Common Questions

I get asked a lot of interesting questions with the diet I have. Here are some of the ones I get asked almost daily:


Didn’t Jesus eat fish?
Yes, He did. He also drank wine. What's your point exactly? Eating a plant-based diet isn't more "righteous." I simply eat this way to avoid a lot of health problems that are so common in our society, and I happen to be helping the environment. Yay! Christ lived in the Mid-eastern desert so His diet probably consisted of a lot of bread, olives, figs, corn, and fish because that's all there was to eat. Besides, the only part in the scriptures that records Him eating fish is after he is resurrected - what harm could a fish do to His health at that point? Also did you know President Nelson abstains from foods that lead to heart disease? I don't say that to imply any diet is more righteous than the other, I share that information so members don't criticize me.

But didn’t God make animals for the “benefit and use of man”? And don't we have dominion over animals?
My iPad was made for the benefit and use man too; it doesn't mean I have to eat it. Animals are here for us, but not solely for eating them. Also, "dominion" doesn't equate to "license to exterminate." Don't you also have dominion over your children?

Doesn't the Word of Wisdom say to eat meat?
Regarding consuming meat, the Lord says in verse 13 "only in times of winter or famine." I used to make the assumption the Lord said that because He was concerned about our meat preservation techniques, and since now we have refrigerators we can disregard that verse. But in verse 15 the Lord repeats Himself about when to eat animals, "only in times of famine and excess of hunger." Nothing about seasons here. There could be a famine in the summer, and people in pre-refrigerator days would still have meat as their only option. Thus, the refrigeration technology argument is a "moo" point.

Consider this doctrine: when the Lord reveals something to the entire church, that revelation is still valid throughout that dispensation until a prophet receives further revelation on that topic. Since the revelation about only eating animals in times of famine, there hasn't been a revelation to change that. 

Another assumption we make is we think we only have to follow the part of section 89 that's required for a temple recommend and still be entitled to all the blessings at the end of section 89 without following more than half of the laws upon which those blessings are predicated in that section. 

Isn't there a verse that says something about not being ordained of God if you forbid eating meat?
Section 49 is probably what you're thinking of, "Whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats...is not ordained of God." Don't be fooled by the double negative. I abstain from meats; whoso forbids that behavior is not ordained of God. 

Just for help in understanding, let's pretend one of the negatives was a positive; it would give the verse opposite meaning. For example if the verse said, "Whoso [encourageth] to abstain from meats..." THEN that would be referring to me. I encourage people to abstain from meats, but this is saying the opposite. What if it said, "Whoso forbiddeth to [eat] meat..." then that sounds closer to me (even though I'm not forbidding). The definition of vegetarianism is "abstaining from meats" so "whoso forbids people from abstaining from meat" is the same as saying "whoso forbids vegetarianism." The person forbidding the vegan/vegetarian is the one not ordained of God.

Still not convinced? Consider the context of the revelation. There were some former Quakers who had recently converted to the church, and as part of their old religion they were vegetarian. After their conversion they continued abstaining from meat, and the other members forbade them from abstaining from eating meat because they thought it was a wicked tradition, so the Lord revealed section 49 which part of it includes Him rebuking the members forbidding the recent converts from continuing their vegetarian habits. Not only does He chastise them for forbidding the Quaker converts from abstaining from meat, but he also encourages the forbidders the following:"that man should not eat the same"? What food could He be referring to? 

Do you think you might be misinterpreting the scriptures?
The Lord is very clear about His recommendation of only eating meat in times of famine - there's no "interpreting." It's plain and clear. Same for the verse in section 49. If I were to use my own noggin and do some self-interpreting, it might sound like this, "If the Lord says to only eat meat in times of winter, famine, and excess of hunger, regardless of the technology, what could be the reason why? What do these times have in common? Crops have trouble growing in these times. Maybe the Lord is saying we should have plants as our main source of food, and during times crops have trouble growing we should eat meat as a spare food, hence "sparingly." Then if that were the case, it would basically mean we should only eat meat in order to save our lives from starvation. But there's no scripture that says that. Or is there? Check out JST Genesis 9:11, "And surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat to save your lives, and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands."

Isn't it fascinating that people will switch to a plant-based diet and consequently be cured from their heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, exhaustion, erectile dysfunction, obesity, etc...? The Book of Mormon teaches about "the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases (Alma 46:40)."

If people are significantly improving their health by eating mainly plants, wouldn't the Lord be happy with that? Wouldn't He recommend it? Why would He want us to eat a diet heavy in meat if it's leading to all the aforementioned health problems?

Is breast milk approved? 
Yes, duh. What are breasts for anyway? Breast milk is made for baby humans. Dairy milk is made for baby cows. Can you imagine if aliens looked at our society and how grossed-out they would be that we consume the secretions from other lactating animals, not for survival, but because we like it? 

Aren't there some animal products that are healthy?
Let's define "healthy." If there are two different foods in front of you, both containing potassium, are they equally healthy? Well, are there any bad properties in the foods? If you can get potassium from one food source without getting any harmful properties, that's the healthier option than the food with potassium and harmful properties. 

Smokers are breathing in oxygen as well as tobacco and nicotine when they have a cigarette. As a result you could argue cigarettes are healthy because they 're a great source of oxygen. Why not get the oxygen without the poisons?

For protein, why choose an egg when you can have plenty of other high-protein plant foods? One single egg has more cholesterol than two Big Macs! Did you know it's illegal to advertise eggs as "healthy" or "nutritious"? You can't tell me eggs are good for you if it's illegal to market them as healthy or nutritious and that they jack up your cholesterol.


What if we compare two foods high in protein instead of potassium? Protein is good right? Not all protein is created equal. Casein is the main protein in dairy and is the most efficient cancer food that exists among all other ingredients on the planet. Just google "casein cancer" and see all the dozens and dozens of articles about it. 

Do you eat sugar? 
Sugar . . . the dandruff of angels! No.

Do you eat chocolate?
Not milk chocolate. I eat dairy-free chocolate and some of my dessert recipes call for cocoa powder.

Would you eat meat if you’re stranded on an island with just a cow and no plant food? 
How likely is this scenario? And what is the cow eating? And how did the cow get there? How did I get there? Luckily, I won't ever take a boat ride with a cow across an ocean so I'll never have to be in this position. But this does sound like a time of famine, so of course, as a human I will do what I can to survive.

Are you ever full?
Yes, starchy foods fill me up quick (rice, potatoes, beans, etc.) - I'll expound later.

Are you sure you’re getting all your nutrients?
Yes. I can't help but laugh at this question. Have you ever wondered how some of the largest animals on earth, that also happen to eat mostly plants (buffalo, elephant, giraffe, rhino, hippo, kangaroo, gorilla, etc.) get their nutrients? 


How are your bowel movements?
Incredible.

Don’t cows die if you stop milking them?
Cows do need to be milked. If left with their mothers, calves would do this for them and it would be perfectly normal and healthy for the mama cow when the calf eventually stops - just like other mammals. I will let you do your own research to find out why cows die when the dairy industry is done milking them. If you honestly think the dairy industry is some enormous animal rights organization which seeks to ease the suffering of lactating cows, you are very confused.


Would you kiss a girl after she ate a cheese burger? 
If she’s my sweetheart I’ll kiss her anytime.


Are you going to make your future wife and kids eat this healthy?
I get this question a lot. The word "make" sounds like I'm forcing them to take bites of their kale salad against their will between sobs. "Eat it, Timmy! Or it's back in the basement dungeon for you!" Will you make your kids attend your religion, vote, help take the widow's trash to the curb next door? Obviously I want the best health for my loved ones, but it’s completely their choice.


Is it okay to eat a little bit of meat from a local, reliable, untreated, trustworthy, home-grown source?
That’s a much better option than McDonald’s “meat”, unfortunately every animal, regardless of where it came from and how it got on your plate, will have 2 things you don’t want: (1) cholesterol (the bad kind) and (2) specific animal proteins that promote cancer growth. I know that's not a popular answer, but that's the truth.

But isn’t some cholesterol good for you? 
Yes. HDL is the healthy kind and LDL is the lethal kind. The human body is such a perfect, intricate machine; it makes all healthy cholesterol it needs all on its own. Eating meat (home-grown or not) puts extra (LDL) cholesterol into your body, which is when plaque build-up starts to occur (once it reaches about 142 ml), so there is no need to eat meat to make sure you are getting enough cholesterol. 

If you are not bothered by a little plaque build-up in your arteries, then go ahead and have meat from whatever source you want. Just know this fun fact: a study was conducted, analyzing 65,396 patients in 344 hospitals; a staggering 75% of heart attack patients had cholesterol levels within the "normal" recommended amount. Even further, half of them had cholesterol levels that were “optimal”! Are you willing to risk it? I’m not. I would like a “no heart-attack” guarantee, so I eat plant-based. Read this article by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn about preventing and reversing heart disease for more info.

Doesn’t your diet consist of a lot of carbs? Aren’t carbs bad?
Some people put donuts and rice in the same "bad carbs" category. Fat is 9 calories per gram, while carbs are only 4. By cutting out carbs you are only eating high-calorie, (and high-fat) foods. In addition, carbs and other plant foods have tons of fiber which hold water, making you fuller sooner, preventing you from overeating. 

Furthermore, carbohydrates provide our bodies with the best type of fuel. Healthy carbs are converted into glycogen which give lasting, powerful effects on our muscle cells. You wouldn't put unleaded gas in a diesel would you? This is why athletes perform faster, have increased endurance, and have quicker recovery between workouts when they switch to a plant=-based diet.

My Story: Coming Out of the Pantry

“Oh! Okay... I'm sorry, that must suck... So... why?”

Typically that’s the response I get when people find out I eat a plant-based diet. But I can’t blame them; vegans can be... well, unique.

At least that’s what I thought most of my life. In fact, I was so opposed to any form of vegetarianism I was borderline omnivore activist. “For so many reasons you should eat meat,” I would argue, “plants alone don’t provide adequate protein or B-12. And why else would God create all these animals - it’s not like He gave us canines by accident. What happened to a moderation in all things? And I don’t recall the Bible referring to the land of soymilk and honey...”

I could have written a 20-page persuasive essay. Needless to say, I was passionate about meat. But honestly, deep down I pitied vegetarians. Meat is delectable! In-N-Out, Outback Steakhouse, Chic-fil-A . . . All could be classified as “Heavenly.” Vegans were beyond my understanding. Give up eggs and dairy too? Butter, milk, cheese, ice cream?? You take all the fun out of eating!

You can imagine my surprise when I began eating mostly plants early in 2012.

A few months prior, my family found out my aunt had breast cancer. She flew from Washington to stay with my family in Arizona for her cancer treatment. At first I didn’t pay too much attention to her new diet given to her by her doctor, but it became impossible to evade as she and my compassionate mother began preparing new recipes that were meatless. Apparently, it was something called a “low-fat, non-oil, non-processed, nutrient-dense, whole-food, plant-based diet.” I had never heard of it before - way too many words for my impatient mind to handle.

Interestingly, once she switched her diet, her cancer growth immediately turned off like a light switch! Let me re-emphasize; her cancer stopped growing - it even started to reverse before the treatments began. And what's more, as the cancer treatments were taking place along with the combination of the diet, the cancer (thankfully) went away. Did eating this way save her life? "Eh, it's interesting, but I'm not convinced," I thought. "I'm sure similar results would have occurred even by eating meat. It was simply an answer to prayer and not enough to convince me to eat this way."

At least not enough for me, but my aunt wasn’t the only one who noticed improved health during our vegetable craze.

My mother shared with me an experience she had while riding her bike with her friends. She had been riding the same routes with the same biker gang of about 40 riders for a few years. During their early-morning expeditions she would invariably end up near the back of the group. Once she changed her diet, however, suddenly she was keeping up with the fastest rider for the entire duration of the ride! She told me at this moment some familiar words entered her mind, “run and not be weary; walk and not faint.”

Her interest was piqued to say the least. She eagerly read several books and articles to learn about this low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet; they were all consistent. They demonstrated how eating this way can prevent and even reverse heart disease, common cancers, respiratory diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a host of other common diseases. Who knew that plants can remove the cause of diseases?? It wasn't until much later I came across articles of Native Americans eating certain plants and roots to reverse diseases - a practice they have been doing for hundreds of years (including ancient inhabitants of America) that we are just now discovering.

But I knew better, or so I thought. My pride was clouding my vision as I dubiously reasoned, “I’m sure exercise and plenty of vegetables would produce similar results. Besides, I doubt those biased studies are even credible.”

It has always been my outlook to seek to understand others’ lifestyles and passions that, to me, are foreign and even unattractive: screamo music, SpongeBob lovers, olympic curling, democrats, turtleneck sweaters... I don’t have to enjoy or agree with these things, but I desire to put bias aside and understand why these things are the motivating factor for millions of people to get out of bed every morning. I want to hold intelligent conversations with people who are passionate about these things and be able to truthfully tell them, “I understand you. Let’s be friends.”

Eating a diet of plant-based whole foods fell perfectly in this category of things I didn’t understand. Oftentimes people disagree with things because they are ignorant or misinformed. Such was the case for me, and perhaps also for you now. 

I resolved to investigate the diet and find out for myself. Conveniently, a research project in one of my classes at BYU-Idaho had just been assigned, opening the door for the perfect opportunity.

Over the next couple months I studied several books, talks, and articles on the subject including The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I even read peer-reviewed medical journals and discovered hidden treasures of knowledge (my grades in other classes took a bit of a dive). The evidence clearly supported everything my mother had learned through her studies. It is the only diet proven to prevent and reverse the #1 killer in America, heart disease. Many critics argue a plant-based diet isn’t healthy, to which I reply, “Do you know of any other diet that can cure heart disease?” I’m passionate about finding the most efficient way to do something, and from what I’ve found, this diet is the most efficient way to prevent the most common diseases in Western civilization. I’m more passionate about the results than the specific avenue I take, so if there is another diet out there that is sustainable and more efficient in disease prevention and overall health, I’ll abandon veganism and switch diets happily.

This "heart attack-proof" diet also prevents other health problems that most people believe are unavoidable like erectile dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney stones, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes (and drastically improves type 1 diabetics; check out “Mastering Diabetes”) etc. It’s not that eating plants is some magic “cure-all” for disease, but it’s the consuming of animal products regularly that give us these diseases in the first place. Our culture focuses a lot of time, effort, and resources on finding better medicine to fix these problems when we are putting the wrong fuel into our bodies which leads to long-term health problems. Why not switch to premium fuel and avoid parts breaking down?

“But where do you get your protein from?”
“Where did gorillas, elephants, and rhinos get their protein?”
You still get all the correct amounts of vitamins and nutrients while eating this way. Many of us believe we need animal products to get adequate protein, but the more I researched the more sure I was that this fear is irrational. The only people who are protein deficient are either malnourished in a third world country, anorexic, or are otherwise not getting nearly enough calories. The commonly accepted myth is that plant protein is inferior in both quantity and quality of all amino acids. Nope. Each plant food has all the amino acids in varying proportions. You could literally eat nothing but potatoes and receive all your nutrients. I eat when I’m hungry, and I eat whatever is in my fridge, and without planning or calculating I end up getting twice the amount of protein I need everyday with all the amino acids; I don’t have to ever think or worry about it.

“But the fact we have canine teeth means we should be eating meat.”
Many people believe canines are evidence of a carnivorous (or at least, significantly carnivorous) diet. This isn’t true. Look at gorillas. They are the strongest animals in proportion to their weight, they have huge canines, and besides occasional ants, they’re completely vegan. Canines are used for asserting dominance in their species. They’re just for show.

One fascinating thing I’ve learned is about colesterol. We all know it puts plaque in our arteries and there’s the good kind and the bad kind, right? HDL is the good kind and LDL is bad (easy to remember by thinking H=Healthy; L=Legal). Here’s a pop quiz: which kind of cholesterol is found in a Big Mac from McDonald’s? LDL. What about in steak? LDL. How about Chicken? LDL. Ok what about Greek Yogurt? Only LDL cholesterol. Eggs? You guessed it, LDL. In fact one egg has more cholesterol than two Big Macs! This is one of the reasons why eggs legally cannot be advertised as “healthy” or “nutritious.” Any food that was, or was produced by, an animal contains the lethal kind of cholesterol. Whenever we consume these products we are increasing our risk of adding more plaque to our artery walls. Well what food gives us the healthy kind of cholesterol? That’s a trick question. Our bodies produce it all on our own. If a doctor tells you your colesterol is too low, you know he is referring to the healthy kind you need. No competent doctor would ever say “you don’t have enough plaque on your arteries.” How do you increase your HDL cholesterol? Quality sleep, exercise, and stress-reducing activities like meditation.

Obviously I started to be convinced that this diet made sense, so much so that I wondered if I should be eating this way. I reasoned within myself, "what lifestyle change would not be worth these results?"

It wasn’t until a few years after changing my diet I thought about how the meat ended up on my plate. I learned thousands of male baby chicks get blended up in a macerater everyday to keep costs down since they will never lay eggs, and their remains are thrown away. Cows and pigs are contained shoulder-to-shoulder living in their own waste in an environment perfect for spreading disease (lentils never caused a widespread disease). Male calves are killed their first week of life and their mothers visibly mourn, and countless more horrifying things. There was no way I could justify to God my funding of these actions, regardless of how anyone interprets the word, "dominion." I was one of those people who believed eating meat made me a grateful Christian since God made these animals for us. It’s hard to imagine the Savior condoning this practice. 

“But what about the Word of Wisdom?” others would ask.
“What about it?” I replied, loving that they would share their thoughts than to keep them quiet and responding with, “well, to each his own.”
“Doesn’t it say we’re supposed to eat meat?”
In addition to the restriction of alcohol, hot drinks, and tobacco, a major portion of Doctrine and Covenants talks about eating wholesome plants, with emphasis on consuming grains. Then when it comes to animals, the Lord states in verse 13, “And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used.” Let’s pause here. Of course it would please the Lord that we would eat in a way that would prevent disease, improve our health, and not contribute to killing baby chicks and throwing them in the trash. The only exceptions the Lord provides for when it’s okay to eat animals are during times when crops have trouble growing. If we have to choose between going hungry and eating an animal, of course the Lord would want us to survive, so He gave us animals to be used as spare food. I’ve also read in an Ensign that when President Nelson was called out for being a picky eater, he replied saying since he has performed countless heart surgeries, he avoids foods that lead to heart disease.

Thoughts started shooting through my mind like: “Without animal products, I don’t know what I would eat. I don’t even know how to cook! What would my friends think? Dating will probably become more challenging; this is going to make me even more awkward than I already am. What will happen to my precious ego? I used to make fun of vegans. What about all the relentless and inevitable tagging of Ron Swanson quotes about eating bacon I'll receive on social media?”

I decided to try this whole plant-based thing out just as a “trial period” to see if I liked it. At this time I was in my second semester in college. As a college freshman, I didn’t have the best diet or cooking skills. I wished a magical chef would appear and just cook all my meals for me. Alas, I did the best I could with the kitchenware I found at thrift stores. My mom emailed me some suggestions and I found simple recipes on Pinterest that were plant-based without added oil and learned from there.

I started to miss the way I used to eat. A lot! I remember once sitting in my car, scraping the cheese off a slice of pizza and just eating the dough... sobbing... while blasting Whitney Houston. A couple times near the beginning I would give in and get a greasy burger or something. But after a while of eating plant-based, meat didn’t taste as good to me anymore and I would feel heavy and sluggish afterwards.

Little did I know this “trial period” would become a permanent lifestyle decision that has become a huge part of who I am today, indeed one of my greatest of my life accomplishments and passions. I don’t see myself switching back anytime soon. I view it as a form of investment: a way to respect my future self. Eating this way has become second nature for me and I don’t feel at all inconvenienced. 

Since I have been living this lifestyle, and fully embracing it socially, several friends have permanently changed their diets to match mine and that is a very rewarding feeling. I firmly believe this is the healthiest way to eat, consistent with the entire word of wisdom (which, by the way, doesn't say anything about a moderation in all things) and not just a fleeting fad diet. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to explain to my roommate, yet again, what nutritional yeast is. Happy living!

*Disclaimer* ask your doctor if plants are right for you. Don’t sue me or whatever.