| Question |
Donny,
I would like your opinion on something.
Lately high-protein diets (ie. Atkins, Body for Life, The Zone, etc) have become very popular and many people have had great success with them. A lot of it makes
sense to me, but there is some concern that those plans are contradictory to the Word of Wisdom (eat meat sparingly).
I was wondering if you are familiar with any of the plans and what your thoughts are.
I am not asking for medical advice. I just want your opinion as a well-informed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. :)
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| Response |
I am somewhat familiar with those various diets and know that they are all highly protein based. In fact, some members of
my family have tried them. I myself have not used the diets. My only opinion is that the Lord expects us to use our head
and "do all these things in wisdom and in order." I would say that before a person got heavily involved in any of these
kinds of diets, that they should consult their doctor first to make sure they know what they're doing. There certainly are
medical considerations when attempting to try them.
I do believe that the Word of Wisdom is from God and if we would follow it, we will have "health in [our] navel and marrow
to [our] bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge . . ." (see Doctrine and Covenants 89:18-19). As
you mentioned above, the Word of Wisdom has
counseled us to eat meat "sparingly." It also counsels that "grain is ordained for the use of man" as well as herbs,
fruits, and vegetables. Many of these diets attack the eating of too much carbohydrates, and so have turned primarily to
protein. It is true, as medicine and dietitians have shown, that eating refined grains and flours isn't very
healthy. But, I believe that cutting out these grains which God has said in the Word of Wisdom "is good for the food of
man," is a mistake. We need the fiber and other important nutrients that whole grains provide. Yes, the white bread and
pastas that these diets disapprove of are not very good for us because they are highly refined. But from what I've read, I
believe that whole grains are good for our bodies.
I think that moderation is the key in everything though, especially diets. It is my opinion that these "trendy" diets may
help in a temporary fashion, but until we control our life style and use "wisdom in all things", they are nothing but
temporary fixes. Not only is it important to be moderate in our eating habits but it is a well known fact that moderate
exercise is vitally important as well.
The bottom line is that in many of these diets, in my opinion, have swung too far to the other side of the pendulum. I
believe we will be blessed with good health if we follow the wisdom of the Lord.
As far as the Church is concerned, the leadership of the Church has made no public comment on these diets.
Sincerely,
Donny Osmond
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