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The Word of Wisdom

I have wanted for some time to write about this! But I have so far chose not to because well....ummm it's not because I'm ashamed of what I believe. I am proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I don't plan to make any apologies for that.

I guess what is hard is that many within my own faith seem to vary quite a bit on how they feel about and interpret The Word of Wisdom. Personal Revelation is a big thing to me and I would never want to belittle that fact. I have not wanted to seem preachy in any way so I have pretty much just avoided the subject all together. But quite truthfully it has been the backbone of my research with health. My whole story would not be complete without it! (I eventually hope to share it all with you) Every time I have read something related to health and diet I have compared it to what I know in the Word of Wisdom.

Anyway the main reason I am excited about sharing this with you now is because of this post from The Lazy Organizer! I have enjoyed reading her blog for a few years now and I love the way she writes! If you want to learn and be inspired by a lot more then just organizing check out her blog!

Today she posted her thoughts about the Word of Wisdom and I thought she did it in a really good informative way! Since I'm not near as good at putting things into words! (I just come across as too absolute and preachy for some reason!) I'll try to work on that but in the mean time go read what she has to say and just know that I give her a great big AMEN! ;) After you read it I would love to know your thoughts about it!

6 comments:

Strong Family said...

I found your blog a few months back and have been following it for a while now. I am also a member of the LDS church and have been trying to live by the word of wisdom. In our family we try to live by the "eat sparingly" part of the word of wisdom. I don't think that you need to have meat everyday like we were doing in our home. I am still having a hard time with my kids. They are really picky and love their chicken. But we are doing so much better about eating fruits and veggies, and I am feeling better too. Thanks for all your recipes and info.

Anonymous said...

I am a member of the LDS and find this post interesting.

I come from a family who should eat healthier and my spouses family have started a vegan lifestyle. I think it's great that they are eating well. But people should know that you shouldn't just not eat meat, it has many great nutrients in there for you. If you abstain from meat you should replace it with grains and other foods that have the same nutrients, because your body needs them. I think if you choose to stay away from meats, dairy, and other animal products that is totally fine there is a healthy way to do it. Not all meat is healthy, and there are better ways to eat it than others but it isn't necessarily bad for you. But people who choose to eat meat can also follow the word of wisdom.

I just want to say, if you're not sure what is the right thing to do, then follow the prophets example. We are lucky to have a prophet on the earth today, and I choose to follow what he does.

Amy said...

I love her thoughts. It seems the Word of Wisdom is a major life changing doctrine for people who actually study it. I prayed for a long time and did a lot of scripture and soul searching about that particular section. I was hearing so many differing contradicting things about food and health, and I just want my family to be healthy, so we are now following it a lot more closely and not eating meat, and eating a lot of veggies and grains etc. Thanks for telling me about the article. I really enjoyed it.

Tammie said...

And Amy: You sent your comment while I was in the process of responding to the others! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I really, really appreciate it!

Tammie said...

Thank you both for your comments! This is part of the reason I have put off talking about this. We all see it a little differently. But that is also why I love and wanted to bring up the Word of Wisdom. It teaches principles and then it is up to us to govern ourselves. I know that it will look a little different in every family! And really I think that is what I love about it most of all!

I really just want to be straight forward and share that it has played a BIG role in my decision making process. But it is my PERSONAL journey and I encourage everyone to embark on their own personal journey. I will happily tell you what I think The Word of Wisdom means but it may not mean exactally that to you. So PLEASE do what works for you!

I just want to share my story and hope it may bring help and encouragment for those who may have found themselves on a similar path or who simply feel they would like to have more meals that are not based around animal products. But that still are tasty, filling, and family friendly!

YES Anonymous: It is so important to add other things in if you entirely cut out meat! That is a very good point. I have seen people cut out all animal products but still eat the same processed junk! I do not consider this healthy. And I totally agree that following the prophet's example is a very good example to follow. But you will probably remember that President Hinckley did have Colon Cancer. Of course he was 92 and going pretty strong so he obviously did something very very right! Colon Cancer runs in my family but that is more of my story I plan to share later.

Strong Family: That is so great that you are finding what works for you and your family! Kudos to you and Moms who try so hard to teach your kids healthy habits. It is a full time job by itself!

I think everyone has different situations and I don't think Lazy Organizer was saying everyone should give up all meat. What I understood her point to be was that it was ok for her and her family right now to not have it. And she was wondering why it is such a big deal. Nobody complained when she was feeding them junk food. I guess I could just realate to that a lot and thought maybe some readers could too.

I honestly do feel on the average, because of really good marketing that most American's eat too MUCH meat but I'm not advocating that they all should become vegetarians either. I just hope that I can help and support ALL those Moms who have the desire to adopt a lifestyle that is better then the Standard American Diet (SAD) regardless of what exactally that entails! As long as it can include a good little variety of fruits and veggies I think generations will be healthier because of it!

The Boring Family said...

I've been reading your blog for awhile and trying out your recipes (so far, my VERY PICKY HUSBAND has liked all but 1 recipe. The 3 year old, 1 year old, and I like them all!) as our family embarks on a healthier lifestyle.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly think that, just as many other Gospel Principles, the Word of Wisdom is for personal interpretation and what is best for an individual or family.

However, I give you props for be wililng to do the "experimenting", so that us novices aren't so intimidated by living healthier lifestyles.