“I decided I would put it to the test to see if it could work for me”

By: Dan Thieme

I remember as a youth growing up in the Church hearing many lessons about the Word of Wisdom. Inevitably, these lessons would emphasize that Joseph Smith surely was prophet, for how could he know at the time he lived in to write a document about health, teaching us to avoid alcohol and tobacco, which would save us from the ills of these substances which were so harmful to our physical bodies. I was amazed. I also hardly even noticed, or cared to notice, the other counsel that appears in that section of scripture: That is, what we should eat and not eat. I was never really taught that eating meat sparingly was part of the Word of Wisdom, and if we wanted to please Him, meaning the Lord (who wouldn’t!) that we should eat meat not at all. Has that phrase really been in there all these years? How many lessons and discussions over the years have I heard about the Word of Wisdom, and yet not one of those spoke of that second phrase?

And besides, who would be conspiring to make me eat meat? After all, protein is good for me right? Mom always told me to eat my vegetables, but she never had to tell me to eat my meat. Somehow I seemed to have an innate desire to eat that stuff—it came naturally to a growing boy, and eating lots of meat even seemed to be part of becoming a man. As men, we barbecue, we shoot or catch our own food with our own hands, bring it home and prepare it. Very manly. It seemed a natural part of the old ways that society was forgetting. What could be more healthy? What could be more social? At every family gathering we surrounded a table of the best meat, both from the land and the sea: prime roast, juicy steaks, good old hamburgers, or crab, shrimp, and fish. But even pork, and chicken and other meats are so wonderful!

As I grew, I became more manly and more carnivorous. I ground my own meat, smoked and barbecued that meat, refined my barbecue sauce recipe to perfection and had the best pork ribs you could find anywhere. I knew bacon was not good for me, so I only ate it occasionally. I worked out five times a week, ate lots of yogurt for the probiotics, and ate what I considered a healthy diet—whole wheat bread and lots of fruits and vegetables to go with my manly animal protein. With my health profession education and background as an optometrist, I thought I had a decent handle on what I should be eating, and what I should be avoiding.

As a child, I grew up drinking milk. I was told it was good for my bones but stopped drinking it in 2012 when my wife decided that it was not good for us and switched to almond milk. I tried to eat less sugar but that was a hard one for me. Doing well, I thought, but as I turned thirty years old, I started to see things that must be a sign of my age—heartburn. Before that, I did not even know what heartburn was. But, now it’s called GERD, gastroesphageal reflux disease. My doctor put me on nexium and then on omeprazole which helped some. Quitting milk and not eating as much cheese also seemed to help, though no one told me it would. However, my cholesterol levels gradually kept rising, despite my efforts to eat less processed meat and cheese.

Finally at age 52, my cholesterol hit 254, and I was going to need a statin, which seems almost a rite of passage into old age these days. Nearly all my patients are on one by age 50, so that is not too abnormal, right? Then I read the side effects, and I decided I did not want to take a medication for life with so many side effects. What could I do? My wife who always seems to have things figured out a year or two before me, told me I was eating too much meat and dairy. I thought, “Compared to who?” I am a moderate meat eater. Moderation in all things, right (who said that anyway?). I know tons of people who eat way more meat than I do! I get single hamburgers, without cheese. I don’t drink milk. I didn’t know anyone who ate less meat than me, besides my wife.

Then we watched the Netflix movie, “Forks Over Knives.” Was all that stuff really true? Did I really know anything about nutrition, or did I just believe all the stuff that I heard from the media and advertisements, listening more to what I wanted to hear than really hearing or seeking the truth? I decided I would put it to the test to see if it could work for me, Mr. 254 Cholesterol. A week after the 4th of July, I completely stopped eating meat, dairy, eggs and fish. I did not pass out from lack of protein. I did not feel weak or tired. My skin did not get pale. What happened was that in six weeks my cholesterol dropped to 172! It was my lowest number on record, and I have kept records on it since I was in my late twenties.

Here is the list of side effects from my experiment: no heartburn, no constipation, better sleep, more energy and lower food bills. And no prescription medication cost. I was stunned. I felt better, my numbers were better, and I was on my way to discovering something that was right in front my eyes: The Word of Wisdom is true! It works.

This knowledge has changed my life. Since changing my diet I have been to professional conferences on nutrition and read more studies and books than I have read in years. Each day I discuss diet with many of my patients who are suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and elevated cholesterol. I have a library of whole food, plant-based books in my waiting room. I refer patients to a local CHIP (Complete Health  Improvement Program – a 12-week whole food, plant-based dietary education and training program).  One of the leading causes of vision loss in the elderly is age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. It is highly correlated with the systemic diseases listed above. My advice to everyone is this: Don’t wait for the health crisis as so many of us have done. Be healthy now and better off in the long run. It’s not even about fearing death. It’s about wanting to enjoy a healthy lifestyle for as long as you can. In the words of Kim Williams MD, past president of the American College of Cardiology, and advocate of plant-based diets, “I don’t mind dying. I just don’t want it to be my fault.” I am with him on that.

Dan Thieme is 53 years old. He lives in Meridian, Idaho, with his wife and family. He did his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University and graduated from U.C. Berkeley, School of Optometry in 1994. He has his own private practice where he has worked since 1995. He enjoys home improvements, hiking, mountain biking, fishing (catch and release now), boating and spending time with his family.