A kind soul on Formspring linked me to a new favorite blog, and I’m excited to share it with you because it isn’t very often that I come across blog authors/posts that I agree with so completely.
My first step toward rethinking the Word of Wisdom and how I wanted to apply it in my life was in May of last year when I wrote about a desire to cut back on the amount of meat we consume (specifically during spring/summer/fall), and when I read Eating Animals everything clicked and I officially became what is now being called a Flexitarian (though I still prefer my own made-up term, Compassionavore 
). I get a little sad when I hear so many fellow LDS members saying things like “well the thing about meat in the Word of Wisdom just doesn’t apply to us” or “I could never even think about cutting back on meat, I have to have it.” These are poor excuses and we can do better!
Each week the author of Word of Wisdom Living, Skip Hellewell, will reveal a new healthy change. The first week the change was:
and the second week:
Those are doable, right? I’m patting myself on the back because I haven’t had to make any changes yet, these are things I already do (ok, ok, I think I bought french fries a handful of times last year and I need to quit!). I love that Skip doesn’t just post these images, he writes in his post why he thinks this change will make a difference and what science has to say about it. In the sidebar of his blog you can see that he also plans to talk about nutrition books, articles, studies, recipes, and blogs.
I think Skip is doing something great with his blog, and I hope you’ll click over, explore his site, and subscribe so you can follow along with each of the 52 healthy changes he is going to post this year. Even if you aren’t LDS, I think these are all things we all can do to lead healthier, happier lives!
All images in this post courtesy of the Word of Wisdom Living blog.
January 16th, 2011 on 1:47 am
Such a cool blog! Is Skip related to April?? I swear I recall her talking about a relative (grandpa or her dad perhaps?) named Skip.
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Kelli Nicole Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 1:48 am
Ok, I just checked her blog and her dad’s name is Skip! How many Skip Hellewell’s could there be??
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April Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
So I was hanging out with my dad today, talking about his new project when he told me he was getting some hits from a blog called “ThatWife.” And I started cracking up.
I’m glad you guys have liked it. My dad’s been fairly obsessed with nutrition for the past few years and has been getting together materials for a book, but wanted to try out a blog first to see if people really are that interested. It’s crazy how much he’s learned (and how many books/articles/journals he’s read/referenced/filled-full-of-Post-It-Notes). He’s excited to have people to add to his discussions.
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Jenna Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Well I now think you have the coolest dad ever. I haven’t been this excited about a blog in a really long time! It’s so refreshing to see someone take on the Word of Wisdom and try to figure out how it was actually meant to be lived. I think we would all live a lot longer, healthier lives if we paid a little more attention to it.
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Jenna Reply:
January 20th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
Oh, and a second reply to say that if he wrote a book, I would buy it!
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January 16th, 2011 on 7:40 am
Hi Jenna — I read constantly and have been fascinated by your family’s food journey. I’m still fumbling around trying to figure out what is best for my husband and I and our bodies (we have WILDLY different health needs -and let’s be honest, wants
). I clicked on the blog and I’m officially in love. Thanks so much for being so open and for sharing great resources like this! I’m pumped about trying to incorporate all the healthy changes each week!
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January 16th, 2011 on 9:14 am
My sister sent this to me this week! I’m reading Real Food right now, and it seems like I’m seeing this whole life stuff everywhere. So is the husband. He’s researching organic farming and is starting to really buy into this.
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January 16th, 2011 on 11:36 am
This is really cool! I confess, I’m still working on being better with what we eat. Husband and I are both kinda picky eaters and I’m trying to broaden our horizons a little bit. Following this blog will help I think. Thanks!
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January 16th, 2011 on 12:29 pm
Like you, I’ve often been frustrated by what I saw as a willful blind spot toward the “eat meat sparingly” line in the Word of Wisdom. So many people would counter my question by saying “well, you know, what does sparingly even mean?” and I would kind of be flabbergasted a bit, because to me, “sparingly” means, at the very least, only in times of winter or famine, since that’s what the verse specifically says. I think one could eat more meat than that if they chose, but I think it’s a big leap to go from “only in times of winter or famine” to “3 times a day every day gimme my meat”, haha
Thanks for the link, I’ll be checking this blog out!
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January 16th, 2011 on 12:30 pm
Thanks for sharing this blog, Jenna! It looks like a new “Must Read.”
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January 16th, 2011 on 12:32 pm
Oh, and random aside regarding your tweet about what you were reading last night- I already owned the Fear book for this month’s book club, and last week I checked out The End of Overeating, so I’m reading both of them at the same time too
Interesting ends of the spectrum for me to toggle back and forth on to say the least!
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Jenna Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Fun! If I come across anything I find particularly interesting I’ll shoot you an email
. I constantly find myself nodding “yes! yes!” when I am reading. I fit so many of the things that he describes!
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Sophia Reply:
January 17th, 2011 at 11:18 am
Yes, please do! I was nodding a lot last night while reading too
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January 16th, 2011 on 12:35 pm
Added it to my reader.
I know you try to eat in season, but is that just by shopping through farmer’s markets? I am trying to figure out how to do that if you just shop at a regular grocery store - are there any resources you have that says what’s in season, when?
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Jenna Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
I was ALWAYS puzzled by this too! How was I supposed to tell what was available in season when everything is in the grocery store all the time? I don’t have an easy answer, as I now feel like I have a better idea only because of my farmers market and CSA experiences. I saw things come and go from the produce stands (mourning the day the tomatoes disappeared!) there are other factors like greenhouse growing, etc. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle taught me that the growing season for asparagus is actually incredibly short for everywhere but California, so when it appears at the FM I plan on buying baskets and baskets of it!
I know I’ve seen charts on some of the farm websites that show what is available for that farm throughout the growing season. Maybe you could use a site like localharvest.org to find a large farm near you and find out if they have one of those charts on their site.? Oh wait!!! I think there is a site that talks about this. I will have to dig through my inbox though.
And note that some would say that everything they eat is “seasonal” because it’s “always banana season in this place” or “California has tomatoes grown all year round”. I try to focus on things that aren’t picked unripe, artificially ripened, and then shipped thousands of miles to get to me
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Becky Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 11:58 am
Just thought I’d add that I have an iPhone app that spits out a list of what is in season by the week and month for my area. There are probably similar apps for android now too. I love it because I can always have it with me at the market if I’m confused about what is seasonal and local and what is imported.
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January 16th, 2011 on 3:59 pm
Ugh! I made a goal this year to cut back on my soda drinking (I drink one a day normally) and made a goal to only drink twice a week… failing miserably.
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January 16th, 2011 on 9:11 pm
So, the soda thing? Is it only sodas with sugar or does it include diet soda? I’ve stopped drinking diet coke because of things I’ve read about aspartame and artificial coloring. I like the idea of leaving room for having a little here and there(moderation).
But never eating deep fried foods? UGH! We have this little fish and chips place near our home and we love the people who work there so we get fish there every other week or so on Fridays. Our family of four shares two orders and that is more than enough, but it is more about the whole experience.
I think that is why food is such a huge issue for so many people- we don’t just use it to sate hunger. A great deal of what we do revolves around food- preparing it, eating it..
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Jenna Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
I’m not a pop person, so this one isn’t a struggle for me.
When it comes to fried foods, one thing we do is eat out less often, at nicer places where they don’t rely on frying to make food taste good. It’s definitely not for everyone, but now I would much rather have a gourmet style meal a few times a year instead of fried foods once a week! It’s messy, but have you thought about frying foods yourself? That way you can choose the fats you use!
I understand the emotional connection we can have to food, and those who make it for us though. It’s one reason I eat so horribly over the holidays, I just can’t say no to the green marshmallow salad my grandma makes or the potato chips in her cupboard!
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January 17th, 2011 on 8:08 am
I believe the way to live is by practicing moderation. It is sometimes hard to practice, but I think if you cut something completely that you like, then you will overindulge on it later. The best thing to do is only eat or drink once in a while. It is like a reward for yourself.
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January 17th, 2011 on 10:14 am
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
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January 17th, 2011 on 9:58 pm
Done and done (the first was a BIG change that I took on last August)! I’m ready, what’s next?
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January 18th, 2011 on 2:24 am
what an awesome blog! I love that you found it, so that I could read it!
only problem for me…I LOVE chicken strips! yummm….oh and fish and chips. but hey…it’s worth a try!
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Amy Reply:
January 18th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
You know- I haven’t found a replacement for fish & chips but I make chicken strips at home by dipping raw chicken in salad dressing(we like some Italian with balsamic for this) then rolling in panko(this is what is used for tempura quite often)- of course you could always crush up some cornflakes, too. I then pan fry them in a little olive oil on our mostly-nonstick cast iron(threw out all my nonstick and only use cast iron now, I love it so much). The kids much prefer these to any chicken strips we get out or buy pre-cooked. They are a quick meal, too.
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Kristen Smith Reply:
January 19th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
that is a great idea! I want to try it right now!! yum!
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