By: Candice Bithell
For over 20 years I have struggled with stomach issues, asthma, and horrible seasonal allergies. My stomach issues and severe allergies both began when I was about 17 years old. I struggled with nausea, bloating, reflux, and diarrhea. I would get horrible hay fever every year that lasted from about April until October. I would get sinus infections. I was put on two allergy medications, including a sinus spray that I used for 26 years to prevent the sneezing, sniffling, watery eyes, and sinus infections.
I saw my first gastroenterologist at the age of 24 because I was having severe pain in my chest and food felt like it was coming back up when I ate. The gastroenterologist ordered a series of tests including an endoscopy, colonoscopy, barium swallow, nasogastric testing, etc. When I went in for my results I was told that every test was POSITIVE. I was diagnosed with H. pylori, reflux, esophageal spasm, esophageal stricture, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). I was put on a handful of pills everyday, but I still struggled with stomach problems. It was during this same time that I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma and began taking an inhaler everywhere I went.
I lived this way for a long time, always looking for something to help my stomach. I discovered I was lactose intolerant and stopped eating dairy, which helped a little, but not enough. Over the years I have taken pills for nausea, pills for diarrhea, pills to slow down my digestive process, pills, pills, pills. About seven years ago my doctor discovered that I had hyperinsulinemia and was pre-diabetic. I stopped eating sugar, but I replaced it with sugar-free stuff, which hurt my stomach a lot. I felt like I couldn’t eat anything!
Because I was active, I thought I was healthy, but I was very thin and my diet was lousy. I took up distance running four years ago and struggled with what is known as “runners gut.” I would run with a feeling of nausea almost everyday.
Then about two years ago, I had a powerful spiritual experience in the temple. I felt the love of my Savior very, very strongly. I was going through some difficult things, and I really needed that feeling. It got me through that time, but I wanted that feeling all of the time, so I began to pray about what I needed to change. This led me to a path that included trying to do the will of my Heavenly Father and following the promptings for changes that needed to be made.
About a year after I started earnestly following promptings from Heavenly Father, my running partner suggested that I try a popular fad diet where you eat almost no carbs but lots of meat and fat at each meal. I decided to give it a try. Almost instantly I had a guilty feeling inside. It perplexed me. Why should I feel guilty about eating this much meat?
I began praying about the fad diet. The inspiration I received was to read the Word of Wisdom. My first thought was, “The Word of Wisdom? I live that perfectly.” Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. I read and re-read the passages, and they screamed out to me. Eat whole fresh vegetables in their season! Eat fruit in their season! Grains should be the staff of life! Eat meat so sparingly that you only eat it in times of famine or extreme cold. Wow!
I immediately began researching a whole foods, plant based (WFPB) diet. I honestly believed WFPB was an unhealthy diet until I started researching it. I felt prompted that living the Word of Wisdom more fully was another thing that I needed to do differently in order to feel the love of Heavenly Father more fully.
I slowly transitioned from a diet high in fat, meat, and processed foods to a diet of whole, organic, plant-based foods, and the most amazing thing happened. I FELT FANTASTIC. THE BLESSINGS WERE REAL!
Fast forward to nine months later, and I am off all of my stomach pills because I no longer need them. I eat without nausea; I run without nausea; I no longer need to run to the restroom every ten minutes. Just to live without nausea from day to day is such an incredible blessing. To live without worrying about going to the bathroom so much is an incredible blessing. I no longer need my asthma medications. I am off all four of my allergy medications. ALL FOUR! My allergies were to the foods I was eating, not the environment. I had high cholesterol, and my doctor had mentioned that I was probably getting metabolic syndrome; now my levels are normal.
I now run everyday, and I feel healthier than I have ever felt. I feel lighter and cleaner somehow. I have a clean conscience that I am no longer adding to animal suffering and the horrible destruction of this beautiful planet that Heavenly Father blessed us with. To be able to eat and eat and not worry about how it’s going to make me feel because the foods I’m eating are healthy and fresh and don’t make me feel bad is such a blessing.
SLEEP! I was on sleeping pills to help me sleep and caffeine to help me wake up, and I now don’t need either one. Oh what a blessing to be able to sleep and not take a pill! What a blessing to not be addicted to caffeine. Now I have the energy to manage three children and a husband and a house and having ENERGY is so huge. It’s more time spent on spiritual things and less time spent on the temporal. And because I spend less time worrying about my physical health, I can spend that extra time learning and growing in the gospel and in my profession.
Because I have changed a lot of the way that I live in the past two years, I feel different spiritually. I feel I receive more promptings from the Spirit about the things I need to do, and I’ve tried to have trust and faith in this process. For example, I quit my job last month to become a full-time photographer. Sure enough, everything has fallen in line beautifully as I have followed what the Lord wants me to do. It’s as though the message that has always been a little tough to hear is coming in loud and clear and that I’m more “in tune,” like a radio—I finally found a frequency where the Spirit is more clear and there is less static.
The sad part of this journey is that everyone seems to be asleep to these issues. I talk about them, and I post about them, but very few people actually want to hear what I have to say. That aspect of the journey is very difficult because I wish that I had discovered all of this so long ago! I don’t think that there is any coincidence that the current fad diet is so far away from what Heavenly Father wants us to eat; it’s the exact opposite! He wants us to be healthy and happy and when we are sick we feel depressed, and we wonder why this is happening to us. I felt many times in my life that my body had turned against me. In truth, I wasn’t living the commandments of our Heavenly Father, and I wasn’t receiving any of His blessings. I thank Him everyday in prayer for my new knowledge that was right in front of me all along.
Candice Bithell, 43, lives in Sandy, Utah and is a wife and mother of three children. She is a professional photographer and distance runner who competes in races and triathlons.
I LOVE Candice’s story! Like Candice, I wonder why more people do not eagerly adopt a way of eating that promises “great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” (D&C 89:19). What shall it profit us, if we shall gain the whole world, and lose our own health?
Thanks for sharing from the heart, Candice. You have a beautiful soul.
Candice, I was very touched by how you learned to gain sure health by studying the Lord’s Word of Wisdom. I particularly appreciated this which you wrote in that which you submitted to my dear daughter, Jane:
“I slowly transitioned from a diet high in fat, meat, and processed foods to a diet of whole, organic, plant-based foods, and the most amazing thing happened. I FELT FANTASTIC. THE BLESSINGS WERE REAL!”
I’m sure that you will continue to be blessed with GREAT HEALTH the rest of your life which will surely last much longer than you ever before imagined!
Thank you so much – I’m just so thankful for a healthy tummy that everything else is a bonus for me!
I’m so happy for you! I know what you mean. “Just to live without nausea from day to day is such an incredible blessing.” I only get sick now if I eat one of my triggers. People say my WOE is such a sacrifice. While I do miss bread, pizza, tamales, flour tortillas, and pastries from time to time, I don’t miss super nausea, vomiting, or wishing I could vomit after eating. I feel so free and happy and vibrant, which isn’t a sacrifice at all.
Plus, I love inventing new recipes using legumes, whole grains, veggies, greens, and fruits. I learned to cook lentils and brown in my rice cooker this week, which has a flavor that reminds me of my old favorite Rice a Roni. I just got a yonana machine, which makes soft serve fruit nice kream so much better than vitamix or champion. Cherry Pineapple sorbet is much more delicious than any pastry. Just saying–food is still love without the health debilitating side effects.
Yes! When people ask me what I eat I kind of laugh inside – I eat everything healthy! I love nice kream with frozen bananas but I’ve never heard of a yonana machine, I’ll have to look it up. Your taste buds change with this diet, at least mine did. I never would have craved steam asparagus before or a baked sweet potato but now I do! Thanks for your comment.
Thank you for sharing! I needed to hear this. I know I need to make changes in my life I just don’t know where to start. Do you do any personal mentoring?
Amy: I have some resources on this site that may be useful, see: Getting Started. Please also feel free to contact me with any questions you have! —Jane
Jane is a wealth of information and can help you. I started with breakfast and the moved to lunch after a week or so and then moved to dinner. It’s easier than it sounds I promise and you start feeling so great that you get a momentum about continuing. Good luck!! You can do this!!
I know and feel like this is what I need to do but it’s scary! It’s overwhelming because (sadly) it’s such a huge change. Learning new things and big changes are hard for me, but I want this so bad! I don’t eat a ton of veggies. I know that will be my biggest challenge. And planning meals that don’t revolve around meat. (Sigh) I will get there!
Bless you, Kayleigh! There are many people willing to help and support you, but no one cares more our success than our Savior. We can all put our trust in Him! You WILL get there!
It’s a huge change but you feel so great that continuing is easy. I personally went to the local library and checked out about 10-15 cookbooks that had anything to do with whole food plant based eating or vegan recipes. I ended up buying a few. There are also tons and tons of websites with great recipe ideas. It is simpler than it sounds and it doesn’t need to be complicated. I ate steel cut oats for breakfast with raisins and cinnamon, brown rice and steamed veggies for lunch (a big bowl of it!), and for dinner I had 9 grain pancakes with a little all natural maple syrup (not my typical dinner but I was working and needed something quick – I had these already made from last week and in the freezer). Have fun and you can do this!!!
I’m so happy for you Candice! Like you, I’m trying to spread the word but am met with much resistance. I have to remember to be patient and loving and helpful like Jane Birch is so good at! Keep sharing, keep posting, you will make a difference and maybe with people you’d never expect. I’m so glad you are feeling great!
That part is hard but occasionally I’ll meet someone who is super super interested in what I have to say. AND I have a lot of others who have started to text me and e-mail me for advice about their eating. Thank you so much – good luck to you as well. Thanks!!
Very thought provoking and interesting. I am happy to hear how well it works for you. Thanks for sharing.
I wonder what kind of diet do the prophet and apostles have. They should understand the Word of Wisdom better than us.
Hi MJ: You may be interested in this article where some of our leaders have spoken out about how they have applied the Word of Wisdom to their diets, “LDS Leaders on the Word of Wisdom.” More importantly, our Church leaders do not tell us, “Look at how I eat and do likewise.” Instead, they direct us to study the Word of Wisdom and follow the counsel of the Lord. Check out this example from Elder David A. Bednar toward the bottom of this article, “Whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats.”
Nice articles Jane. I hadn’t seen the one relating Elder Bednar’s experience before. It made me smile.
I got MY answer, because I needed healing. Every time I get frustrated that this healing journey isn’t a quick magic pill, I pray for patience and guidance. Every time my answer is the same and then the following gentle reminder.
“…if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God? And now, behold, you have received a witness; for if I have told you things which no man knoweth have you not received a witness?”
Nobody but me needs my witness that God revealed these things for my benefit. I just need to remember and believe and endure.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I was especially interested in your getting over your asthma
I have chronic asthma and tho i have been on the WOW plant based diet for a year, i still am dealing with the asthma. I was wondering about how long it took you to overcome the asthma? I no longer need my blood pressure meds and just found out they were raising my blood pressure.
Thank you for your insites and your blog.
Pattsy: Here are some resources on asthma in case you have not see them: https://goo.gl/6wlffm
Hi there! Sorry to be slow in responding. I noticed a difference in my asthma in 2 weeks but felt completely healed after maybe 6 months? Now 3 years later I never ever ever have asthma or lung issues EVER. Amazing blessing. You are doing awesome!
Candice
Thank you for your incredible story. I have searched my whole life for health principles and one day I worked through the word of wisdom backwards. I was amazed how that brought clarity to the section.
In other words I want to … Run and not be weary, Walk and not faint, Find Wisdom and great treasures of knowledge
Keep and do these sayings for health to the navel, marrow to the bones
Remember grain is good for the food of man … and for mild drinks
Use fruit of the vine in and above the ground for the food of man
Know grain is ordained for the use of man only in times of famine or excess hunger
Flesh of beasts and fowl with thanksgiving and sparingly only in times of winter, cold, or famine
Use herbs and fruit in their season with prudence and thanksgiving
All wholesome herbs are for the constitution, nature, and use of man
Remember no hot drinks, they are not for the body or belly
Tobacco is not for the body or belly but good for bruises used with judgement and skill
Strong drinks are not for the belly but for washing of the body
Wine, only pure wine of the grape of your own making
Use wine or strong drink only for offering up of sacrament to God
Be warned of evils and designs in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days
This is a principle with a promise written to the capacity of the weakest of the saints
… by greeting, not a commandment or constraint, the order and will of God in the last days
… a Word of Wisdom for the Saints in Zion, those that strive for clean hands and a pure heart
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, David!
Thank you for sharing your story. I have known for years that the Word of Wisdom – as spoken about in this and other similar articles – is what I have been needing to do. I have just been having difficulty LIVING it! I am hoping that NOW – I WILL be able to have the Strength to DO IT! Is there a good support group?
You can do this, Jean! There are many good support groups. I also have a Facebook support group for Latter-days Saints. You can join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordofwisdomprivategroup/. If you post your question in the group, others can share some of their favorite support groups.