By: Kimberly Smith

In May of 2015 I found myself at the ER with a kidney stone. After a couple of weeks, imaging, and doctor appointments, it was determined the stone was too large to pass on its own. I was scheduled for surgery, shockwave lithotripsy. This surgery failed and a month later I had another surgery, ureteroscopy. A few weeks after the surgeries I had a follow-up doctor’s appointment. I was surprised to learn that lab results showed that my kidney function was less than optimal.

This was a little shocking to me. I had always been health conscious. As a nurse I had worked in long-term care facilities and realized I wanted to take care of my health so I could enjoy my later years. Never had I not followed the don’ts of the Word of Wisdom. I ground my own wheat, had meatless meals regularly, and fed my family as well as I knew how. The one health problem plaguing me had been GERD, and I had taken proton pump inhibitors regularly for a while and then off and on for years. Looking back, that probably played a role in my kidney problems.

The advice from my nephrologist rang familiar. He said, “Don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke, limit your caffeine, eat less meat, and follow up with me in a year.” I walked away from that appointment thinking, “What more can I do?” I’ve never had alcohol or smoked. I haven’t had soda in years and purposefully don’t drink anything with caffeine. I had limited my red meat consumption to about once a week. What I didn’t know was that dairy is essentially “liquid meat.” I had replaced most of my meat with cheese and was eating a lot of high fat meals which was causing weight gain and GERD.

The same week that I had that doctor’s appointment, my then 14-year-old son came bounding down the stairs on Sunday with his scriptures in his hand. He had been reading D&C 89, the Word of Wisdom.  He asked me “Mom, why do we eat so much meat?” I looked at him, he looked at me, and I said, “I don’t know.” Later that day I reread D&C 89 and started researching.

I don’t know which came first, finding Dr. McDougall and watching Forks Over Knives or finding Jane Birch and reading Discovering the Word of Wisdom. It was likely all in the same week. I had taken two nutrition classes in college and was stuck on the concept of needing to eat meat for health. I realized I needed to take it to the Lord. After praying and pondering for a few days, I reread D&C 89. When I read verse 13 I felt the spirit flow through me:

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