Tonight We Learn Sushi

Tonight’s FHE is about learning how to make Sushi (that’s the Activity) – the lesson is on “The Do’s of the Word of Wisdom by Lora Beth Larson“. A snippit from the lesson :

“Flesh … Sparingly”

The second general area for positive action deals with animals and meat:

“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;

“And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.” (D&C 89:12–13.)

We realize that the Word of Wisdom does not advocate total vegetarianism when we read another scripture:

“And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;

“For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.” (D&C 49:18–19; see also 1 Tim. 4:1–3.)

What is meat’s nutritional value? It contains good quality protein and iron. The general nutritional composition of eggs is enough like meat that they are considered a “meat alternate.” Milk and cheeses are also high in protein, but contain calcium instead of iron. Dried peas and beans such as pigeon peas, navy beans, and soybeans contain moderate to high quality protein as well as some iron, so these may be used as meat alternates.

Grains contain less protein than most of these other foods; it’s also of poorer quality. However, grain protein contributes to the day’s total, especially when eaten with meat or meat alternates. Vegetables contain only small amounts of protein, and fruits practically none at all. Thus a diet which relies totally on grains, fruits, and vegetables usually means protein deficiency.

In addition to protein, meats provide us with several of the vitamins in the vitamin B group: thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine. One member of this group, vitamin B₁₂, is found only in meat, milk, cheese, and eggs; thus strict vegetarians must take a vitamin B₁₂ supplement to avoid eventual irreversible damage to their spinal cord. Meats also contribute to a full feeling after a meal, because they contain some fat, which stays in our stomach longer than the other nutrients.

However, we are admonished to use meat sparingly. This caution is certainly understandable considering how heavily nineteenth-century Americans relied on meat when the Word of Wisdom was given. But even in our day of more balanced diets, we are aware of some problems when the meat intake is very high, as advocated by some dieters or by athletes who do not understand muscle physiology.

When meat makes up the main part of our food intake, we crowd out other foods and, consequently, their nutrients. In a recent extreme example, a widower had milk for breakfast, a hamburger for lunch, and steak for dinner. He disliked onions and other vegetables, thought potatoes were “fattening,” and was not interested in fruit. He developed scurvy! 5

Meats are also sources of fat, primarily saturated fat, and cholesterol. People who need to cut down their total calories may need to cut down on the total amount of fat in their diet. Individuals who have some of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease may need to limit their intake of saturated fat and cholesterol as well as total fat and calories. Table 1 shows the fat and cholesterol content of some foods, but individual recommendations for intake vary.

“A Principle with Promise”

Sometimes, because the effects of our eating habits are not immediately apparent, we wonder if what we eat really does make any difference. All of us probably know someone who never eats vegetables and yet is energetic, vivacious, and successful. What then are the consequences of our nutritional patterns?

First, if a person simply does not have enough food, he starves. During starvation, he has so little energy that he simply cannot “run and not be weary.” Mental outlook also changes; the overriding compulsion is to find food, not “wisdom and great treasures of knowledge.”

Second, a pregnant mother’s severe malnutrition or severely inadequate nourishment during a baby’s first few months of life can slow or stunt the child’s mental development. The malnourished child is also listless and apathetic, so he interacts less, reducing the stimulation of his mind even more. This hard-to-break cycle still occurs in many parts of the world: a real tragedy when the solution often lies in simply using the foods that the Lord has provided in each region of the world. As he promised, “The earth is full, and there is enough and to spare.” (D&C 104:17.)

For most of us, our diets are not extreme enough for us to see such dramatic consequences of poor nutrition because heredity, environment, attitudes, and health care also influence our health. Nevertheless, those who are well nourished do “receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones.” They will be alert to finding “wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.” They will have the energy and endurance to “run and not be weary,” and to “walk and not faint.” And the greatest promise, one that we may see fulfilled in ways we cannot yet imagine, is: “And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them.” (D&C 89:18–21.)