Is caffeine okay in small amounts?
Question
Gramps,
I recently read an answer in which you stated that one should not consume something, even if it is healthy, if they cannot get through the day without it. I understand that there are limits, as anyone knows that even if you don’t NEED alchohol, it is still bad for you. But does this mean that caffeine in small and not frequent is okay?
Jamie
Answer
Jamie,
Caffeine is a stimulant, and can be found in some prescription medicines. As such, it is not forbidden, because medicine is intended to increase our health.
The trick comes in at ‘small amounts’. What exactly is a ‘small amount’? One can of Pepsi every other day? Perhaps some tea on occasion? This line of thought strikes me as a ‘how close can I get to the line without crossing’ approach. Instead we ought to be avoiding the line by as wide a margin as possible.
It is common knowledge that caffeine can be habit-forming for many people. Why take the risk? What can caffeine give you that you cannot obtain any other way?
My personal take is this; our bodies don’t need it unless we give it so much it learns to depend upon it rather than use the natural chemicals made by the body itself. I’d rather let my body work the way it was meant to instead of depend upon outside chemicals to do it.
Gramps
Good response, but this person needs to learn that it is not meet for man to be commanded in all things. The consumption of caffeine itself is not specifically prohibited in the Word of Wisdom; many simply assume that because both coffee and tea are caffeinated, that caffeine must be the objectionable element within both substances (indeed, I’ve even had a stake president tell me that he could give a temple recommend to someone who drinks decaffeinated coffee). The Word of Wisdom however was written at a time before there were caffeinated sugary drinks or highly caffeinated energy drinks, and the Lord has not seen fit to give us any specific revelation on these substances. It is up to us to understand that the spirit of the Word of Wisdom is simply to take care of our bodies and to avoid ingesting harmful substances into them. Thus even if one completely avoids caffeine, if a person is constantly consuming huge amounts of refined sugar and junk food, one is not really living the spirit of the Word of Wisdom even if that person is still temple-worthy. The blessings of good health that we receive from following the Word of Wisdom come to us in as much as we are willing to follow the spirit of the law without being commanded or forced to do so. Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble (Alma 32:16).
I asked my Bishop about this very thing, in reference to whether or not it is all right to drink Coke and Pepsi. His firm response was that one should remember “TACT” when the question arises. T = Tea. A = Alcohol. C = Coffee. T = Tobacco. TACT. The Bishop said that nowhere does the Word of Wisdom counsel against drinking soda or even caffeine. He said that this idea is a false interpretation added by man. I have a friend who is my Visiting Teacher. We have lunch together often, and she always orders a Diet Coke. She is also an active temple ordinance worker. The Bishop who counseled me this way is now in the Stake Presidency. I avoided soda for over 40 years, but I no longer do so. I was counseled not to listen to false doctrine or allow myself to be confused by it. I’m assuming my leadership know what they’re talking about, so I don’t let it worry me anymore.
It’s well to consider one’s intake of foods and drinks that contain caffeine in varying degrees for the sake of one’s health AND a desire to not be ‘enslaved’ to anything, even if the item isn’t specifically prohibited.
D&C 58:26, 27 is perhaps my fave scripture, emPHAsizing that it’s not good to be ‘commanded in all things’. We already KNOW what’s commanded insofar as being compliant with the WoW in order to qualify for a temple recommend. If having a Diet Coke or a Red Bull is your thing, by all means, drink up, and don’t allow anyone else to judge.
The Word of Wisdom is just that, and it’s a greatly LIBERATING principle. However…as the late Bruce R. McConkie put it, it’s NOT the Gospel, nor is the Gospel just all about the WoW.
Being a nonsmoker and teetotaler doesn’t necessarily mean that one is living his life IAW Gospel principles, as the English New Wave performer Adam Ant well sang about 35 or so years ago (“You don’t drink, don’t smoke, what do you do?”), especially if ‘subtle innuendos follow…”, the famed video implying that whatever he’s about to engage in with Bond girl Caroline Munro is being done w/o benefit of marriage. Me, I’d rather be known for ALL aspects of how I live the Gospel, not merely what I refrain from ingesting or inhaling.