young’s opinion, it is not included in Section 89 of the scriptures, therefore it is not considered to be WofW law.
Poor Brigham was victim to the modern medicine of his time and found bloodletting and “Mr. Magoo’s Magic Miracle Potion” to be suspicious. It makes sense he stressed preventative health, and also shows he was very progressive in his thinking.
Also, Kahalia – I completely agree. Sarah handled the whole thing so brilliantly. She makes being Mormon easier for the rest of us.
February 22, 2010 at 11:50 am
Traci
This is a great post. I’ve been thinking about how if I were to pull a Stephen Covey (that is, repackage church doctrine as common sense for mass consumption and make a fortune, and I say that with quite a bit of admiration/envy). I woud do a diet book based on the Word of Wisdom.
I have a friend whose mother only allowed them to eat meat on Sunday, when she would make a roast, the rest of the week they were vegetarians. I thought that was a pretty good idea. I think I’m going to give it a try after I’m finished with Lent (which my husband and I are totally doing, btw).
Living in Zion Congratulations! How great is that? I also second Kahalia’s proposal for the rest of Gamma’s story. Also, Manfriend makes an excellent point. Love the Apron Stage, and all it’s commenters.
February 22, 2010 at 11:56 am
sar
I would guess as morality is becoming increasingly based on our eating habits that the admonitions in the WoW will become more popular.
February 22, 2010 at 12:59 pm
smylies
Traci-
I think Michael Pollan beat you to it. It’s the first time i’ve read a book about diet that actually changed my eating habits (not for good, but at least for the better), and without question it’s because the things he says are very very Sec 89. Don’t eat a lot of meat. Plants and grains are good. Eat things that are natural, etc.
How about getting enough sleep? That’s part of it too, hey?
February 22, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Svedipie
I love Living in Zion’s comments. I think the additional admonitions that she brought up are so so prevalent for our time (limiting sugars, fatty fats, doctors and prescription drugs). Recently I’ve been reading much about our current diet and am appalled by what food makers are allowed to put into our foods.
I’m just warning you now, if you want to keep eating commercial meat or dairy, gmo fruits and veggies (aka fruits and veggies not in their season), corn (and it’s frequently used hfcs and corn starch), sugar and sugar substitutes etc. Don’t do any research about what that means. Cause if you do you’ll have a hard time wanting to cook that roast in your freezer, drink a diet soda, or eat anything with high fructose corn syrup.
The WoW is amazing! I have been reading it regularly as part of the reading and research and it’s spot on.
February 22, 2010 at 1:07 pm
angie
I was just having this conversation with my husband last week. I ponder this topic all the time. Kudos for speaking up at the dinner!
February 22, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Kathryn
I’m technically a pescetarian (and have been for a few years now), but only do the fish thing irregularly (usually when my desire for protein leaves me weighing a slab of fish vs. a whole jar of peanut butter or when visiting my parents who still believe vegetarians are all sickly and pale). I do this for my own reasons and don’t really consider it my M.O. to convert people. HOWEVER, (and yes, I meant to sound slightly crazy with those all caps) I find it terribly terribly amusing that virtually the only place on the planet that I can’t find a vegetarian-friendly option is at a church function.
I chuckle at the irony, then pull out the spare Snickers I keep in my purse and nurse it for 15 minutes while everyone else eats their pork chop. As I do so, I find myself praying to avoid the militant relief society carnivor (there’s always one) who will berate me for not taking advantage of the meat that God has provided me.
Living in Zion, a lot of women like their meat too. I feel your pain.
February 22, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Kelly
I have a friend who is a dietician. She has always maintained that the healthiest way to eat is to in the word of wisdom… she works with people that are trying to change their lifestyle and eating habits to better their bodies and overall health. She says that most diets run contrary to the word of wisdom, and the ones that seem to work the best are those that more or less adhere to the principles in Section 89. Interesting, huh? I try to cook one vegetarian meal a week for my family- (when I’m on my game). However, I am on my way to Vegas with my husband today– and my first stop is In N Out Burger>>>
February 22, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Kelly
ps- Sarah- I totally agree with those who said you hadled that beautifully. Way to go. Every once in a while we are forcibly reminded that we are a serious religous minority. I loved living back East because of that– I found most people to be generally very respectful of me beliefs. Their oppinion of mormons (if they had one at all) was genaerally favorable- because they had run into someone like you, who “makes being a Mormon easier for the rest of us” I now live in Idaho, with enough of us that I frequently get to experience our particular brand of Crazy. I always swore I wouldn’t settle somewhere like this, but here I am, happily raising my family- Oh well. I drive a minivan too- God has a sense of humor. I got called to repentance last week (via a note in the mail) for being too worldly. So I wore fishnet stockings and red lipstick to church on Sunday.
February 22, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Sarah
dalene, thank you. And ouch.
josephbrother, “How exciting!” Isn’t it? Ha ha ha ha ha.
Louise, the piece literally got smaller? That’s a woman of faith.
Brohammas, “someone once told at a youth conf.” What a wind-up.
CSIowa, dos, dos, dos. I’ve got to remember. I’m much better at the don’ts now than I used to be. But the dos–I can move forward there for sure.
Living in Zion, I wish I’d been there for that lesson. Just reading your comment made me love BY a little bit more. More importantly–hooray re your daughter! Have you posted a picture of her wedding cake on the internets? You should and then link us to it. I’d love to see it in its multi-level glory.
gamma, your final point is super ridiculously true for me too. Meat, cheese, dumplings, everything. Except maybe lettuce. (I love lettuce.)
Kahalia, thanks. It felt like time stopped a little bit while I was talking, but my co-workers are so generous with me. It seemed to go over well. I was grateful. Also re gamma’s story–100%. I concur.
Sara, totally! I was rereading D&C 89 last night, and I was thinking–this reads like In Defense of Food and all the other local farming, macrobiotic, etc., contemporarily hip eating knowledge. We’re not weird; we’re hip. (Which despite being totally unimportant–the being hip, I mean–it does put us in a nutritional moment that makes the Word of Wisdom seem clearly more explicable.)
Tiffany, those posts are both excellent. Seriously ASers–Tiffany is right on. And this: “As Latter-day Saints, we have a responsibility to shift the food culture of our families, and even the church.” I like this too. I’m going to think about that. (Note: I think about the story of your prune and raisin Easter regularly. OH MAN. It’s one of my all-time favorites. That story alone puts you in my hall of fame.)
Manfriend, Yes yes yes! Clear conspiring evidence: sarahssalads.blogspot.com. I’m on Team Evil Lettuce, conspiring to propel the world towards eating the leaves on Romaine heads (not just the hearts) and not eating dressings on their salads. Can we just remember the salad we had last night for dinner? Roast aside–that salad was amazing. Nicely done, Team E.L. Nicely done.
Traci, what would you call yourself as a weekday vegetarian? A non-Sabbath day vegetarian? We should have a contest to come up with a name for that. There’s got to be something good. It’s such a good idea.
Anyone?
sar, your comment was so succinct and profound as to be cryptic. What do you mean “as morality is becoming increasingly based on our eating habits”? I’m totally interested to know more.
smylies, Michael Pollan = Stephen R. Covey 100%. I’m just starting In Defense of Food. Looks like I should stick it out, chapters re the dangers of nutritionism notwithstanding. Also re sleep–1000%! My father recently said that he wonders if in future we’re going to talk about not getting enough sleep like we talk now about smoking. We’ll say, “What were we thinking? Of COURSE we need more sleep.” They say that not getting enough sleep can be as bad on your body as diabetes. Don’t ask me who said that. But I read it. And I believe it. That is why I slept in this morning. Totally worth it.
Svedipie, boo. You’re totally right, of course. But boo. I love putting blackberries on my salads in winter. It’s summertime somewhere, right?
Angie, you ponder it all the time? Kudos to you. Sounds like you’re alread on your way.
Kathryn, you get pork chops at ward functions? That’s a serious ward for you. Yesterday we had a munch and mingle: bowls of pretzels, pretzel chips, and tootsie pops. No water. I laughed and went home and made my roast. My own personal goal: Volunteer to bring fresh produce to every potluck event. It’s going well. Grapes are a big hit. Fresh green beans too. Surprisingly so.
Kelly, I’m proud of you for trying to cook outside your comfort zone–especially for others. I’m inspired. To be honest, I ate less meat before I started dating Manfriend. Somehow it seems mean to serve him meals meat-free when he likes meat so much and when he’s so mantastic. We’re going to have to think about this. Meat is great but the WoW is better. Manfriend, let’s talk.
February 22, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Sarah
Kelly, your second comment was lovely too. Thank you. It made me think about something I realized while going to school at BYU–I like the world best if I remember that everywhere is a mission field (aka a place where I’m not just preaching to the choir). I’m my most patient, loving, honest self if I remember that everyone on the planet is trying to find truth, including me, including my neighbor, including my roommate, including my visiting teaching companion.
Also, I love fishnet stockings.
February 22, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Miggy
Yes Sarah, I too liked the way you handled it. I really like that you told them things I think most of us avoid when talking about the word of wisdom–especially the conspiring men part.
And Manfriend–I read Fast Food Nation and although it’s been a few years, from what I remember I think you could easily make a case for ‘conspiring men’ out of the cattle/meat industry, not to mention the bad-for-you food industry in general.
But back to the point of your post… I really came head to head with the word of wisdom about a year and a half ago. Although I had been admonished in my patriarchal blessing to live the WOW, I naively thought that of course meant the alcohol, coffee, smoking part. Easy, I thought. Done! So about a year and a half ago I prayed about it. And well pretty much after that our family went vegetarian, cold turkey {haha}…at least what I made at home. We decided {or rather I decided and my husband lovingly complied} that I would cook veggie at home, but when we went out and certainly at other people’s houses we could\would eat meat. I didn’t want to make a big deal about being quasi-vegetarian because I didn’t want it to be thought of as some sort of political statement or even making other members uncomfortable of their meat consumption. However I should say that now that I’m pregnant we’ve been eating more meat around the house–I just feel like my body craves it and I’m ok with it. And holidays….well we still do Thanksgiving turkey. Overall I have to say I was surprised with how easy the transition was… there are so many delicious vegetarian meals and most days I don’t miss the meat.
February 22, 2010 at 3:49 pm
angie f
I think the key is sparingly. Because the D&C (49) also says forbidding to eat meat is not of God. We all have our agency and our own bodies with our own unique (and sometimes peculiar) gene packages, so learning what sparingly means for us is a matter for prayer and pondering. I agree with all who have commented (including your post Sarah) that moderation is often so much more difficult than to abstain altogether. I have learned for my own body that too much of anything makes my body function in a less than optimal way. And similarly, trying to function on too little sleep (aside from being downright dangerous, since I’ve read that sleep deprivation forces our brain to function as if legally drunk, ie BAL that would get you a DUI) gives me all sorts of problems. But trying to find that golden mean of consumption, exertion and rest is a delicate balance for constant and continual evaluation.
The doctrinal discussions that always give me fits are the ones where non-members who have known other LDS with peculiar habits (no chocolate cake, no Christmas presents, are some that I’ve encountered, aside from the whole caffeinated soda issue) and choose to corner you when they think you’re going against the “doctrine” as they’ve learned it from their weird friends. I feel like I have to be “on my game” in such a way as I never even needed to as a full-time missionary, but being on my doctrinal game isn’t a bad thing, I suppose. I just wish for all those who have different personal interpretations of the WoW and other doctrinal issues that they would distinguish for all their friends and neighbors which of their choices are doctrinal and which are personal so that those of us who follow after have less hot seat time as a result. (but that’s not going to happen, is it?)
February 22, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Rachel
I think I like this Jim character. Bringing things up at semi awkward times… Good stuff.
February 22, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Sharon
Yep. Sparingly. (She says after finishing a homemade turkey bacon sandwich—the bacon was getting old! Had to use it…)
One thing I’ve tried is to let meat be my flavoring or part of the main dish, but perhaps not a 1/4 lb. portion in main dish servings by itself. If I put some bacon in my stew, but mostly veggies and lentils, that seems better than slices upon slices of meat. I realize this is a midlevel recommendation, not as sparingly as Louise’s grandmother, but I’m working on coming out of an Idaho ranching background, and I find it’s really helpful. I have a little chicken in the salad, some shrimp in the pasta, etc.
And way to tell it like it is. I remember my friend/coworker asking me about it one night after a convention just before we went to bed. She already knew (basically) that Joseph Smith received a revelation about health.
Why not coffee?
Well, I think mainly because of the caffeine.
Chocolate has caffeine.
[Silence on my side. And I’m remembering something a mission companion told a large group of 20-something guys once and decide to say that.]
Well, I suppose the real reason is because I believe Joseph Smith was a prophet.
[Silence on her side.]
And YES to the going to bed!! I like what your dad says, Sarah. It’s the new anti-smoking thang.
February 22, 2010 at 5:22 pm
AnnaBeth
I have some weight to lose. It’s not a little. When people find out that I am trying to lose weight inevitably they have some method they want to share that I should totally try (I live in CA – we like the word “totally”). I keep going back to the WoW and the admonition of my Patriarchal blessing to follow it…I gave up caffeinated Diet Coke – no small feat. I totally agree that giving things up is easier than moderation….but I go on attempting moderation…and running (longer than I ever thought I could) without getting weary and I stop walking before I faint.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who thinks it’s THE way.
February 22, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Amanda
You should read Eating Animals (by Jonathan Safran Foer). I’m told you’ll never feel comfortable eating an ounce of meat again. I’m told this by my husband who has decided he can’t eat meat. I refuse to read the book because I’m pregnant and I have a hard enough time finding food that tastes good to me. So I cook vegetarian for him and eat meat when we’re out. It grosses him out, but I’ve got to do something to get under his skin, right?
February 22, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Jason M
Someone I love told me stories about her son’s idea of God. How, in his mind, God is this great force out to – I don’t know – trip him up, to trick him and then punish him for breaking the rules. I believe this way of thinking is part of my own problem, especially with the Word of Wisdom.
The WoW does make healthy sense and I spent much of my childhood trying to abide by it as a code – as well as something all my sisters and family did. Even sibling rivalry took part in this effort. “See how much better I can be than you are at eating meat sparingly.” Or “You can’t have that cola. I’ll tell!” When I think honestly about it, I have to admit I spent much of my time being afraid that if I didn’t abide by it, I would get clobbered. So when I grew up, I wandered from the WoW as I tried to get a grip on my own independence. It’s a silly irony that I’ve enslaved myself to so many others in doing this, completely sidestepping my goal. I never have done any ‘hard’ drugs, but those cigarettes are hard enough. Enough to keep me wanting one more. Enough to kill me. (I’ll die anyway, right?) My patriarchal blessing actually specifically warns me to keep the Word of Wisdom. “Silly Rabbit,” I think to God. “You must have known that I was terrified of you. If you wanted me to obey the WoW, then why on earth did you call attention to it? You knew I couldn’t resist….” Like Adam and Eve and that apple in the garden – or whatever kind of fruit it was. The ‘fruit’ on my tree is made of great circles of smoke. When I stand in them, they offer solace from worry and a break from the difficult reality of the day. They also offer up a kind of time portal that can connect me to to past loved ones or moments. Add to that this routine I can get into. A schedule; something just for me. Something I can count on. If you roll all of these comforting elements neatly in a white piece of paper, you’ve got one powerful piece of fruit. I wish I’d thought of it. I’d be rich!!!
Actually, my point is, I wish I’d seen that God is not the one out to trick me. If I believe in God, then I believe in one who loves me. I have to remember that when I go looking for Him. I do this when I read and try to understand the scriptures, when I listen to others who say they speak for Him. I remember that God loves me just as he loves all other people. It’s hard to believe sometimes and, like I said, it can be tricky to discern between God and those who dress up like him… especially when they’re conspiring. I’m glad the person who told me about her son was discerning and loved me enough to know what I needed to hear.
February 22, 2010 at 11:26 pm
sar
Sarah: Here’s a more humorous take on what I’m getting at:
http://catandgirl.com/?p=2377
February 23, 2010 at 8:22 am
Kahalia
@ Kelly
Seriously, a letter in the mail calling you to repentance? How could that not be a great guest post? I must find out how this ends…
February 23, 2010 at 11:36 am
Traci
Jason M, love your comment, I have these same feelings – often. “He knows I’m weak here, if God didn’t want me to have issues with this, then why did this happen to me?” Gospel according to Traci is that He did want me to have issues, so I can overcome them. I was talking to my sister about how I can have the same problem, and fall on my face over and over again and she told me about how she had just been helping her son with a math concept, and he wasn’t getting it and wasn’t getting it and finally he got it, and she was so happy. She said “sometimes I think that’s how it is with God, it doesn’t make us bad or unworthy of love, he just keeps trying to teach us until he can finally say ‘YES! YES! You got it!'”. Instead of thinking of how ticked He must be at me I try to remember that I am going to get it and that will be a really good day.
February 23, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Alanna
Did anyone else ever think that the Atkins diet was basically just the opposite of the Word of Wisdom? My sister pointed that out to me once and I could never look at it the same again…
February 23, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Tiffany Rueckert
I just submitted two comments and I can’t see them? What is up? Does someone have to authorize them?
February 24, 2010 at 7:17 am
Tiffany Rueckert
Check out a blog I started a year ago: http://section89.blogspot.com
I think you will really enjoy it. You might find these discussion questions especially interesting. I would love to know what you think:
http://section89.blogspot.com/search/label/february%20discussion%20questions
Also, on the sidebar of the blog are some great quotes and links. Word of Wisdom:The Forgotten Verses is a long, but great read.
February 24, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Sista Laurel
Talk about being shoved out of the Mormon Closet! I love the way you tackled this subject.
March 1, 2010 at 1:55 am
KC
Interesting topic. I once had a counselor in the bishopric who would not touch Pepsi with a 10-foot pole, but then would eat coffee-flavored ice cream and cookies. I feel exactly opposite. And, honestly, the meat thing is HARD. I came from a severly carnivorous upbringing, and hubby did as well, even though his mom can’t eat meat or she literally gets sick. I’ve been working to make this better by trying to fade it out…we only eat red meat once or twice a month and otherwise eat turkey and chicken on an almost daily basis. Is it weird that I don’t consider turkey or chicken as meat but more as protein?