A Gospel Perspective on Eating

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I believe most, if not all, of my readers are both aware of this and are or have been members themselves.  Hence, we all know about the Word of Wisdom.

Generally, it is accepted that we don't drink, smoke, do drugs, or drink coffee or tea.  However, a few months ago, I came across an article in the Ensign (the Church's magazine) that details the word of wisdom a bit more in detail.  This is what it said:

1. Fruits, vegetables, and wholesome herbs are to be used “in the season thereof” and “with prudence and thanksgiving” (see D&C 89:10–11).
   
   
2. Meat and poultry have been “ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly” (D&C 89:12).
   
   
3. “All grain is good for the food of man” (D&C 89:16).
   
   
4. We should not “labor more than [we] have strength” (D&C 10:4).
   
   
5. We should develop proper sleeping habits so “[our] bodies and [our] minds may be invigorated” (D&C 88:124).
   
   
   
   
   There you have it. Plain and simple. Eat fruits and vegetables in their season. Eat meat, but do so sparingly. All grain is good. Those are straight from the passage that talks about the Word of Wisdom. The others, don't work more than you have strength and get enough sleep, are found elsewhere but, I think, equally important.

Eat fruits and vegetables.

Eat meat sparingly.

All grain is good.

Don't work too hard.

Get enough sleep.

Sorry.  I had to repeat that to myself.  It's so simple!  Given that there are so many views on eating out there, it was nice to read something from a very reputable source that was so simple.

Of course, there are so many other things that I have learned over the years:  Don't eat fats and oils.  Don't eat carbs.  Processed food is bad.  Salt is bad.  Sugar is bad.  Dairy is bad.  Calories are bad.  Please eat only vegetables and this fake sweetener and spend 6 hours a day at the gym so you can look like Jillian Michaels.

At my most fit, when I was walking at my job approximately 25 hours a week (including mucking out stalls and riding horses) and exercising 2-3 hours on my days off, and counting calories each day, I got down to a size 10.  I was still 5 pounds over my goal weight.  Don't get me wrong- I enjoyed looking in the mirror!  For the first time in my life, I enjoyed buying clothes.  Of course, then I got pregnant, and that lifestyle was no longer a possibility.

But, oh, I so wanted to be skinny!  I wanted to stop hating my body!  Geneen Roth gave me some of the tools to achieve that end, but I was tired of guessing.  Was this just another thing to try but that, in the end, wouldn't get me what I wanted?

So, I prayed.  I spent all of General Conference weekend praying about it.  My answer?

"Eat what you're supposed to, and don't worry about it so much."

Oh.

So, follow those simple steps outlined in the Word of Wisdom, and recognize that my waist size doesn't matter in the eternities?  Simple, but oh-so-hard!


In subsequent weeks, I've been trying to do just that.  Have you seen Beauty Redefined?  They're on facebook.  They also have billboards up in my neck of the woods.  Their goal is to help women see themselves as more than things to be looked at.  They are trying to combat the harmful messages so prevalent in the media.  They are helpful, but it is so difficult to get past the beliefs, so central to my being, that my body is too big.

How do you feel about your body?  Do you love yourself, body and all?  Do you struggle with liking the person you are inside your body? 

How do you eat?  Do you subscribe to a particular diet plan?  Do you listen to your body when you eat, when you're hungry, when you're full?  Are you happy with eating?

I'd love to hear your input on this!