Praise for Nutrition: A Word of Wisdom and Scott
“I highly recommend reading this book, and then putting it where it can be easily referenced on a regular basis.” ~ Anne Bradshaw, Author
“Scott has a rare and well-developed ability to analyze and interpret health and wellness information for his readers. He is able to take research findings from the abstract to the meaningful and in doing so, he does his readers a terrific service in terms of education and health promotion.” ~ Shawn Talbott, Author
Important Notice
The purpose of this book is to educate. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, it is not intended to replace any medical advice or to halt proper medical treatment. Rather as information for the reader to utilize as he or she sees fit as part of a personal health and wellness plan. This book is sold with the understanding that the author shall have no liability for any injury or harm alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by its contents.
NUTRITION
A Word of Wisdom
Dr. Scott A Johnson
Copyright 2012 Scott A. Johnson
Published by Scott A. Johnson at Smashwords
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter 1 - Introduction: Why We Need Nutritional Guidance
Chapter 2 - The Word of Wisdom
Chapter 3- Healthy and Unhealthy Beverages
Chapter 4 - The Harmful Effects of Tobacco
Chapter 5 - Wholesome Herbs Ordained for Man
Chapter 6 - Fruits and Vegetables
Chapter 7 - Consume Animal Products Sparingly
Chapter 8 - Grains: The Staff of Life
Chapter 9 - Benefits and Blessings
Chapter 1: Introduction - Why We Need Nutritional Guidance
We live in a world where convenience outweighs nutrition. We have been conditioned to believe that food must come in a box, can, or bag and that it must be easy and quick to prepare. We eat processed and empty calories as the bulk of our diet, because they are more convenient than making the effort to eat healthily. Moreover, we miss out on the experiences of socializing and interacting with our families as we cook and prepare meals. The result of this unhealthy diet is a significant increase in chronic illnesses and degenerative diseases. In fact, poor nutrition is a major contributing factor in the three leading causes of death among Americans: heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
Contrary to logic, the diets currently consumed in industrialized nations are inferior when compared to those consumed decades ago. In the past, only the wealthy could afford the luxury of unhealthy meals. Ironically, “unindustrialized” communities have lower levels of chronic illnesses and avoid the common diseases that are so prevalent in affluent societies. Poor nutritional habits slowly weaken our immune system and break down our resistance to diseases. This may take years to become apparent, but poor nutritional habits will eventually result in negative consequences.
There are virtually as many opinions regarding healthy food choices, as there are people on the planet. So how do we determine what is a health promoting diet? The intent of this book is to provide nutritional guidance and to empower individuals to make correct dietary choices. Its guidance can benefit everyone, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status. It is based upon a revelation, essentially a guide to nutrition, as given from God to His prophet Joseph Smith. Even though it is a revelation directed toward members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it does not preclude people of all religious denominations from benefiting from its counsel.
The information is offered for the benefit of all, and not by constraint or force. In other words, you can take the advice or leave it. It is my desire and obligation to share my knowledge of health and nutrition and to educate and inform you of appropriate dietary measures. Then, I leave it to you to determine if these suggestions make sense for yourself and your family. It is my hope that all who read the contents of this book will receive knowledge beneficial to their health and the health of their families. Hopefully, the thoughts presented here will establish daily dietary habits that will promote the health of the body and the soul.
Unfortunately, we tend to focus on a small portion of the Word of Wisdom – the don’ts. This is despite the fact that the bulk of this revelation teaches us what we should eat. In order to live the Word of Wisdom to its fullest, we must incorporate the dos as well as avoid the don’ts. If you follow the wise counsel the Lord has given, you will achieve optimal health and wellness. Of course, this doesn’t mean you will be disease or illness free, but it will mean that you will establish the greatest possible health for yourself as an individual. Moreover, you may decrease your health care expenses in the process.
An interesting article published online April 30, 2008, proclaimed that if no Americans were fat, the combined savings in health, food, clothing, and efficiencies would result in a savings of $4,270 per American, or $487 billion (1). In the United States, more money is spent on healthcare than on education. If everyone followed the Lord’s counsel, I am certain there would be less disease, less disability, and further enriched lives. We would live not just longer, but healthier, lives, with greater opportunity to share them to the fullest with those we love.
The counsel in this book is not meant to encourage extremism in diet, but to promote thoughtful deliberation of one’s current nutritional practices and state of health. Moderation really is the key. It does take effort, but it is not difficult to incorporate. Besides, isn’t your health worth it?
Principles of this revelation and the suggestions contained in this book are best taught when young, but can be incorporated at any age. The sooner a person learns proper nutritional habits, the earlier they can establish personal optimal health. My desire is that parents will learn better dietary habits from this book and will teach them to their children, thus enabling them to perpetuate good habits to the next generation and the next; breaking the current trend toward convenience at the expense of nutrition. Ultimately, I hope this will result in healthier generations, thus breaking the cycle of obesity, disease, and poor health currently being propagated by unhealthy dietary habits and choices.
I possess a personal witness of the divinity and importance of this revelation. I have seen its benefits in my own life, and in the lives of others. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “The code of health followed by the Latter-day Saints, which is so widely praised in these days of cancer and heart research, is in reality a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1833 as a ‘Word of Wisdom’ from the Lord (see D&C 89:1). In no conceivable way could it have come of the dietary literature of the time, nor from the mind of the man who announced it. Today, in terms of medical research, it is a miracle whose observance has saved incalculable suffering and premature death for uncounted tens of thousands (2).” To his testimony I add mine, that the Word of Wisdom is a revelation from God, the observance of which will prevent unnecessary suffering and death, and enhance the health of all who endeavor to live it to its fullest.
Doctrine & Covenants 89:1-4
“A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of the saints in the last days—
Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.
Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation-”
Nutrition is an enormous and controversial subject. The information that can be found regarding this subject is vast, and the number of experts in the field of nutrition is equally daunting. Although numerous books purport to contain the best diet for your health, in fact there is not one ideal diet but many, each based on the specific needs and circumstances of a particular individual. We are all metabolically different and require different nutrients. There are numerous fad diets, each claiming to be the best for weight loss, but they all approach this concept in different and often contradictory ways. If you perform an Internet search for nutritional subjects, you will get an enormous number of people and webs sites, all willing to share “expert” advice. Much of this advice is based on the fact that they are trying to sell you a product.
Healthy eating is challenging and it takes effort, but it is vital and plays the most critical role in maintaining our health. Nutrition truly is the foundation of our health. “You are what you eat” is more literal than some of us would like to believe. What we eat eventually enters and makes up the content of our blood stream. Our food is utilized as the building blocks of our body. Proper nourishment is necessary for cells to rebuild and function properly.
Nutrition is particularly important for the growth and development of children and adolescents, but remains important for all ages in order to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, thirty to forty percent of cancers are nutrition-related (3). If we were to alter our diets to include healthier and more nutritious choices, how many of the 553,888 (4) cancer deaths per year could be avoided?
There are many diseases and conditions associated with poor nutrition, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity. According to one study, about sixteen percent of mortality in men and nine percent in women could be eliminated by appropriate nutritional behaviors (5). This is a conservative number in my opinion. I believe that most disease results from poor nutrition, which provides the perfect environment for disease to flourish. Many foreign and disease causing invaders will only thrive and cause illness if they are provided the right environment and if the host’s immune system is not strong enough to fight them off. How many deaths could be avoided with a few small changes in dietary habits? The answer is a significant number. Not to mention the improved quality of life that would be achieved.
Yes, Americans are living longer than ever before – but what quality of life are we enjoying? We, in fact, are not living healthier, better quality lives. This is obvious as we see our nursing homes full of sick, decrepit, and crippled elderly. Quantity does not always equal quality! We have come to accept certain illnesses and conditions as a normal part of aging, when this is not actually the truth. Many of these conditions and illnesses are present based on poor dietary and lifestyle choices.
Some would say that it is too expensive to eat healthy meals. In the short term, it certainly is more expensive to purchase healthy products versus products devoid of proper and essential nutrients. However, can you really put a price tag on your health? How much is your good health worth? In the long term, healthy eating and providing your body with proper nutrition will save you untold dollars in health care costs and lost wages.
The authors of The China Study state, “eating the right way would largely obviate the enormous costs of using drugs, as well as their side effects. Fewer people would need to wage lengthy, expensive battles with chronic disease in hospitals over their last years of life. Health care costs would drop and medical mistakes would wane as premature death plummeted. In essence, our health care system would finally protect and promote our health as it is meant to do (6).” You can pay a little more now for healthy eating or pay a lot later in health care expenses.
Another question may be the genetics factor. This is, of course, a determining factor in disease; but, much as a light switch has the capability to provide light, it cannot do so without an external factor. In other words, our bodies may have a genetic predisposition to a disease or condition but will not manifest this condition unless an internal switch is turned on. This internal switch is often poor nutrition. The more substandard our nutrition is, the greater will be the possibility of turning on those genetic switches.
A gardener will tell you that a seed is no good unless you can provide the proper soil, nutrients, water, and sunlight required for that seed to mature and develop into a plant. Theoretically, if we were to keep our bodies healthy enough, we would not allow the disease (seed) the proper nutrients or environment (soil) to develop. Proper dietary habits provide proper nutrients for optimal functioning of the immune system and a less hospitable environment for disease to develop.
Nutrition plays a crucial role in our immune system. The immune system is a complex system of specialized cells and organs that work together to prevent invasion by foreign substances and to remove foreign and harmful invaders if they do invade the body. In our bodies, there are two classes of specialized cells called lymphocytes: the B cells, which circulate in the blood locating and marking antigens – foreign invaders – for destruction; and the T cells, which also patrol for invaders but in addition play a role in the actual removal and destruction of the antigens.
Poor nutrition primarily affects the alarm portion of the immune system – the part that notifies the body of foreign invaders and marks them for destruction. This alarm failure allows these antigens to progress freely through the body undetected. This is similar to having an alarm system in your home without any power supplied to the alarm unit. Eventually, disease or illness will result. Nutrient deficiencies can also suppress the immune system, allowing the invaders more activity and opportunity to cause damage, disease, or illness. Proper nutrition is the body’s best defense against foreign invaders because it supports optimal immune system function.
In the United States today, one epidemic disease that can be attributed to poor dietary habits is obesity. The more extra weight an individual carries, the greater is the risk for any number of chronic diseases. Being overweight increases your risk of diabetes, arthritis, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Obesity can also be emotionally taxing, as it devastates a person’s self-esteem and confidence. This lack of confidence in physical appearance may in turn drive the obese person to avoid society and interactions with others. Thus, the obese may inadvertently shut out the help and assistance that they need in order to start out on the path to better health.
It seems that there is a new miracle weight loss pill, surgery, or plan introduced every day. Surgeons modify the stomach, making it as small as a thumb; others promote harmful drugs; and yet others encourage dangerous diets or lifestyle factors, all in the name of losing weight. Unscrupulous people take the money of overweight and obese persons, and in turn provide little more than the false hope that their miracle “cure” will result in weight loss. There are innumerable weight loss programs and diets; some are backed by doctors or other experts in the field of nutrition. Some diets advocate high-protein, low-carbohydrate consumption, when in fact the healthiest diet you can consume is one high in carbohydrates. The important factor is the type of carbohydrates that you consume. Refined sugar and white flour are so called “empty calories” that will cause weight gain. The bottom line is that a healthy and proper diet, combined with moderate exercise, is the best way to maintain a healthy weight. We simply can’t continue to sit in front of the television or computer for hours at a time, snacking on junk food, and expect to maintain a healthy weight.
Chronic illnesses and degenerative diseases are no longer plagues that only affect the elderly. More and more, our children and very young adults are succumbing to life altering and crippling illnesses. Diseases that used to be considered adult diseases are now increasingly more common among children, including high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes. All of these diseases can place limitations on the activities of these children, resulting in an inferior quality of life. The incidence of childhood asthma has increased approximately two hundred forty-seven percent in the last twenty-five years (7). Two studies have concluded that type 1 diabetes – a chronic condition where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to properly control blood sugar – has not only increased significantly, but now strikes children at a younger age (8,9). It is tragic to watch children suffer with such horrible and debilitating diseases. We, as parents, need to make a more concerted effort to provide the proper type of nutrition to our children that affords them the best chance to avoid these types of diseases.
If you ask five nutritionists for an opinion on a particular nutrient, you are likely to receive five different views. There are often contradictory studies and scientific publications regarding the same nutrient. Look at the butter/margarine debate, for example. One study will assert that margarine is healthier, while another asserts butter is better, with both sides of the debate presenting “scientific” data to back up their claims. What can you believe when contradictory studies exist?
These studies are often biased, depending on who is funding the study. For example, one study funded by the corporate parent of Lipton tea suggested that up to forty ounces of unsweetened coffee or tea and twelve ounces of beer daily is healthy (10). This study asserted that unsweetened tea and coffee are acceptable substitutes for water. It is quite comical to believe that a study funded and initiated by Lipton would produce any other results than they did. The person conducting the study obviously had a vested interest in ascertaining this conclusion.
Data may be interpreted favorably or unfavorably, based on the views and or beliefs of the individual conducting the study. If a scientist has a particular view about a nutrient, it is human nature to hope for favorable results for that nutrient. The scientist will do everything possible to prove his or her hypothesis or belief to be correct. Bias frequently sneaks into studies and articles, probably more than we know. In fact, an article published in PLoS Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal, concluded that food industry funding of nutrition-related scientific articles may bias the articles in preference toward the sponsor’s products, with substantial implications for public health (11). This article found that eighty-seven percent of studies funded by industry had results favorable or neutral to the industry, while only sixty-one percent of non-industry funded studies were favorable or neutral to the industry. This is a significant difference and demonstrates the bias inherent to industry-funded studies. It is the equivalent of Ford Motor Company requesting and paying for a study to determine if their vehicles are reliable. The results of these studies are obviously frequently manipulated and interpreted sympathetically toward the sponsor, or the desired outcome of the individual conducting the study. When a new study is released, touting a benefit or consequence of a product, it would be prudent to investigate the funding of the study, as well as the background of the person or persons who conducted the study.
With this much information to sort through and with contradictory scientific studies commonplace, are we then doomed to never have accurate and unbiased information about nutrition? The answer to that question is no. Is there a better source than God when it comes to nutrition? He is the designer and creator of our bodies and knows what is best for them. He is the master nutritionist, chemist, and biologist. In contrast to the philosophies of men and the scientific community, God is never changing – He remains constant and unvarying. He wants His children to be healthy and has given us a blueprint of what constitutes proper and healthful nutrition in the Word of Wisdom. Given the complexity of the human organism, who better to consult about nutrition than our Creator?
He will not force the Word of Wisdom on any of his children, but it is His will that we are healthy and have the knowledge available to take care of our bodies. God has offered us some of His wisdom and knowledge of nutrition and the human body and we may choose to accept or reject that information. Not only does He offer us this knowledge, He provides us a promise that we will have optimal health, both physically and mentally, if we follow His counsel contained in the Word of Wisdom. He has made it simple and non-cumbersome to follow, so that all may reap the benefits of His wisdom and knowledge. You don’t have to be a genius to follow His code of health; you only need knowledge and the desire to do so.
We live in a time where profit and wealth is considered over health and wellness; a time where many “conspiring men” produce and sell products that adversely affect health, despite having full knowledge that these products are unhealthy. Selfish and greedy men pad their wallets to the detriment of those who consume their products. Misleading and fraudulent advertisements are created by cunning men in order to create desirability for their products. The consequence of this is poor health. An example of this is a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicating the need for long-term use of smoking cessation products, despite the fact these same products are known to have side effects such as suicidal thoughts, seizures, and loss of consciousness. The four experts that conducted the research were funded by the manufacturers of smoking cessation products that had billions of dollars to gain by getting such a report published. This appears to be nothing more than telling the pharmaceutical companies what they want to hear, in order to generate billions of more dollars in profits. Even Harvard Medical School has indicated that they feel the influence of pharmaceutical companies is too prevalent in their schools, because of the millions of dollars these companies pour into this educational institution.