“I decided if I wanted to see change I needed to commit to something”

By: Claire Cragun

My family was a cream of chicken soup eating family . . . and for the soul!—but definitely not for the body. Our food was very rich. We ate cream of chicken poppy seed casserole, beef roast and mashed potatoes loaded with butter every Sunday, and we loved quesadillas, cheese crust filled pizza, and ice cream! My sister had always said “A balanced life is a cookie in each hand!” and so we ate sugary, buttery, dairy desserts every week. Costco supplied us with never-ending hot pockets, burgers, hot dogs, and bulk size shredded cheese!

My health was generally okay for being a 22-year-old. I had returned home from a mission in Oklahoma (the land of the best BBQ!) having gained about 20 pounds from when I started. I thought that was not bad considering all the food I had eaten. However as I started college my face broke out in terrible acne. It left scars all over my face that I couldn’t cover with makeup and as I sought to date people it took a hard blow to my self-esteem.

I began feeling desperate. I had tried lotions, medication, face masks, you name it to try to solve this problem. As I researched I learned that possibly my acne troubles could be caused by diet. Websites proclaimed things like quit all dairy! And don’t eat foods that raise your blood sugar! etc., etc. I eventually landed on a book from twins Nina and Randa Nelson called The Clear Skin Diet. I decided that if I wanted to see change I needed to commit to something, so I decided I would strictly eat what this book promoted. Very quickly I learned that this diet was a vegan, whole food plant-based diet (created with principles from Dr. McDougall author of The Starch Solution), and I balked! No way is a vegan, ONLY plants and grain, diet going to cure any of my problems. I found myself concerned about nutrients, protein, and in general liking the food I was going to eat.

But I moved forward anyway. And for the first month or two . . . it sucked! I didn’t know how to cook well and was disappointed with some of my attempts at gravy not filled with meat, or pastas and pizzas not covered in cheese. I tried to decide if the black bean brownies I was making were truly worth it anymore. As I stuck with it however, my acne showed some slow minor changes, but I began losing weight, I felt awake and alert unlike I had ever felt before, and my food began tasting delicious! I found myself wondering . . . what’s happening here? I feel really great for the first time in a long time.

And that’s when it dawned on me: “I wonder what the Lord thinks about what I’m eating and if maybe there’s some messages about health that I could be missing. Maybe He can help me figure this out.” I went to D&C 89 and quickly focused on verses I feel I had never read before like that it’s pleasing that meat only be used in times of famine or cold. So many things clicked into place that I wanted to run to my family and show them what I had learned! I quickly found the Discovering the Word of Wisdom book and website shortly after because I had a lot of questions I typed into Google!

However my family was still very used to their standard way of eating and when I announced to my dad that I was thinking of continuing my weird new way of eating he responded with surprise, “You’re going to eat this way FOREVER?!?!” And I responded “I think so?” With a shy smile. I continued on my own for months and eventually had lost about 15 pounds. My mom in that same time had progressively gained weight, and I could overhear her on the phone telling her sisters, “I’m at the highest weight I’ve ever been, and I feel so discouraged” as she put her emotions into eating a large bowl of ice cream while watching a TV show every night.

In an act of courage I gave her a challenge and told her that I thought this way of eating I had been trying could help her lose some of the extra weight. I told her that I would cook all of her meals for the next two weeks and see how she liked it and see how it made her feel. If she didn’t like the food, no problem we could try something else, but if she did, I would keep cooking for her. Miraculously, the promise held true . . . she loved the food, and quickly with the commitment she had made, began losing the extra weight rather quickly over the next couple of months.

After that my sister began eating the same way because she said, “It just made sense to her.” I also met my husband around this time. He had been noticeably overweight since he had returned home from his mission and had prayed to find a friend who understood the Word of Wisdom and could help him practice healthy habits. He found me! I told him what I was experimenting with and while we were dating, he ate the same foods and helped me practice all sorts of recipes, and he also lost his extra weight eating this way.

It’s been five years since I began eating this way. The acne has cleared up great! And during the past few years brothers, sisters, my dad, multiple aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandmas have asked me about this lifestyle and some have adopted it as well! We started a group of women called the Plant Princesses where we each have a silly name like Princess Cauliflower or Princess Maple Syrup, and we would share encouragement and recipes we had tried that we liked! It has now morphed into a “Healthy Habits” thread but we still share positive recipes and habits that promote well being.

I now find this lifestyle less effortful, less expensive, and more fulfilling than my food lifestyle had ever been in the past. I feel I can navigate truth vs error concerning what the Lord’s will for taking care of my body looks like and feels like. I can effortlessly maintain a healthy weight and have the energy I need for my life! I feel like understanding these principles lets me know how many blessing the Lord has in store for us if only we act on the principles he’s given to us so openly! I also understand how important our bodies are to becoming more like him and to having the Spirit with us and that we also face many trials because Satan doesn’t want us to have those blessings and wants to burden us with apathy, disease, and hopelessness.

I had a friend once who curiously asked me “Do you think you feel the Spirit more when you eat the way you eat?” And confidently I could say . . . “Yes!” I believe I can find those “hidden treasures of knowledge” as I don’t burden my body and give it the food that God ordained for it. I’m forever grateful that a loving Heavenly Father helped me find this path for me, my family, and all those that I may meet in the future. It brings me so much joy that I hope everyone can experience the joy that I feel within their lifetimes!

Claire and Ben Cragun live in Orem UT and are both 26 years old. Claire works as an X-ray Technologist in Provo and Ben is currently studying English Literary Theory and hopes to teach later on. We don’t have children yet but hope to grow our family. We enjoy spending time with our giant malamute dog, our cats, hiking, cooking, exercising, and spending time outside with friends and family.