Does the LDS Culture Promote Obesity?

[_Some Schmo]

For many people, food is an addiction in the sense that it's used to alter state (like drugs, gambling, sex, religion and other addictions). For many, it's a distraction from their pain. What makes a food addiction particularly difficult is that you have to eat to live. I mean, if you want to get over your addiction to cigarettes, you just stop smoking. With food, there's moderation involved, and that can be tough for people with "addictive personalities."

I think one of the main reasons this is worse for Mormons is that all of the more traditional vices are off-limits. If you are a compulsive type, what do you have to choose from? You got food, work and church. That's about it.

I think members would be a lot healthier if the church encouraged moderation in all things rather than the current "utter restriction of some things, go nuts with everything else" paradigm they're pushing.

[_truth dancer]

I do think the LDS culture promotes unhealthy eating.

As has been mentioned, virtually EVERY activity or get-together has associated with it unheatlhy foods.

People pray over garbage and poison asking God to make it healthy and nourishing... I don't get it.

I'm on the very conscientious end of the eating spectrum and just completely do not get the WOW!

Tea and coffee are taboo but eating all the sugar and lard and poison is no problem at all! Caffiene is evidently not a problem unless it is in coffee and tea, hot drinks are actually fine with the exception of coffee and tea unless the tea is herbal which actually all tea is. Eating as much meat as one wants seems to be totally OK (and supports the church's huge cattle industry). It is just sort of nonsensical to me.

Several years ago, (actually my last TRI), the counselor in the Stk presidency who was interviewing me for my TR was literally several hundred lbs overweight. He truly could barely walk and even had difficulty breathing. He mentioned my being a vegetarian and "warned" me about it.

I just sat there... here I am, eating as healthfully as I can, in excellent shape, (medically speaking), and he was barely alive telling me to eat in a way I find unhealthy. It was just one of those things that made me dizzy! :-)

~dancer~

Edit... just to be clear, I do not advocate my particular eating choices for others... I try to eat consciously which FOR ME, means eliminating foods I think are harmful and taking into my form that which I believe is nourishing. I just do not get the WoW (with the exception of drugs), as something that moves anyone toward health.

[_harmony]

I don't think this is a bigger problem for LDS than it is for the general population, but I think it should not be a problem for LDS at all. After all, we have God telling us what to eat; we just choose to ignore most of it.

I think a lot of my food choices in the last 30 years were based on what I could afford due to some choices we made early in our marriage (large family, my Sweet Pickle wanted to farm not get a college degree, I was to be a stay at home mom instead of a career woman). So we ate lots of pasta, potatoes, white flour, hamburger, and white sugar, because that's what was cheapest. Consequently, my children all developed a taste for things made out of that grocery list, instead of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, and skim milk. And consequently, they all battle their weight. Some of them are winning the battle. Others of them are not. I am currently on a diet myself, although it is more of a life choices change than a diet with specific time frame or weight loss goal. I just want to be half my size. I think at least a few of my biggest health problems will disappear or shrink considerably, if I lost about half my weight. And I'm tired of carrying around my two year's supply! So I do what works for me, including walking during the day.

Another thought I had about this general subject is that LDS women tend to be very appearance-conscious in my ward. We have more bleached blonde or bottle brunette 50 somethings than the average, I think. They're desperately trying to hold onto their 30 something face and figure; meanwhile, their husbands get grayer and balder every day. The men don't seem to care that they're aging, while it is just killing the women.

[_wenglund]

I would think that given the relative infrequency of Church functions at which unhealthy foods are served, such functions are not so much a causal or promoting factor of obessity, but a symptom of the "fast-food" and "pleasure-centric" mindset and oft highly stressful nature of our secular American society (I haven't visited Europe or the Pacific basin, but I suspect that the LDS people in those geographic location will tend to be proportionately less likely to be obese than their American counterparts, and I trust that their "refreshments" would reflect more their respective secular cultures).

So, I lean towards answering "no" to the question of this thread, though I commend Liz for taking the innitiative and making the uncommon effort to lose the weight that she did. Bravo!

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[_Who Knows]

So, I lean towards answering "no" to the question of this thread

Heh. Of course not.

I think Schmo is spot on, when he said something about a limited number of 'vices' that are available to LDS. Everyone's got 'em. There's just fewer options to choose from when you're LDS. (this may also have something to do with the higher than average anti-depressant use as well).

[_Blixa]

I agree with Jason and harmony that the problem is bigger than "Mormon wide," but I think Jason did get at what may be specific to Mormon culture about obesity:

"It is a permissible vice. But my guess is LDS are just not more over weight then anyone else. Face it. The majority of US persons are to fat. Most could do something about it. LDS the same. What may get in the way for LDS is a lot of discretionary time that can be used to exercise may be used by a Church calling."

Anyway, I'm happy to hear you've spoken on this at church, Jason!

Wade said:

"I would think that given the relative infrequency of Church functions at which unhealthy foods are served..."

my experience is that they were very frequent, but if you are correct then that's an encouraging trend.

Anyway, I'm very gonna go to the "dark side" now and invite everyone to post on the Pleasures of Eating and Drinking thread I just started in the off topic basement!

[_wenglund]

I don't think this is a bigger problem for LDS than it is for the general population, but I think it should not be a problem for LDS at all. After all, we have God telling us what to eat; we just choose to ignore most of it.

I think a lot of my food choices in the last 30 years were based on what I could afford due to some choices we made early in our marriage (large family, my Sweet Pickle wanted to farm not get a college degree, I was to be a stay at home mom instead of a career woman). So we ate lots of pasta, potatoes, white flour, hamburger, and white sugar, because that's what was cheapest. Consequently, my children all developed a taste for things made out of that grocery list, instead of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, and skim milk. And consequently, they all battle their weight. Some of them are winning the battle. Others of them are not. I am currently on a diet myself, although it is more of a life choices change than a diet with specific time frame or weight loss goal. I just want to be half my size. I think at least a few of my biggest health problems will disappear or shrink considerably, if I lost about half my weight. And I'm tired of carrying around my two year's supply! So I do what works for me, including walking during the day.

Another thought I had about this general subject is that LDS women tend to be very appearance-conscious in my ward. We have more bleached blonde or bottle brunette 50 somethings than the average, I think. They're desperately trying to hold onto their 30 something face and figure; meanwhile, their husbands get grayer and balder every day. The men don't seem to care that they're aging, while it is just killing the women.

I agree with you about the growth of image-conscousness among certain members of the Church, though as intimated before, I think the image-consciousness of people in the Church is also a bi-product of the underlining American culture. And, I believe it can potentially have a devistating affect on those, in and out of the Church, who give themselves more fully over to it.

What can we, as individuals, do to prevent this from happening to ourselves and our friends and loved-ones, and how can we also help free those who are already in its clutches? In other words, rather than just pointing out potential problems, what can we do to be a part of the solution?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[_harmony]

I agree with Jason and harmony that the problem is bigger than "Mormon wide," but I think Jason did get at what may be specific to Mormon culture about obesity:

"It is a permissible vice. But my guess is LDS are just not more over weight then anyone else. Face it. The majority of US persons are to fat. Most could do something about it. LDS the same. What may get in the way for LDS is a lot of discretionary time that can be used to exercise may be used by a Church calling."

Anyway, I'm happy to hear you've spoken on this at church, Jason!

Wade said:

"I would think that given the relative infrequency of Church functions at which unhealthy foods are served..."

my experience is that they were very frequent, but if you are correct then that's an encouraging trend.

Anyway, I'm very gonna go to the "dark side" now and invite everyone to post on the Pleasures of Eating and Drinking thread I just started in the off topic basement!

I think what Wade was getting at is that there are relatively few opportunities for unhealthy food at Church functions because there are relatively few Church functions nowadays. We've moved a long ways away from the Church being the center of our social life. I think we only have 3-4 ward parties a year now, very few dinners, very little socializing where food is served. We have a lot of meetings, but relatively few that have refreshments, at least in my ward.

[_Blixa]

oh...well that explains it, harmony. Thanks!

[_The Nehor]

Over the past few year I have become a bit of an exercise snob. So my wife tell me. But I have commented in my ward a number of times that to be overwieght is breaking to word of wisdom. I once wrote a talk where I said LDS will pat themselves on the back for not drinking wine but then carry an extra 30 or 40 poinds. I said that was worse then drinking the wine which in moderation is actually GOOD for you.

I wouldn't be too dogmatic on the point. I have one friend who works out 10 hours a week and eats healthy and is nowhere near ideal weight due to the way her body works. I think she is following the Word of Wisdom though.

My criteria for my own WoW observance is that if I can run and not be weary and walk and not faint I'm on the right track.