The Last Post
I guess I’ve made my main point in (nearly) three years of Word of Wisdom Living posts. Exactly what point you wonder?
For those committed to living healthier longer, here’s the simplest summary I can make: Eat food as close as practical to the form in which it was created. In God we trust. Warning: Healthy eating requires home cooking. Or like it says on the toy packages: Some assembly required.
In the beginning, our humble goal was to save the world by reforming Food Inc—those heartless purveyors of the Modern American Diet (MAD). We sought to restore the olden ways of traditional cooking—the food your great-grandmother prepared but with the modern improvements—for longer lives and better deaths.
These modern improvements were pretty big: refrigeration, freedom from famine, laborsaving kitchen tools, and so on. Our time proffers the potential for the best health in human history. Yet we’re haunted by overweight, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and the worst indignity, dementia. We're digging our own graves with our forks. The modern American diet had gone terribly wrong and WOWL sought the cure through better eating. Prevention always trumps cure.
52 Healthy Changes
It was an audacious goal: To reform the American food culture. But we weren’t alone. The new vision of how to stay alive through better eating is gaining traction in many quarters. Such a major change is best done in manageable steps, so we created the 52 Healthy Changes.
Readers have asked frequently that I print the list of 52 Healthy Changes but I have politely ignored those requests. Partly because the list keeps changing as we move along in the food reformation. But there’s another reason.
Back in 1970—has it really been 44 years?—I attended a small meeting where Stephen R, Covey spoke. I forget the subject of his talk but at the end he casually mentioned that he was making a list of the habits of successful people. As everyone knows, this list resulted in his perennial best seller 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and a business empire.
Intrigued, we pleaded with him to share the list. He declined, saying that just hearing the list wouldn’t change anything. But we persisted and he shared his list—an early version of the seven habits.
Well, he was right. Just having the list didn’t change us very much. Change isn’t that easy—reforming the way one works is hard. So I persisted in presenting the 52 Healthy Changes one by one, with a brief background to explain the importance. I hope it has helped you in your quest for healthful living.
Leaving for Midway
It’s early in the morning; the night is still dark. The Beautiful Wife is bustling about packing the many things required for a trip. In a few minutes we’ll leave for lovely Midway, Utah and the annual Swiss Days celebration. She’s half-Swiss you know.
It’s a long drive to Midway. I sink into deep thought on these trips, pondering the miles away. I love that part of the trip. Today I’ll think about all the things we’ve discussed in Word of Wisdom Living these three years. And we’ll think about what to do next.
To repeat, my 100,000 word guide—my estimate of the word sum of all the weekly posts—to good health through good eating simply adds up to something your great-grandmother might have told you in just twelve words: Eat food as close as practical to how it was first created.
I have to do some painting in Midway, but I'll also think about that book. (If you’re in Midway, stop and say hello. We’ll be at the family home, the one with the statue of a man offering you an apple.)
Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 5:32AM | by Skip Hellewell | 54 Comments | 29 References | Share Article | Email Article
Reader Comments (54)
I echo all the sentiments of those who have already commented. I have appreciated you doing all the hard work of researching, examining and then presenting information in layman's terms. You helped put words to my philosophy of eating, and for that I am so grateful! You have also helped me make changes to my eating philosophy to better reflect the word of wisdom. Many times I have referred family and friends to your blog, expressing that here they would find solid, well-researched answers to many dietary questions. So thank you for the time and love you put into this. Lots of luck to you and your family.
Thank you for such wise advice. I've been with you since the beginning and have felt your encouragement. You deserve a pat on the back (or better, a big hug) because it was you, in large part, who helped me to make small changes in our family over the years
I just happened by the blog again. When Google Reader went away, I became in irregular reader of all my RSS feeds. I've appreciated the thoughts, reach and effort that went into all of your posts. I've referred others here to learn along with me…and your other fans. Thank you for all of your efforts. I hope to read more of your writings in the future!
Thanks for all that you have shared!
Thank you for your blog. I imagine myself as an investigator of healthy living, much as investigators in the church are searching for meaning. It has been difficult and confusing. I finally came to the conclusion that i would seriously investigate what the Lord has already told us about healthy living and i decided i would go on the word of wisdom diet... That is when i found your blog and feel it was an answer to a prayer. So thank you again, and i would love to hear more someday.
thank you.
I just found your website today--after many months of studying everything I can find on the Word of Wisdom and trying to figure out how it fits into all this latter-day "expertise" that keeps showing up. I'm so tired of falling for every wind of doctrine, and your information and approach to living this true and inspired law is the best I've found. I add my thanks to all the rest expressed and am so sorry I just now discovered your site. But thank goodness I did--better late than never! PLEASE let the world know if you do a book (maybe it's already out?). Blessings to you and your family! Alice Osborne (Alpine, UT)
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Please let me know if you write that book! Rebeccaclarkson7@gmail.com
I'm a mom of 8 boys (3 are now teenagers, the rest still little) and we are a mostly healthy family. Im going to start your 52 habits as a focus for next year. Thank you for taking the time to do this blog!
Thank you for such wise advice. I've been with you since the beginning and have felt your encouragement. You deserve a pat on the back (or better, a big hug) because it was you, in large part, who helped me to make small changes in our family over the years. Today my family eats what you preach: whole foods, good fats and oils, raw milk, grass fed meat sparingly, and locally grown produce. It has taken some time, but everyone is on board now. We eat mostly organic and I have adjusted our budget to eat quality food. I still use Brooke's shopping list, too. I went to a conference a few years back and the speaker left us with some encouraging words-- "people can change." Sometimes they don't, but often they DO. It takes time. Tiny steps of progress and a few setbacks. But we can change. Gratitude for you and your time. I suppose I will have to find a new homepage:)
Great tips, many thanks for sharing. I have printed and will stick on the wall! I like this blog.
Living by the Word of Wisdom is a principle many religions and spiritual practices teach. It encourages individuals to care for their bodies and minds by living a healthy and balanced lifestyle. This can include maintaining a nutritious diet, regular exercise, avoiding harmful substances such as tobacco and alcohol, and practicing mindfulness and meditation. By living following these principles, individuals can enjoy better health and well-being and a greater sense of inner peace and harmony. At the same time, adhering to the Word of Wisdom can also be a challenging and rewarding journey, as it requires commitment, dedication, and a willingness to make positive changes in one's life. With time and practice, however, it is possible to cultivate a lifestyle that is in harmony with these principles and experience the many benefits of doing so.