Meat! "Abstinence" or "In Abundance"?

I can honestly say I don’t know any member of the church that lives a strict “non-meat” diet because of the Word of Wisdom. Sure, I know plenty of members who are “vegans” or “vegetarians” but Section 89 is not their primary principle of abstinence. In fact, outside of abstaining from coffee, tea, tobacco and alcohol, I don’t know a single member that follows the other points laid out in the Word of Wisdom.

The point of this short post is to discuss the apparent contradiction in the D&C on the consumption of meat. Most of us know of the counsel given in D&C 89 without adhering to that counsel, but how many of us note the counsel in Section 49:18-19? –

18 And whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;

19 For, behold, the beasts, of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.

With the popularity of the “Paleo” diets, of which I am a big fan, introspection can give us a dilemma if we want to follow the “Word of Wisdom”. However, Section 49 specifically states that we should consume “the beasts of  the field and the fowls of the air”  “for food” and not “sparingly” as stated in Section 89, but “in abundance”.

If you contemplate the spiritual inspiration in the scriptures, you might want to consider Section 49 along with Section 89. I have decided to go all out “paleo”. Current research debunks the cholesterol problem that has, in the past, been associated with eating meat, especially red meat. Research now states that cholesterol in our diet has no affect on the cholesterol levels in our blood. Personally, I have decided to go all out “paleo”. I just feel better on the diet. Carbs, especially simple carbs, can cause a lot of negative side effects including the spiking of your insulin! Google it! It causing so many health problems that would be considered NOT treating your body as a “temple”. With this in mind, it may be difficult to justify a low meat/protein/fat, high carb diet.

So, what do you follow? What are your thoughts and experiences with meat in your diet and what do you consider the Lord’s will on this matter?