Word of Wisdom: The Hearts of Conspiring Men

 Most people think of the tobacco, drug, and alcohol industry when they hear “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."   However, after becoming a dietitian I looked at this verse a little differently.

I do not think that drugs and alcohol are the only “evils and designs” referenced here. I believe this verse is warning of a far more subtle danger; the dangers that exist in the food, health, and diet industry. I’m not speaking of food additives or lack of good nutrition so prevalent in the standard American diet, as problematic as they can be. No, that would still be far too obvious for the Adversary.

After speaking with countless people about their nutrition concerns and beliefs I’ve come to believe that the “evils and designs” of the last day were designed by Satan and are part of his most stealth and subtle tactics.  Alcohol and drug addictions are too obvious for such a cunning devil and only so many fall into that trap. Lets be honest, everyone knows its bad, but some do it anyway. Where is the deception in that? But what about nutrition and diet?  I think you would agree that everyone eats and most people have some concern about eating healthy. It seems completely harmless, even beneficial to be concerned about healthy, right? In that lies the secret of Satan’s plan.

The diet and nutrition industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and each year millions of diet conscious people buy into the books, supplements, products, foods, and programs designed to help you and your family be healthy. Many obsess over their diet all in the name of health, depriving themselves of all “unhealthy” foods, agonizing when they slip up. This becomes a viscous, though subtle cycle, which consumes people on the inside.  In fact, I don’t believe most people even realize how much they obsess about food. Others become so overwhelmed by this craze they give up all together and don’t worry about health at all.

During my time as a dietetic student and now as a registered dietitian I am constantly getting asked questions or told opinions about food. It doesn’t mater where I go be it a homeless shelter in Provo serving meals or the doctor’s office for a physical, every day I get at least one question or comment on nutrition. Being asked questions doesn’t bother me. What concerns me is the type of questions I’m being asked. Questions about fad diets, quick fixes, good and bad foods, and dangerous nutrition practices. Questions that often indicate a person has unhealthy attitudes about diet and nutrition.

Most people do not recognize the damage this cycle of trying to “eat healthy” and then “slipping up” causes.  It is so subtle and simple and, quite frankly, universal. There are very few people I have met who do not talk about food in terms of “good” and “bad.” Most everyone does which makes it seem acceptable, normal, even desirable. However, this destructive cycle is anything but healthy, which is why it called for scriptural warning.

This cycle distracts many Latter-day Saints from the greater things of life. Rather than focusing on Christ, women agonize over their weight. Rather than waking up early to study the scriptures, saints devote that morning time to exercise.  Rather than studying the gospel, saints devote their time to studying health and diet.  Rather than focusing and healing and improving through the Atonement, saints hold themselves in contempt over diet woes.

You may think this seems extreme or a little ridiculous. You are probably asking yourself, “How could trying to be healthy be falling for a trap set by the Adversary?” Let me tell you, as a health and nutrition professional, today’s attitudes and ideas about food are often anything but healthy. They are extreme and excessive to the point they are subtly taking over people’s lives in ways they don’t even recognize and taking their focus away from where the Lord would have it.  I would submit to you that this is the evil design that  “exist in the hearts of conspiring men” which warranted the laying out of a Word of Wisdom for the Saints over 150 years ago.  

Tad R. Callister said that “Like a skilled magician, Satan’s every move is to divert our attention and dilute our focus from the primary objective at hand...in hopes we will turn exclusively to doctrines of secondary and far lesser import” (The Infinite Atonement). I think unhealthy obsessions over diet and health are one of the secondary doctrines he is referring to. Does this mean you should stop exercising or learning about nutrition. No, absolutely not. But I do think they need to be kept in their proper place and be used as a tool to help your spirit rather than detract from its growth.

So why did I study the Word of Wisdom as part of my scripture study and why did I feel compelled to write it down? Because, as a dietitian, people come to me for answers about nutrition and not all answers come from scientific journals. Health and nutrition is a temporal law which impacts our spirits and prophets have told us (even as recent as October General Conference) that it is important. However, both extremes, either ignoring health and diet or overly obsessing about healthy and diet, are dangerous to the body and the spirit. I feel compelled to share what I have learned to help people navigate the conflicting information in the world today about diet and nutrition, and to help bring them back to the essential basics of the Word of Wisdom. I love to answer people’s questions when they really want an answer and I love the challenge of nutrition as it relates to disease. But more often than not the answer to good health and nutrition is extremely simple, but produces powerful results, and involves simply following the Word of Wisdom.