Some Investments That You Can Count On

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLES: “Let this be an example to all saints, and there will never be any lack for bread: When the poor are starving, let those who have, fast one day and give what they otherwise would have eaten to the bishops for the poor, and everyone will abound for a long time; and this is one great and important principle of fasts approved of the Lord. And so long as the saints will all live to this principle with glad hearts and cheerful countenances they will always have an abundance.” – The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Letter to Church members in Nauvoo, May 17, 1845, found in HC 7:413.

“The leading and [principle] object of the institution of the fast among the Latter-day Saints, was that the poor might be provided with food and other necessities. It is, therefore, incumbent upon every Latter-day Saint to give to his bishop, on fast day, the food that he or his family would consume for the day, that it may be given to the poor for their benefit and blessing; or, in lieu of the food, that its equivalent amount, or, if the person be wealthy a liberal donation, in money be so reserved and dedicated to the poor.” – Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era, Dec. 1902, p. 148.

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“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? . . . Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am." – Isaiah 58:6–8.

In the April 1974 Conference Report, President Kimball suggested that those of us who have wealth be very generous with our fast offerings, giving as much as ten times the value of two meals.

Elder Marion G. Romney, in a July 1982 Ensign article entitled “The Blessings of the Fast,” encouraged us to give for our own blessing, indicating that consecrating our means to the building up of the Kingdom of God is one of the requirements we must meet to enter Heaven.

PRACTICES: In this time of great financial uncertainty and stress, not many safe havens exist. But here are two investments you always can count on: tithing, and fast offerings. The Lord always pays us back in full, with substantial interest, one way or another. Using our means to generously support the Lord’s welfare program when it is in our power to do so is one of the principles of self-reliance. The Lord offers us great blessings in return. Each of us will need His blessings in the last days.

See also http://dmppp.blogspot.com/. For more info, see http://scriptures.lds.org/mal/3 , particularly verse

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Image credits:
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Couple with bread: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/natlib/afc2001001/afc-legacies/ND/200003255/i0001.jpg

Writing a check: www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/fed_prog/navigating/write_check.jpg

Vitamins for Long-Term Storage

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008...

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PRINCIPLES: “Where garden space is limited, a multiple vitamin pill for daily use by each person may be stored as a safety measure for long periods of emergency. However, vitamin pills deteriorate so must be replaced within two to four years.” – Essentials of Home Production & Storage, 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“To meet nutritional needs, also store foods containing vitamin C and other essential nutrients.” – The Church’s ProvidentLiving.com Web site, at the “Product Recommendations” Web page

“Sugar, salt, baking soda (essential for soaking beans), and vitamin C in tablet form also store well long-term.” – The Church’s ProvidentLiving.com Web site, at the “Longer-Term Storage – 30 Years or More” Web page

PRACTICES: Throughout the winter months in Winter Quarters, Nebraska, LDS pioneers had nearly no fruits and vegetables to eat. This led to malnutrition, disease and death. Prominent among diseases causing death was “black-leg”, characterized by bruises and lesions on legs, and bleeding, spongy gums. Today, we recognize these as late-stage symptoms of scurvy, caused by lack of vitamin C. Hundreds of saints died, perhaps as many as 15% of the camp. Elder George A. Smith was inspired to urge pioneers to eat unpeeled potatoes, helping to cure scurvy. He became known as the “Potato Saint”. (See links below and Hampl et al., 2001, scourge of the black-leg (scurvy) on the mormon trail, Nutrition, 17:5,416-418; some of the links also pertain to statements that follow).

Foods that we store for long-term storage contain little vitamin C and several other vitamins. So, you may want to store vitamin pills, too. Use of vitamin C and multivitamin pills during prolonged crises when fruits and vegetables are not available may help prevent scurvy and other disease. Keep stored vitamins cool, dark and dry, with minimal air exposure. Replace multivitamins every few years. Consider storing vitamin C, which may react with certain other vitamins, by itself in tablets.

Vitamin C is lost from our tissues rapidly. Many of us are depleted or deficient in vitamin C even in ordinary times. In one study, it was found that 37% of HMO outpatients presenting to a U.S. lab had either vitamin C depletion or deficiency. That is sad. Vitamin C promotes optimal health in many ways, too many to fully describe here. Vitamin C is essential for development of collagen found in healthy skin, tendons, ligaments, bones and other connective tissue. Vitamin C is also important in the synthesis of norepinephrine, which affects mood. Vitamin C is necessary for production of carnitine, required to convert fat into useful energy. Finally, vitamin C protects the body against oxidative stress by counteracting free radicals and other oxidants. Vitamin C provides maximum protection against oxidative damage to human cells at safe doses of 500-1,000 mg/day.

For more, see: www.pbs.org/mormons/peopleevents/e_migration.html; http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_/ai_n19356407; www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/17/4/366; http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/; http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/287/23/3127; www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/113294690/abstract; www.ajph.org/cgi/content/full/94/5/870; www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v54/n7/pdf/1601059a.pdf; www.jacn.org/cgi/reprint/20/6/623 ....

Image credits:

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Painting: Winter Quarters by CCA Christensen, public domain, from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Winter_Quarters_by_C.C.A._Christensen.png

Image of vitamins: www.fda.gov/medsinmyhome/images/vitamins.jpg

Photo of family: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/images/family3.jpg

Whole Grains and Health Benefits

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

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PRINCIPLE: In the Word of Wisdom, the Lord states that all grain is good for the food of man. He also encourages us in that revelation to eat fresh vegetables and fruit. To those who faithfully live this law and keep His other commandments, the Lord promises not only blessings of health, but blessings of wisdom, knowledge, and endurance (Doctrine and Covenants Section 89).

PRACTICES: Eating whole grains, such as those grains recommended by the Lord and His prophets for long-term food storage, may dramatically improve our health and well-being. While some people are allergic or sensitive to certain grains, such as wheat or corn, most people who are senstive can tolerate a number of other grains or grain-like foods. It is wise to choose grains for long-term food storage based on individual as well as family needs and wants.

Whole-grain foods in general contain healthful complex carbohydrates, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, and essential vitamins and minerals, all contributing to human health.

Many people are unaware of the tremendous health benefits that accrue from eating whole grains. Few people eat enough whole grains. Only about 8% of Americans eat the recommended three or more servings of whole grains per day (see www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/70494.php).

The health benefits of including whole grains in one’s diet are confirmed by modern science. An example of this is a study by Steffen and others on the relationship between whole grains and death (mortality) and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). This study took place over 11 years. The study divided subjects into five quintiles (statistical groups) based on average whole grain intake (Am J Clin Nutr 2003; 78:383–90). The study showed no decreased mortality or CAD from eating refined grains. However, this study did show that those “in the quintile with a mean intake of 3 servings of whole grain/d had a 23% and 28% lower risk of total mortality and incident CAD, respectively, than did those in the quintile with a mean intake of 0.1 serving/d.” Imagine cutting your chances of death and CAD by 23% and 28% respectively just by changing the type of grains you eat to whole grains!

Additional studies show other health benefits from eating whole grains in moderation. Risk from stroke appears to decrease by 30-36%, and risk from type 2 diabetes appears to decrease by 21-30%. Other health benefits apparently gained by people who eat whole grains include significantly diminished risk associated with asthma, carotid-artery obstruction, inflammatory disease, colorectal cancer, high blood pressure, and gum disease (see www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains-101/what-are-the-health-benefits; and www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/health-gains-from-whole-grains/index.html).

Abundant recipes exist on the Web for satisfying, enjoyable foods made with whole grains. Here is a link to a Web site that provides some links to recipes for whole grains, whole-grain pastas, and multi-grain dishes. Among whole grains covered are oatmeal, wild rice, kamut, barley, amaranth and bulgar wheat. www.wholegrainscouncil.org/recipes

Graphics credits:

Grain: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2003/images/bud10c.jpg

At the table: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/images/dad_girls_eating.jpg

Heart diagram: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/images/heart_interior.gif.

Human brain cell (enhanced image): https://cams.llnl.gov/graphics/Fotolia_2948261_sm.jpg
Breads and grains: http://www.ars.usda.gov/IS/timeline/jpgsgifs/k7650-1i.jpg

Groats, Steel-Cut Oats, Rolled Oats, and Oat Flour

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards, 2008

PRINCIPLE: “When we have stored away our grain we are safe, independent of the world, in case of famine, are we not? . . . There are a great many things that we can save . . . wheat, barley and oats.” (Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, volume 5, p. 20-21)

PRACTICES: Oats are one of many kinds of foods that we can store for a rainy day, whether that rainy day is a time of no work, no money, no opportunity to go shopping, or no food at the store. Oats need to be stored in a cool, dark, dry, oxygen-free setting to store as long as possible. .....................

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Raw oats, when harvested, have an inedible outer layer or hull. During commercial processing, raw oats are cleaned, dehulled, steamed and roasted, yielding groats. Hulling cannot usually be easily done by the average consumer, and people who want to buy groats typically buy them from dealers at natural-food or emergency-food stores. Special unheated groats can be obtained that can be sprouted. Groats are very nutritious, but they are somewhat difficult for people to grind to flour to a consistent size using a grinder. Some people grind their groats in a blender or food processor. Also, instead of grinding groats into flour, you can roll groats into rolled oats using a grain roller.

Steel cut oats are groats cut or broken in processing. They are available in some grocery or natural-food stores. They take a long time to cook, ~ 15-90 minutes. But because steel cut oats are chunks of oat grain, they are not only chewier but they produce a much lower glycemic load to the body. People in Scotland or Vermont often soak steel cut oats overnight in a solution of water and salt and sometimes sweetener to prepare steel cut oats for cooking and to shorten their cooking time. . . .

Regular rolled oats are made by steaming groats, roasting them, steaming them again and running them through a roller. Rolled oats are readily found at grocery stores. They cook much faster (~ 5 min) than steel cut oats. Rolled oats cooked while water is being brought to a boil tend to be creamy; those added after the water has been brought to a boil tend to be flaky. Rolled oats are often made into cookies or granola, added as fillers to soups or stews, or put into casseroles. Rolled oats can also be eaten without cooking, as in no-bake cookies. Regular rolled oats stored in #10 cans with oxygen-removing packets can store for up to 30 years (McEwan et al., 2006, Effects of long-term storage on sensory and nutritional quality of rolled oats, J. Food Science, v. 70 no. 7, pages s453 - s458; see also http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7798-1-4224-1,00.html).

Quick cooking and instant oatmeal oats, cut and rolled, do not last as long in storage as regular rolled oats. Oat flour can be made and added to bread but it does not store very long. ...

Bran, endosperm, and germ are the nutritious parts of oats. The bran contains fiber, the endosperm contains high-quality protein, and the germ is a rich source of vitamins, healthful oil, and minerals. Pure oats are gluten free. Oats contain soluble fiber, known to help the heart. The FDA allows claims for oats as part of a heart-healthy diet. Eating oats promotes health in other ways as well.

More at www.quakeroatmeal.com/includes/PDFs/FarmtoTable.pdf, www.karenskitchen.com/a/recipe_oat.htm, http://deseretnews.com/cn/view/1,1721,495006685,00.html, and http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/bloatmeal.htm

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Credits: Drawing of oats from Britton, N.L., and A. Brown, 1913, An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. v. 1:218; photos of steel-cut oats and regular rolled oats are released into public domain, from Wikipedia; photo of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/images/dessert1-chocchip.gif

Grains Other Than Wheat, and Grain-Like Foods

Provident Principles and Practices
© David Edwards , 2008.+

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PRINCIPLE: “All grain is good for the food of man” – Doctrine and Covenants, 89:16

PRACTICES: Many grain-like foods and grains other than wheat have great flavors. Some provide lysine, which in wheat is deficient. Grains store for years in cool, dry, oxygen-free settings. Ground grain, or flour, has a short shelf life. Some grains can be soaked before cooking to cook faster.

Spelt and Kamut. Spelt and Kamut are hard grains related to wheat. They can be tolerated much better by many people allergic to wheat. Like wheat, spelt or kamut can be stored for decades.

Rye and Triticale. Rye, a soft grain, may store for 6-9 years. Triticale, a cross of wheat and rye, contains much less gluten than wheat. It is a harder grain. Triticale can be stored for decades.

Oats. Rolled oats (rolled hulled oats, called groats) are often used for making hot cereals or cookies or for thickening soups or stews. Properly stored, rolled oats may last for decades.

Rice. Brown rice has a chewy texture and wonderful flavor, but it generally goes rancid after about six months in storage due to deterioration of fat in the germ unless special storage methods are used. Freezing can lengthen the shelf life. If oxygen is also removed, then storage life can be lengthened to several years. White rice, much less nutritious, stores for decades under proper storage conditions.

Popcorn. Popcorn grains can be popped and/or milled into meal or flour. Since popcorn grains are hard, trying to grind them with weak mills may damage them. Under ideal conditions, popcorn grains can be stored for years.

Millet. Millet is a hard cereal grain; essentially a complete protein; gluten-free; alkaline; easily digestible. Not ground, it takes about 30-60 minutes to cook; if ground or soaked, it cooks faster.

Quinoa. Quinoa consists of grain-like fruit/seeds that when cooked can be eaten like rice or cereal. Seeds have high nutritional content, and no gluten. Quinoa contains about 12-18% protein, a balanced set of amino acids including lysine, and essential fiber and minerals. Most quinoa sold in the U.S. is already washed; otherwise, it must be washed thoroughly to remove bitter saponins from its outside surfaces. A soft grain, quinoa may last 6-9 years in storage under optimal conditions.

Amaranth. Amaranth, like Quinoa, consists of grain-like fruit/seeds having high nutritional content: 12-18% protein; high in lysine; gluten-free; with much fiber. It must be cooked. It can be ground and used in bread flour (up to 25%). Amaranth seeds can also be toasted or popped. The seeds can also be rolled like oat groats and cooked. Under good conditions, Amaranth can be stored for years.

Buckwheat. High in lysine content and protein (11-14%) and gluten-free, buckwheat fruit/seeds have three sides. The seeds toast well to become nutty-flavored Kasha. Buckwheat flour is used for making pancakes. Stored properly, buckwheat may last for many years.

Credits (graphics retrieved 2 Sept 2008 from the following sources):

Spelt: Tracey Slotta @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database at http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/standard/trsp3_001_shp.jpg

Rye: http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/photoset/300dpi-jpg/0584.jpg

Oats: http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/images/nsgc/taxon/avsativa.jpg

Rice: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/ReleaseImages/20050718/01_ricefields.jpg ..

Popcorn: www.nasa.gov/images/content/49105main_popcorn.jpg

Quinoa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Chenopodium_quinoa0.jpg By Kurt Stueber. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this photo under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

Amaranth: www.ars-grin.gov/ars/MidWest/Ames/repository/oldsitearchive/Images/Crops_amaranth.gif