“I want to please Him because I know He wants what is best for me”

By Sherry Seeley:

The brownies were in my locker. As requested by my seminary teacher, Brother Krebs, my mother made a treat to share with the class. When class started there were no treats. Rather than share my family secret, I endured a five-minute lecture on being responsible while I stared at my shoes. The secret was my mother cooked everything from scratch with healthy ingredients! Those brownies were sweetened with honey and contained 100% whole wheat flour. I couldn’t face the imagined ridicule from my peers.

Every Saturday morning my mother ground up wheat that was made into delicious bread for the week. Whole wheat toast with honey was my comfort food. You could measure the kind of day I’d had by how much bread was eaten after school. Breakfast was a large pot of cooked cereal or whole wheat pancakes. Dinner was a large casserole of beans, rice or potatoes loaded with homegrown vegetables with only one serving of meat to feed eight people. There was always a salad and fruit at every meal.

The problem in this wonderful diet was dairy. We drank milk! Lots and lots of milk. As an adult this came back to haunt me. I thought it was healthy for my body and bones. A few years ago I received my first bone density test, and it showed I was losing bone density. I was furious. I felt betrayed. When the nurse tried to put me on a series of drugs, I wouldn’t listen. I started a quest of investigation and learning that was intense because I was fighting for my bones without taking drugs.

My search led me to the video documentary Forks over Knives and all the related books and movies on whole food, plant-based nutrition. I found Jane Birch and Discovering The Word of Wisdom on Facebook. This was an answer to a question I’d had my whole life. When I first read D&C 89 as a child, I noticed the part where it says to eat meat sparingly. The answers I’d received were very unsatisfying. People would say, “Oh well,” and “it says that but, that’s not what it really means.” I knew it was time to change. I started drinking plant-based milk and stopped eating meat, dairy, and oil.

My spirit is sensitive to Heavenly Father’s law of health so I didn’t find it difficult to change my diet. I want to please him because I know he wants what is best for me. At my annual physical the doctor gave me his “Healthiest Patient Award.” He said I was rare to be taking charge of my own health and that most patients just ask for pills to solve their unhealthy eating choices. I have not retested my bone density because I don’t feel it’s necessary. My stomach and bowels are happy, and I have no regrets at the end of the day. My husband joined me and saw his cholesterol drop over 100 points in a year. My children follow their own path, but I hope my example is making an impact.

I continue eating and living whole food, plant-based everyday. It’s a lifestyle I absolutely love! I focus on eating lots of fiber and enjoy studying nutrition. I find power in having no desire for processed food. My testimony of the Word of Wisdom has increased because I trust God’s love for me.

My mother lived 100 healthy years in her home. For a time I was her caregiver and was able to express my gratitude for the health and strength she gave my body through her food. She loved the bean soups, vegetables, salads, fruit, and steel cut oats I fixed for her. I even confessed the brownie story and how it ended. After school when I was taking the brownies out of my locker, the kids in the hall saw them and swarmed like locusts begging to have one. I handed them out fully expecting some negative comments. There were none. After the brownies were gone, I remembered my teacher and how disappointed he’d been. He never got one. Sorry, Brother Krebs.

Sherry Seeley is 63 years young and lives in Orem, UT. She was born and raised in Logan, UT and earned an associate degree in business and a BS degree in Family and Human Development at USU. She served a mission in Louisville, KY. She is married with 4 children and 2 grandchildren. She spent last summer living in Hawaii hiking, walking and swimming in the ocean. She is passionate about sharing healthy eating with anyone who will listen and loves learning from others.