Have we neglected the Word of Wisdom?

[Jesef]

How can a person run and not be weary or walk and not faint if they are obese or otherwise completely physically out of shape? Just a thought.

Why is the Word of Wisdom a temple "worthiness" requirement, when, as it still reads in the revelation, it was "not by commandment or constraint"? Where is the revelation, sustained and canonized, that altered that and changed it to be "by commandment and constraint"?

Why did Jesus (reportedly) put it this way?

Mark 7
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

It seems to me like lots of things may be unhealthy (or not good) for your body, but do not make you spiritually "unworthy". And all kinds of "righteous" figures from the Bible, including Jesus, were drinking alcohol/wine (Jesus turned water into the best wine as his first miracle, reportedly), etc.

Our position today seems more like a tradition born in the days of American Prohibition.

[Arenera]

Dr. McDougall's Newsletter July 2017

Simple Reasoning Solves Dietary Confusion

Daily, I am asked to justify my recommendations for a starch- (corn-, potato-, rice-) based diet over other diets that offer contrary advice. (Below is a concise review of the McDougall Plan). The effects of different diets are far too complex to make meaningful such side-by-side comparisons. I would like to, however, share with you some of my past professional educational opportunities in order for you to better understand how my views developed over 40 years ago. Using the "Search" feature on my website (www.drmcdougall.com) will also help you find many articles about the specific concerns I have for other popular diets you may have been considering. (Enter terms such as: low-carb diet, low-fat diet, Grain Brain, Wheat Belly, Atkins, lectin-free, nutrient dense diet, vegan diet, and vegetarian diet.)

Recipes this month are from Katie Mae. Katie Mae is a plant-based culinary coach and nutritionist on a mission to empower people in living brighter lives via delicious plant foods. Katie Mae is the founder of Plantz St. Culinary Gym in downtown Santa Rosa, CA. Katie Mae is also a core cooking instructor for the McDougall Program.

RAINBOW VEGGIE SHEPHERD'S PIE
LEMON-GINGER SWEET ROOT NOODLES
HOT-COLD ENCHILADA SALAD
PALAK KICHADI (SPINACH RICE & DAL)

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[Arenera]

Beating Pre-Diabetes

Beat Pre-Diabetes

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[Arenera]

Do Your Daily Dozen!

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[Arenera]

Bob Blackburn's Story

Bob Blackburn served in the Marines from 1981-85 and later became a professional wrestler (The DI Bob Carter) in the WWE.

After retiring from wrestling in 1989, he developed a lifestyle of unhealthy habits, eventually leading to the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at the age of 53 – the same age at which his own father died from the complications of type 2 diabetes.

Like many people, Bob was scared and frustrated with high cholesterol, high blood glucose, high blood pressure, and weighed 296 pounds. Candidly, he told us: "I was just a cheeseburger and fries away from 300 pounds, and I knew I had to do something about it."

Despite this grim series of health conditions, Bob decided to make a serious lifestyle change to drastically improve his health and avoid the same fate as his father. After learning that he could reverse type 2 diabetes using his lifestyle, Bob went home and began eagerly researching what steps he could take to turn his health around...completely.

Only 3 months after his diabetes diagnosis, Bob had lost 52 pounds, reduced his fasting blood glucose by 200 mg/dL, dropped his cholesterol by almost 40%, and lowered his A1c by 3.5%.

Here’s how it happened.
He first found Dr. Neal Barnard’s TEDx talk on YouTube. He watched the video, ordered Dr. Barnard’s book on reversing diabetes, and read the book from cover to cover.

The next day, he woke up and began eating a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet, just as Dr. Barnard had described.
In less than 24 hours, his life was changed forever.Bob admitted that even though he started eating a plant-based diet, he was still slightly confused about what to eat. He didn’t let that slow him down, and instead he started experimenting and becoming “that guy” searching for plant-based foods at every opportunity.

In a short period of time Bob learned how to refine his meals, and eventually began enjoying his meals more than he did at the beginning. His medical team sent him to a diabetes education class that suggested that he eat a low-carb, high-protein diet to control his blood glucose – the same diet that he had tried in the past and found unsustainable. He decided to fully commit to this new low-fat, plant-based approach and see what would unfold.

Bob knew that to stay motivated, he first had to define why he wanted to achieve better health. With two teenage sons and a partner that loves him deeply, he had all the reasoning in the world to stay committed to improved health.
By adopting this new lifestyle, he hopes to spend a long and healthy life with his family, and not feel held back by being “sick” and overweight.

In February of 2017, Bob found out about the Mastering Diabetes Online Summit, and promptly signed up. He watched dozens of interviews with diabetes experts, researchers, and physicians, and put into practice as much information as he could.

Bob eventually found a dietitian – Kim Smith, MS, RD, who understood this dietary approach for type 2 diabetes – who helped him to understand how particular foods affected his blood glucose. They worked together to sort through the small differences presented by these diabetes experts, and modify his lifestyle to fit his individual needs.

Through this process, Bob found that he felt his best when incorporating lots of beans and leafy green vegetables, and found himself enjoying meals that were previously unappetizing. In addition, he found that when he ate potatoes, rice, or quinoa, his blood glucose was quite difficult to control.

3 Month Results
Bob returned to his doctor’s office for a follow-up appointment 3 months after he began a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food lifestyle. Here’s what happened:
Bob lost 52 pounds
His cholesterol dropped 77 points (from 225 mg/dL to 148 mg/dL)
His A1c dropped from 9.9% to 6.4%
He was able to discontinue using insulin (approximately 20U per day)

9 Month Results
When Bob walked out of the doctor’s office following his 3-month checkup, he almost cried. Excited by excellent results, he continued eating a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food lifestyle and continued to improve his weight, blood glucose, and cholesterol.

On his birthday (July 12, 2017), he returned to the doctor’s office for another appointment after losing another 38 pounds. By this point, he had dropped his A1c to 5.9%, his total cholesterol to 125 mg/dL, his LDL cholesterol to 83 mg/dL, and his blood pressure to 106/66 mmHg.

Today, Bob is happier and healthier than he has been in over 30 years. He continues this lifestyle and his health continues to progress. He is able to keep up with his teenage sons and be present with his partner, Katherine.
Bob is a living example of how much of an effect your diet has on your overall health. When we asked him about his thoughts on this lifestyle, he said:

“I have been eating a whole-foods, plant-based, no-oil diet since November of 2016. While I don’t consider myself a vegan, I choose to stay primarily plant-based. I eat a lot of fruit, I do not count my carbohydrate intake, I watch my fat intake and I feel like a million bucks. This lifestyle saved my life.”

[Arenera]

"Been on more of a plant-based diet, getting away from the animals and all that," Irving told the broadcast team. "I had to get away from that. So my energy is up; my body feels amazing."

Healthy Diet and the NBA

THE SECRET (BUT HEALTHY!) DIET POWERING KYRIE AND THE NBA
Chicken wings are vanishing from the locker room. Superstars are slimming down—and speeding up. If 'skinny ball' has arrived, could the performance-enhancer sparking a revolution be...veganism?

The M-V-P chants shower Kyrie Irving as he toes the line for two free throws. The point guard is putting the finishing touches on a 35-point masterpiece against the Atlanta Hawks, and the crowd bellows with praise from every corner of the arena.

This kind of hero worship is commonplace for the star of the home team having a good night. Except this is an away game for Kyrie. The Celtics are playing in ATL, not Boston.

Irving is that good. He looks like a Harlem Globetrotter and Houdini all in one, darting and dazzling through Atlanta double-teams from start to finish. Down the stretch, he's masterful. When the Hawks go up 100-99 with 3:07 remaining, Irving single-handedly outscores them the rest of the way to help ice the game for his new team. He walks off the floor, untying his Nikes and handing them to a throng of adoring fans.

It's around this time that LeBron James grabs his phone and sets the basketball world ablaze.

After the M-V-P chants for Irving, James feels compelled to type "Mood…" into his Instagram and posts that meme of Arthur the Aardvark's clenched fist. Whether it was LeBron's intent to nod to Kyrie or not, the post makes it clear: Irving is right there, on top of the basketball world circa November 2017.

It might be too early to talk about Irving's MVP candidacy, but there's something different about Kyrie right now. His already skinny frame is noticeably trimmer—gaunt, almost. But he's outlasting everybody—not just the Hawks.

In late-game situations while other players are gassed, Irving has looked bouncier than ever. So far this season, in clutch situations (games within five in the final five minutes), his numbers are unfathomable. In 24 minutes of action, he's tallied 41 points on 57 percent shooting while handing out seven assists with no turnovers. Yes, that's 41 points in what amounts to one half of basketball.

This development has caught the eye of some basketball people and health fanatics around the NBA. Why? After a preseason game on ESPN, Irving announced something intriguing to Chauncey Billups and the NBA Countdown crew, who noticed how much...thinner he looked:

"Been on more of a plant-based diet, getting away from the animals and all that," Irving told the broadcast team. "I had to get away from that. So my energy is up; my body feels amazing."

So, is it possible that the secret to Irving's hot start is...that he's gone vegan? B/R Mag asked him just that.

"I think we can credit that in the win column," Irving told me after the Hawks game, rocking a gray sweatshirt inside a slim-tailored navy suit. "We lost the first two games, won the last nine games. I haven't changed any diet. I don't plan on changing anything in my diet. It's working out great so far."

Indeed, the Celtics are now an NBA-best 13-2, ripping off 13 straight wins without the injured Gordon Hayward, thanks in part to Irving's heroics.

"He's had great energy all year," Boston coach Brad Stevens says of Irving. "The nutrition side is huge."

The only other player with more clutch points than Irving this season? That would be Damian Lillard, who—you don't say!—went vegan this offseason, too, dropping almost 10 pounds in the process.

"I wanted to eat cleaner," Lillard told The Oregonian this offseason. "Also I want to play lighter this year and be easier on my joints and feet. I'm getting older, you know what I mean?"

Irving and Lillard aren't the only ones. Wilson Chandler, Al Jefferson, Garrett Temple, Enes Kanter, JaVale McGee and Jahlil Okafor have all made the switch to a vegan or vegetarian diet in the past year or so. For the uninitiated, vegans don't eat animals or animal-derived products like eggs or milk. A vegetarian can order the omelette with cheese; a vegan goes for the oatmeal with soy milk.

The rise of plant-based diets in the NBA follows a worldwide uptick in meat-free meals. According to research firm GlobalData's report, 6 percent of U.S. consumers identify as vegan, up from just 1 percent in 2014. In the United Kingdom, veganism rose by 350 percent from 2006 to 2016, largely from the country's younger demographics.

...

[AI2.0]

How can a person run and not be weary or walk and not faint if they are obese or otherwise completely physically out of shape? Just a thought.

Why is the Word of Wisdom a temple "worthiness" requirement, when, as it still reads in the revelation, it was "not by commandment or constraint"? Where is the revelation, sustained and canonized, that altered that and changed it to be "by commandment and constraint"?

Why did Jesus (reportedly) put it this way?

Mark 7
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
17 And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
18 And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;
19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

It seems to me like lots of things may be unhealthy (or not good) for your body, but do not make you spiritually "unworthy". And all kinds of "righteous" figures from the Bible, including Jesus, were drinking alcohol/wine (Jesus turned water into the best wine as his first miracle, reportedly), etc.

Our position today seems more like a tradition born in the days of American Prohibition.

The church did vote to make it a commandment waaaaay back in the 1850's. Then the people had several generations before it was actually pushed and attempts were made to get the members to live it. Frankly, I think that's pretty patient to wait that long to live something that had such valuable spiritual and health benefits. So, I think it was dealt with in a way that even the weakest could try to live it.

Now, it's easy to live it if you put your mind to it and who benefits? You do. And, to the extent that you observe it, you will reap the spiritual and health rewards.

The Leaders had to set temple worthiness standards and they decided to use a portion of the Word of Wisdom for that. They had the right to do that, they are the Lord's servants and pray for guidance and inspiration on these things. Also, when you are interviewed for a temple recommend, they will not probe--they simply ask if you live the Word of Wisdom and you answer yes or no, as you see it. This way, you are acknowledging to Heavenly Father and not to men.

And citing Jesus' use of wine is not relevant to today. The wine Jesus would have drunk was not the same alcohol content that is sold now--it was watered down a lot. Their societies did not approve of drunkenness, and it's not like they had bottled water and refrigeration to protect liquids from fermenting.

[Arenera]

If you struggle with food addiction.

http://book.brightlineeating.com/

[Finrock]

A generous amount of red meat and dairy helps you to live longer:

http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2018/ ... ought.html

-Finrock