“We were all blown away by the power of these simple dietary changes”

By: Danielle Dinkelman

In the Fall of 2016 I started diving into some Netflix food documentaries. That was the first time I seriously considered the idea of shifting to a whole food, plant-based way of eating. I had been a mom on a mission for the last year and a half to eliminate processed foods and added sugars from our diet. My husband and four little ones (ages 7, 4, 3, and 1 at the time) had come a long way, but I was looking for the next step.

It was the movie Fat Sick & Nearly Dead that really got my attention. I remember Joe Cross pointing out that by definition the only foods that contain fiber are plant foods. Having suffered from digestive issues my whole growing up years, this was an answer I had never considered: eat less animal products. Then there was the point on inflammation and the immune system. In the film he explained how when we eat inflammatory foods, especially dairy and sugar, our immune system is weakened. I finished watching that movie, determined to add more fruits and vegetables to our diet, and maybe start avoiding dairy.

The next few months, I experimented with these ideas on myself and my kids. It was the perfect time to test these ideas out because it was the height of cold and flu season. So, when we started to get the sniffles or a sore throat, we would cut out all dairy and all sugar. I saw a dramatic difference in our ability to stave off infections. When we did get a full-on cold, the kids and I were able to get over it so much faster than before. Instead of 7 to 10 days or more, it only took us 3 to 5 days at the most to get better. I was amazed at how predictably well this worked, so much so that I started to wonder why I was feeding my kids dairy at all.

My husband was unaware of my experiments until he himself was going on month 3 of a chronic sinus infection where drugs had not helped at all. I told him about the success the kids and I had with ditching dairy and sugar to kick our colds. I asked him to just try it and see what happened. He did, and it only took 7 days for him to feel the symptoms start to subside. We were all blown away by the power of these simple dietary changes.

Now that I could see there might really be something to this plant-based nutrition thing, I dove into Netflix again and watched everything I could about it. Forks Over Knives in particular got me thinking it was time to go all the way to whole food, plant-based foods. I was flabbergasted when they talked about (and showed!) how heart disease, diabetes, and cancer could be prevented and even reversed simply by committing to eating whole plant foods. With plenty of heart attacks, strokes, bypass surgeries, and high blood pressure in my family history, I felt so empowered to know that I could do something to have a say in my personal health destiny.

So that was that. It was time to talk to the husband. I came up to him and excitedly asked, “Honey, what do you think about switching to a plant-based diet?” Smiling and anticipating his response, I was taken back when he matter-of-factly said, “Hah!” and abruptly turned around and left the room. Wow. That was not the response I was expecting. Knowing my husband, I knew all I needed to do was to keep learning, and maybe broach the topic again once I was armed with more reasons why we would want to go plant based.

Thus began my obsession with learning everything I possibly could about the scientific argument for a plant-based diet. I listened to podcasts constantly. The best I found were Jamie Dulaney’s Plant Based Wellness Podcast (a plant-based cardiologist and endurance athlete in Florida) and No Meat Athlete Radio (Matt Frazier, vegan blogger and runner). I read blogs and articles too, (No Meat Athlete, nutritionfacts.org), and I was convinced this was the way to go if we wanted to live a longer, healthier life.

All the while, I would share bits and pieces of what I was learning with my husband. He could tell I was starting to get serious about this plant-based idea. He still had lots of questions though. For instance, why do we need to go completely off dairy and meat? Why not just do less? Aren’t there certain nutrients we get in animal products that we can’t get anywhere else? What about our kids? Is a vegan diet healthy for them? For every question he had, I would go and do more research, until finally, I found an article that sealed the deal for him. (I wish I could remember what it was.) I remember it answered his question of how to get complete nutrition without meat or dairy. It put him at ease, and he finally agreed to let me take the family all the way to a plant-based diet.

Once we felt confident that this was a nutritionally sound way to eat for us and our kids, we started to wonder, “Is this in line with the Word of Wisdom?” I decided to prayerfully go to the scriptures and ask the Lord if this would be in line with his will for me and my family. As I read through the Word of Wisdom with fresh eyes and a yearning heart to know how God feels about the food we eat, I saw the words in a completely new light. Verse 13 jumped out at me like it had never been there before, and I was reading it for the first time! (That’s the one about it being “pleasing” that we not eat meat, only in times of famine.) I also noticed that dairy is not even mentioned in the Word of Wisdom! As I read, I felt a spiritual confirmation that a whole food, plant-based diet is in line with the Word of Wisdom and is pleasing to the Lord.

With science, scripture, spirit, AND my husband in support of this change, I was ready to change right then and there.

Then my sweet husband woke me up from my laser-focused determination: “I only have one request,” he said. “Please don’t do this overnight.”(He knows me too well!) In all fairness, I did really want to start pulling all the meat, dairy, and eggs out of our fridge and freezer and start chucking it in the trash. Instead, we agreed that we would use up what we had, and not replace it. So began my task of remodeling our family’s go-to meals so we could start eating whole food, plant-based.

The Word of Wisdom has many promised blessings, both physical and spiritual. I saw the physical blessings almost immediately. I had more energy. My afternoon crash became non-existent. My digestion was better (miracle of miracles!). My recovery time from weight lifting and running was markedly improved as well.

Just 6 months after going plant-based, I ran the Ragnar Wasatch Back for the first time. I had never done anything quite this rigorous and was amazed at how my body performed. Honestly, I rocked it! I felt great the entire time and was even able to pick up an injured teammate’s leg of the race, without missing a beat. So I ran 4 legs of the relay instead of just 3. No problem. No cramps. I felt unstoppable.

It’s been two years now, and my family and I continue to see the blessings of making these changes. My family and I are full of energy and vitality. Our immune systems are so strong. We hardly ever get sick, and when we do, we recover very quickly. I love seeing my little ones snack (almost endlessly) on apples and bananas, crackers and hummus, whole wheat bread and peanut butter, and more. I feel like I am setting them up for long-term health as I help them create eating habits that are exclusively nutritious plant foods.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized the spiritual blessings that have come from my commitment to these wholesome eating habits. Looking back now, I can see that the Lord has blessed me with added insight, direction, and inspiration in my life. There has been subtle but crystal-clear guidance to the next best resource in my personal development for the past three and a half years. (It started a year and a half prior to WFPB, when I went whole foods first). The things the Lord has led me to have blessed me personally and blessed my marriage and my parenting. I feel a higher energetic vibration. I am more sensitive to the whisperings of the spirit. I am more free of fatigue and depression and therefore more available to the Lord and my family.

This journey of personal development has now led me into a new career altogether! The Lord put me in a position to share these insights on life and health with more and more people when he prompted me to become a health and wellness coach. Now I work with others to help them along their journey to becoming their best selves by overcoming the physical and health frustrations that have been holding them back.

I am so grateful for the Lord’s desire and willingness to bless his children. He surely does have endless blessings ready and waiting for each of us. He blesses us for every step we take closer to him.

Danielle Dinkelman is 32 years old and lives in Springville, Utah with her husband and 4 children. She is a Certified Health & Wellness Coach and certified in Plant Based Nutrition. She helps moms get healthy and lead their families to better health. Learn more about plant-based classes and personalized health journey coaching with Danielle at www.danielledinkelman.com.