by Shannon Pointer

Why are we counseled to eat “in the season thereof”?

It’s probably easier on the budget, but as we continue to learn about food, we are learning why, for instance, we should eat strawberries in the spring rather than in January. Strawberries ripen in the spring and they also happen to be a natural blood thinner and a perfect food to prepare the body for warmer weather.

Years ago after the sickest winter our family had ever spent I was anxious to learn how to maintain our health better. I attended a seminar by Jay Kordich, “the juice man.” He taught how to make a juice to kill the flu. He had my attention! If my family never had the flu again it would be too soon.

He said that cranberries are rich in quinine or quininic acid which knocks out the flu completely. How nice that right as flu season starts, cranberries are ripe! By juicing apples, a peeled orange and a few handfuls of fresh or frozen cranberries (all fresh and in season at the same time) you have a drink that is as delicious as it is beautiful.

If you ever feel the aches or chills starting or that queasy stomach just whip up this juice, drink and the flu doesn’t stand a chance. Our family makes a quicker version, a smoothie that is anti-flu (which is useful at 2 am). Blend up yogurt, banana, and any frozen fruit along with frozen cranberries, add apple juice or soy milk to desired consistency. I can honestly say that we don’t miss not having the flu at our house.

So in our family we have learned a startling truth! Food IS nutrition! Even teenagers can grasp this concept. It makes sense that God provided for his children in every way. He not only gave us nutritional guidance in the Word of Wisdom, He placed on the earth what we need. In the Book of Mormon I was interested to read how they struggled with sickness and fever, “And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land–but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases…” Alma 46:40

We have found that improving our health habits has been a fun challenge. We keep adding and changing and find that our changes are rewarding! This last year we bought some really great wheat grown in the Mt. Pleasant, Utah area. It has a really high protein content and our wheat grinder makes such a fine flour that we decided we didn’t need white flour anymore.

The real test came at Christmastime when our teenage daughter started making cookies. We used only our wheat flour in baking and loved it! For those of you who have a wheat allergy, try using spelt or kamut. These are really old grains, full of nutrients and they haven’t been changed and hybridized for disease and bug resistance. Many people with wheat allergies can use these grains.

Good luck to you and your family as you journey to better health and nutrition.

We often think of the gospel as a spiritual, behavioral and eternal realm. But the truth is that since God introduced Adam and Eve into the garden with instructions on what to eat, He has always been intensely concerned with the physical health of His children.
History shows that the Lord’s food and hygiene instructions, given to the ancient Israelites (see Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14), protected them from illnesses and plagues throughout three millennia. Until observance rates began declining in the last 100 years, the average Israelite lived much longer than the average gentile. (From The Art of Health, Peter Rothschild, M.D., PhD)

A final thought: one of the Lord’s enduring promises, found throughout the scriptures is that He will “heal you” and “make you whole.” We are His children. If we seek Him, he will help us to claim the blessings this life has to offer us. – Danielle Ellis, Editor

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