The Definitive Guide to Proper Nutrition

You should not be consuming dairy. Milk is for baby cows, not grown humans. You should be consuming dairy, but only organic. And raw.  And full fat. Make that low fat. I guess the jury's still out.

But grains. You should definitely not be consuming grains. Actually, you can consume grains, just not wheat. Gluten was invented by Satan himself. Grains are good, as long as they're whole. And the weirder the name, the better. Quinoa, millet, amaranth, and teff are way better than rice, wheat, and corn. And of course, they must be organic. And non-GMO. You absolutely, positively cannot consume genetically modified food. You will become a mutant. But you'll probably be a naturally pest-resistant mutant, so hey.

Meat. Meat is good because cavemen ate it. Meat is bad because it's cruel to eat animals and it makes us sick. If you're going to eat meat, make sure it's lean. Actually fattier meats are good. Just make sure it's grass fed and pastured. If you're not paying at least 4 times as much for your meat, it will kill you. And never eat anything that was raised more than 50 miles away from you.

Fruit. Fruits are good, except for all that sugar. Sugar makes you fat and sick, so don't eat too much fruit. And if you do, organic and in season. I shouldn't have to tell you that.

Nuts are good, except that they have too many omega-6's and not enough omega-3's. Plus, they have phytic acid, which is bad, bad, bad. Also, they're too cheap and too tasty to be healthy (I'm serious). And they can make you fat. But they can also keep you slim, so keep that in mind.

Overall, just make sure you're consuming a mostly low fat diet with plenty of healthy carbs.

Actually, you want to eat a high fat diet with very few carbs. That will make you skinny and healthy.


Wasn't that a fun exercise?

I have always been interested in nutrition and I like to try new recipes and foods and find new ideas about serving the same foods. In that process, I have come across various blogs and websites that claim all of the above. Obviously, all of the above can't be true. So, what gives?  Is good health just a matter of what sounds most appetizing to you?  Or is what sounds most unappetizing what will make us healthiest? (Anything fermented does not sound the least bit appetizing to me.)  Do we have to try all the different diets to find what works?  It is all very confusing and if you think too much about it, can really get you down, not to mention, really drain your bank account.  I have vaguely wondered over the past year or so if I should try a paleo diet, an acid-alkaline diet, a ketogenic diet, or a whole foods organic diet.  I have even had the thought, "It would be nice if the church came out with a diet and told us what was healthy."

Duh.  They have!  Sure, it's coming up on 200 years old, but the 10 commandments are a lot older than that, and we still follow them. I was pleased to see several articles in the Ensign earlier this year about health, nutrition, and the Word of Wisdom. They reaffirmed the principles in the Word of Wisdom and frankly, they just made sense.

• "In societies where excesses are the norm, we need to apply wise judgment and moderation. Moderation means restraint within reasonable limits and refraining from excess (see D&C 59:20). We can exercise moderation when deciding how much and how often we need to eat and by resisting media messages that encourage unwise eating habits that can bring unwanted health risks."  -Beverly Hyatt Neville

• "Although the confirming evidence provided by modern science may give us additional reasons to keep the Word of Wisdom, it is ultimately our faith in the Lord’s word and our consistent obedience to this revelation that will qualify us for the promised blessings:" - G. Craig Kiser

Something I really like about the Word of Wisdom is that it is practical, both in what it tells us to avoid and in what it encourages us to eat. Everyone can follow the principles in the Word of Wisdom and still live within their means. Not everyone can buy grass fed beef, coconut oil, medjool dates and a blendtec blender to make organic smoothies with. The Word of Wisdom encourages simplicity. Simplicity is good. Making eating complicated and stressful is not good. 

So, here is my definitive guide to proper nutrition:  Follow the principles in the Word of Wisdom. Obviously, if something like wheat or dairy makes you sick, don't eat it. Eat healthy foods in healthy amounts and then stop thinking about food. Find something else to do. Read a book to your child, go for a walk, do a craft, or visit somebody.

If I die a few years earlier because I ate non-organic produce, oh well.  I know where I'm going, and hopefully, I will have spent my time and money while I was alive helping somebody else instead of obsessing over my omega-3/omega-6 balance. 

That's what I think.