The Word of Wisdom

There is an article in this month's (December 2008) Ensign entitled, The Energy Drink Epidemic. I tried to insert a link so I hope it works. Anyway, it is written by a medical doctor who also is LDS. Basically, the article is about the use of caffeine. This is a subject that has always bothered me. From the time I understood what caffeinated beverages were, I tried to avoid them. First of all, in case my link doesn't work let me quote from part of the article.

"Not all caffeinated drinks are created equal; the quantity of caffeine varies greatly from product to product. To put this into perspective, consider that most cola soft drinks have from 22 to 55 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, compared to a common cup of tea that varies from 26 to 47 mg. Coffee may have from 57 mg for a cup of instant to 180 mg for a cup of brewed. By comparison, energy drinks may have from 80 to 500 mg of caffeine in one can."

During my undergraduate course of human physiology, I had a professor (who, by the way, was not LDS) who explained the origins of Coca-Cola and the effects of caffeine on the body. It was interesting to find out that Coca-Cola originally had cocaine in it, thus the name. He also explained that the addition of caffeine to soft drinks, serves no purpose, other than the drug effects. It has no taste, or smell. As probably most of you know, caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Other well-known CNS stimulants include: cocaine, methamphetamine, speed etc. Granted caffeine doesn't have quite the same effects as these illicit drugs, but it is in the same drug class and has a similar effect on the body, albeit perhaps not as intense. I'm not going to take the time to discuss the effects of caffeine on the body but if you would like to learn more, the article in Ensign explains it. One thing that stood out to me in my physiology class was the professor telling us that there are mountains of white powdered caffeine at the soft drink bottling plants, such as Coca-Cola, which they add to the cola syrup. During the manufacturing process. I'm sure this is not how it happens but I imagined a farm tractor driving up to a mountain of caffeine filling its bucket and dumping it in a vat of cola syrup.

I understand why soft drink companies add caffeine to their beverages. Caffeine is highly addictive, and they want to sell drinks. And I understand why people purchase them, because they enjoy the effects of the drug. And for some reason, people don't think twice about caffeine intake. Yet, I would venture to say that most people, especially members of the church, wouldn't touch cocaine or methamphetamines with a 10 foot pole. What I find baffling is, these drugs are closely related. So why don't we treat caffeine the same?

What's even more disturbing to me is parents who let their children drink caffeinated beverages. And not just teenagers but young toddlers as soon as they can drink out of a sippy cup. Would any parents give their child a cocaine lollipop? I think not. I know this is an extreme example but even a weaker central nervous system stimulant such as caffeine cannot be good for a developing brain and body.

While I’m on the subject of The Word of Wisdom I would like to mention another aspect of that commandment. We all know what The Word of Wisdom tells us not to do. No alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, coffee and tea. And let me just say that in the spirit of the law I would include all drugs that are medically unnecessary, such as caffeine. And let’s not forget prescription drugs and so-called herbal medications which can be just as devastating when not used properly as illegal drugs.

Now I want to talk about is What the Word of Wisdom tells us we should do.

Doctrine and Covenants section 89
" 10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome aherbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with aprudence and bthanksgiving.
12 Yea, aflesh also of bbeasts 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 csparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be aused, only in times of winter, or of cold, or bfamine.
14 All agrain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And athese hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16 All grain is good for the afood of man; as also the bfruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, ashall receive bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall afind bwisdom and great ctreasures of dknowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall arun and not be bweary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the adestroying angel shall bpass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen. "

Just ignore the footnotes. I don't feel like erasing them all :-) anyway, as you can see we are told that grains are good for us and we should use meat sparingly. And I also included the promise if we obey the Word of wisdom. So what I wanted to t talk about was fad diets. Diets such as the Atkins diet where you cut out most or all carbohydrates and eat mostly proteins and fats. Not only does this sound unhealthy from a dietary standpoint but I believe it is against the Word of wisdom. If you follow the FDA’s food pyramid carbohydrates as I recall should make up the majority of your diet. I believe it was something like 60 to 70% carbohydrates 20% to 30% protein and 10% fat. In my interpretation word of wisdom advocates moderation. And eating a balanced diet. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy, so it doesn’t make sense to cut those out of your diet. And I also believe that meat should be used sparingly as part of a balanced diet.. Likewise, I don’t think non-fat diets are good either. Not only does fat increase satiety, it makes you feel full faster so you don’t eat as much, but also takes longer to digest so you don’t get as hungry as soon.. I have seen people on non-fat diets who eat twice as much food because they don’t feel satisfied.. This really defeats the purpose of a non-fat diet doesn’t it? The healthiest way to live is to eat a balanced diet of all foods. If you want to lose weight, don’t eat as many calories, but stick to a balanced diet and moderation.

That’s my two cents.