response 1 of 82:

Nov 24 00:04 UTC 2001

I ask because my Indian penpal who is working full time and going to school
half time went home for Diwali and his parents were very concerned that he
is not eating enough health foods.  He also asked me to correct his English.
Are all health foods healthy?

response 3 of 82:

Nov 24 21:38 UTC 2001

Olive oil is often considered "healthy", but I don't think you'd want to make
it your main source of calories.  Ditto other health foods; variety is rather
important.

response 5 of 82:

Nov 27 21:45 UTC 2001

By my definition, healthy foods are fresh, unrefined, unprocessed foods that
contain a moderate balance of nutrients.  Health foods are "food as penance".

response 7 of 82:

Nov 29 17:25 UTC 2001

Good point, good point.  I suppose that explains why granola and olive oil
and so on aren't good staple foods.  They're healthy foods, but including them
doesn't make your diet healthy.

response 9 of 82:

Nov 30 20:54 UTC 2001

I dunno about that; my recipe has a lot of oats in it.

response 11 of 82:

Dec 1 00:30 UTC 2001

I have no idea.

response 13 of 82:

Jun 4 00:18 UTC 2002

The nutritional pyramid, along with the rule of thumb of eating foods 
that are less processed (convenience has done dirty as far as the US 
eating healthy), seems like a good place for me to start eating 
healthy.

I also have a religious dietary law that seems to do well for me.

response 15 of 82:

Jun 5 03:56 UTC 2002

About the Word of Wisdom, you mean?

response 17 of 82:

Jun 6 10:41 UTC 2002

Doctrine and Covenants, Section 89.  Joseph Smith set it forth in 1833 
and Brigham Young established it as a commandment in 1851, expounding 
on what it entails.

It proscribes the use of wine, strong drink (interpreted as alcohol-- 
the vow of the Nazarite is an interesting comparison), tobacco, and 
hot drinks (Young explained this to be tea and coffee).  Extensions to 
caffeinated soft drinks is a bit of an error.  Bruce R. McConkie, a 
leader in recent years (Quorum of the Twelve, I believe) stated in 
_Mormon Doctrine_ that he believed such (caffeinated soft drinks) to 
be against the spirit of the law.  For quite some time afterward, many 
members took this literally until leadership made it clear otherwise.

A good rule of thumb, however, would be to avoid addictive 
substances.  Many illicit drugs are not mentioned but are eschewed 
additionally by the LDS Church.  Working in convenience retail, I'm 
quite familiar just how strongly people can become addicted to tea, 
coffee, and even caffienated soft drinks.

Verses 12 and 13 seem to be a point of stumbling for some:
"12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the 
Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless 
they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in 
times of winter, or of cold, or famine."

It should be noted, of course, that refrigeration practices were 
virtually nonexistent at the time this doctrine was set forth, and 
cattle or game had to be eaten quickly, even with the methods of 
preservation that was available.  Of course, the same had to be killed 
for food in climate extremes, or they would die anyway.

Nevertheless, verse 3, which states that the Word of Wisdom is "Given 
for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and 
the west of all saints, who are or can be called saints," there is a 
suggestion of some flexibility on the points of do's.

The most telling point is that the Word of Wisdom is highly compatible 
with the verdict of modern nutritionism, and yet was given at a time 
when such perspectives were not held.

It seems to work well for me =)

I have a friend in his 50s who converted to the LDS faith from 
Judaism; he is of the blood.  We've had interesting discussions on 
what kosher law he still practices.  He is fine with farm-fed pork, as 
farmers here keep pigs relatively clean and trichonosis is much 
rarer.  (Pigs can't sweat, and in the dry climes of the Middle East, 
were fain laid to roll in their feces if need be.  They are impeccably 
clean if given enough access to water, and there is an example of a 
species of pig on the Pacific Islands-- introduced a while back-- that 
hunts for food in the ocean.)  One of his daughters, who is also a 
close family friend, merely scoffs and claims he is just a pork 
monkey ;)  He still avoids shellfish, which I understand is mostly 
sifters such as scallops, mussels, clams, etc.

response 19 of 82:

Jun 7 00:48 UTC 2002

That would make sense.

response 21 of 82:

Jun 7 07:21 UTC 2002

Decaf I believe is generally discouraged.

Herbal tea is just fine.

Chocolate is fine, but I'm sure it's a bad thing in excessive 
amounts.  Being sedentary and overweight, too, isn't a really good 
observance either.

response 23 of 82:

Jun 8 23:50 UTC 2002

Well.. first of all, you have to understand coffee and tea (black, 
most likely, not green) have a lot of other substances not exactly 
health-conducive *besides* caffeine.

Second, they are far greater in their caffeine content than colas and 
other caffeinated soft drinks, and even more so than chocolate.  The 
caffeine content in chocolate is relatively low-- but, it's possible 
to be addicted to chocolate.

Iced tea is not okay.  Herbal versions would be.

Interestingly enough, being overweight is not going to cause problems 
as far as membership, although failure to avoid the others will.  
We've our fair share of fat folks.  But-- it is a good idea to be trim 
and active, and careful observance of the Word of Wisdom *will* make 
this easier.

The reference is available online: http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/89