“I decided to put the Lord’s promises to the test”

By: Amy Adamson

I’ve always been interested in nutrition, so much so that I studied it in college. But sadly, I’ve always been a “do as I say and not as I do” kind of nutritionist. I was raised in a family of junk food junkies! My dad would give my brother and me $20 and tell us to go buy as many candy bars as we could. Back then we would literally come home with about 50 candy bars! Our family could easily polish them off in a couple of days. My mom was an excellent baker. We had delicious cakes, pies and cookies for dessert daily. Every meal revolved around meat and milk. Our family did have one healthy habit going though! We all loved physical activity. Tennis, skiing, running, hiking and sports filled up a lot of our family time.

By using many physical activities to “make up” for my poor dietary choices, I was able to remain slim and trim. To me that meant “healthy.” Then in the fall of 2017, I began having some bowel issues. I felt sheepish about the problem so I put off seeking treatment. Finally, in the May of 2018 a colonoscopy revealed a tubulovillous adenoma. I ended up having surgery a few weeks later to remove the tumor. The surgeon told me that the pathology revealed it was in the process of changing to cancer. At only 48 years old, I had dodged the cancer bullet.

This set me on the path of change. I knew I needed to change my dietary habits. But nutrition today had become so confusing! The more I learned, the more confused I became. Everyone believed and touted something different. One day, while searching online, I came across a sample of a book that I quickly began reading. It was called Discovering the Word of Wisdom. I read and read, until the sample ended. I immediately ordered a hard copy on Amazon and could not wait for the book to arrive so I could finish it. As I read, the spirit testified to me of the truth of what I was reading. While at the same time, the ideas seemed very radical to me. It was very different from my current lifestyle. But, based on my brush with cancer, I knew I did not need more of the same.

After finishing the book, I decided to put the Lord’s promises to the test. On August 1, 2018, I began eating a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. It was not easy! Our world is not friendly to a WFPB lifestyle! Luckily, my daughter and her family came on board with me! And my husband is slowly but surely coming along. I’ve found 2 neighbors who also live a WFPB lifestyle. For me, education and support are key to my success.

I’m a marathon runner and so I was nervous fueling my body by only plants. I really thought I needed animal protein to help me recover after intense and long workouts. The first couple of weeks, I did not have the energy for my hard training workouts. But as I did more study, I realized I was not eating enough. I began eating very large platefuls of potatoes, rice and pastas along with mountains of veggies and fruits. That’s when the energy kicked in! Soon, I was running a satisfying pace again.

In 2014, when I was training for the Boston Marathon, I pulled both of my hamstrings and then got the “dreaded” plantar fasciitis. That was it. There is no quick recovery for either of those injuries. I was heartbroken to miss running Boston. Much of my self esteem at this time in my life came from running so these injuries were devastating. I employed every curative method possible to get me ready to try to qualify again the next year. I used physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, steroid injections, intense strength training and stretching to no avail. I finally quit running for about 2 years. Slowly, I began building back up. I was able to run a few marathons here and there but my hamstrings continued to give me trouble. I could not run as fast or as frequently as I wanted to. Simply bending over with straight legs caused pain in my upper thighs. Sorrowfully, I resigned myself to putting up with this nagging issue for the rest of my life.

About 10 weeks after I started eating a WFPB diet, I noticed something very interesting. While bending over to put a load of laundry in the dryer, I suddenly realized there was no pain. I was so shocked that I started repeatedly bending at the waist to check for pain! No pain! It was literally a miracle!

Tentatively, I began to increase my running pace and then with no sign of pain, I added another running day into my routine! This may not sound like much, but to me it is huge! Because of the lack of progress over several years, using many modalities, I know my tendonitis healed from eating the food my body was designed to be fed.

For me, verses 20 and 21 of D&C 89 have profound significance. I want to run and not be weary. I also desire the destroying angel (cancer) to pass by me and not slay me. I’ve still got so much living to do!

20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

How grateful I am that the Lord has given us guidance for our day in the Word of Wisdom! I am taking the Lord at his word, and I am confident when I go in for my next cancer screening there will not be anymore issues!

Amy Adamson is a 49-year-old wife, mother, and grandmother who lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She loves studying nutrition, running, hiking, quilting, sewing, and all things homemaking. She recently graduated in Nuclear Radiation Control and will begin a new life in the work-a-day world as her youngest child just flew the coop!