The Staff of Life

In Doctrine and Covenants 89:14, 16-17, it says:

 "All grain 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. . . all grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—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."

While I was doing the Biggest Loser contest with some friends, I studied the writings of several medical doctors who prescribe nutrition to their patients, instead of drugs and surgery.  Most of them (80% or more) lose weight and regain their health by just changing their diets and getting some exercise.  The diets these particular doctors recommend is a plant-based diet, and excludes animal products and junk food.  They focus on grains, fruits and vegetables, with a high emphasis on green vegetables, with a varying degree of the amount of starches (grains, legumes, and potatoes) that they recommend.  My past experiences with different plant-based diets were usually short-lived, because no matter how many fruits and vegetables I'd eat, I would always feel hungry.  One doctor whose ideas particularly appealed to me is John McDougall, who recently released a book entitled The Starch Solution.  He recommends that his patients use starches as the main part of their meals, and then add fruits and vegetables to round out the meal.  I found that when I started doing this, my cravings went away and I wasn't hungry in between my meals.
     One night as I was studying the Word of Wisdom, trying to get some wisdom on the subject, I came across the verses I quoted above, and it was as if a light bulb went off in my head.  I realized that Dr. Mcdougall was basically recommending that his patients follow the Word of Wisdom diet, and he probably doesn't even know anything about it.  I believe that this is the big secret that most of us who are trying to follow the Word of Wisdom, but maybe not seeing the results we want, might be missing.  If we want the blessings the Lord has promised for keeping His laws, we have to keep those laws in His way.  If He says that the blessings will come by putting grains at the center of our diet, then we can't expect to receive His blessings of health by eating a high protein, low carb diet, since grains are carbs, and a diet of grains, fruits and vegetables is anything but low carb.  As so often happens, the Lord's ways are completely at odds with what the world tries to teach us, and we have to have faith to do it His way.
       I am finding it to be a bit of a challenge to eat grain so often, just because we eat more potatoes, beans, fruits and vegetables.  While all those things are wonderful and should be eaten in abundance, they aren't grains, and I want to follow the Word of Wisdom in the way the Lord set out for us.  My purpose in this blog is to find recipes that I believe fit into the Word of Wisdom.  I'll be on the lookout for great ways to eat grains, as well as sharing other plant-based recipes.  I'm hoping that others who may read this blog and who are also trying to incorporate more grains into their diets will share some of their good ideas with us.  I can't wait to see what we come up with!