“If you know it’s harmful, why are you feeding it to your family?”

By: Lesli Dustin

I am grateful I grew up with a mother who cooked from scratch and fed us healthfully for the most part. My school lunches of whole wheat bread, fruit, and homemade cookies looked a lot different from my friends’ Wonder Bread, Twinkies, and fruit roll ups. I decided to try being a vegan as a teenager. Since it was more a statement than a decision, it didn’t last long, but I did remain a vegetarian for about six years. When I got pregnant with our first child and had an intense craving for meat, I took that as my body’s message that it needed meat and that was the end of my vegetarianism for many years.

I continued in my mom’s tradition and tried to cook and eat healthfully, always aware of eating enough fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and making most of our food at home. But we ate animal foods and lots of sugary desserts. I was inspired to eliminate dairy from my diet when I was in my 30’s and was excited to experience a dramatic decrease in nasal congestion that I thought was normal because it’d been there my whole life. All of a sudden, the chronic sinus infections I’d been suffering from my entire life stopped. It felt like a miracle.

Over the years I cut down on the amount of meat I was feeding my family. Shortly thereafter I decided to stop eating it altogether, except for rare occasions, but I still cooked it several times a week for my family. That year I ate turkey on Thanksgiving and discovered that it tasted awful to me. I have always been interested in health and nutrition and reading books on these subjects, and after reading The China Study I knew the lifestyle that I was flirting with had to be right. But I also wanted to be right with Heavenly Father and not get sidetracked from the gospel by following down strange paths. As a vegetarian teenager, I had a bishop who told me that refusing to eat meat was wrong and that always bothered me. I couldn’t deny the revelation I was receiving that was pushing me in this direction, but I wanted to be sure. I went to the temple and asked Heavenly Father if being a plant-based eater was right. I opened the scriptures there in the celestial room and read the Word of Wisdom and knew I had my answer.

Though my husband is an adventurous eater and would eat my vegetarian meals, he has always loved cheese and meat, and wasn’t interested at all in changing. One night at dinner, he sat down and said, “You know, if you want to cook vegetarian all the time, I’d be okay with that.” I almost fell off my chair.

Some nights I was cooking two different meals and there was something in the back of my mind that was bothering me. I returned to the temple and asked Heavenly Father how to deal with my family and what I knew. I didn’t want to force them, but I knew so much now! The Spirit whispered to me, “If you know it’s harmful, why are you feeding it to your family?” I went home and shared my personal revelation with them at dinner, and they were very receptive. I explained that I couldn’t in good conscience feed them these foods any longer. I have six children, but only three teenage boys left at home, and I knew it wouldn’t work to coerce. I was going to buy and cook only plant-based foods, and they would be able to make their own decisions when away from home. I have worked to educate them as best I can so they will make good decisions.

Heavenly Father was merciful to me in prompting me gradually over time to go whole food, plant-based diet (WFPB). He knows I don’t like change, and He has led me down this path very gently. My husband is now completely on board and eats this way even when away from home, which has been a miracle in itself. He has been trying to lose weight for many, many years doing different diets and hasn’t been able to. But as soon as he adopted this way of eating, the weight just started to come off without any calorie counting. It has brought us closer as a couple to share this lifestyle. I have never been overweight nor had any major health problems, but my cholesterol always hovered around 200. Within a few months of switching to WFPB, my cholesterol came in at 148.

The hardest part for me has been cooking. I am a really good cook, and I have always made everything from scratch. When I switched to WFPB, I felt like I didn’t know how to meal plan, shop, or cook anymore! It felt like I was a newlywed all over again, learning how to provide multiple meals each day for my family without any experience. It’s getting easier, but it’s still not as automatic as it was.

Since we switched, we have had many people approach us and let us know that they are eating better because of our example, or ask us for tips on eating less meat or for recipes.

I feel a lot more compassion for not only animals, but all people. It has been an interesting journey for me. I feel closer to the Spirit and more in tune with my body and its needs. I have learned that the Word of Wisdom is there for our benefit. We can choose the base level of blessings (for no smoking, no drinking, no coffee or tea), or we can seek for higher blessings and knowledge by following the Word of Wisdom at a higher level. It has made me consider other commandments and how I’m living them. Am I living the gospel at a base level or am I seeking for the higher law?

Lesli Dustin (44 years old) lives in Nibley, Utah with her husband Shaun and three boys. They have another son who is married and attending BYU with his wife and two daughters. A daughter is married and living in Idaho with her husband who attends BYU-Idaho, and one is attending college at SUU. Lesli loves the outdoors and can be found walking or running year round, rain or shine (or snow!). She is a third degree black belt in taekwondo and has recently returned to school to earn her master’s degree. She loves to read fiction and non-fiction. Her goal is to meditate every day!