American society is generally familiar with the idea that Mormons have a health code that forbids them from drinking alcohol, tea, and coffee, not smoking or chewing tobacco, and staying away from a few other things that are forbidden. Science and the collective experience of society have long acknowledged that the Word of Wisdom given by Joseph Smith hundreds of years ago did indeed have a lot of prophetic wisdom in it.
The Lord’s introduction to the Word of Wisdom in Doctrine and Covenants 89 explains that the specific health counsel that would follow was given “in consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days”.
Living by our dogmatized version of the Word of Wisdom standards (no alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, harmful drugs) is not difficult for most faithful Latter-day Saints.
But why are we eating Cheetos?
While we tend to be somewhat committed to the restrictions that, if not followed, would keep us from being one hundred percent compliant with our religion, we’re missing the point of that revelation if we are consuming things that accomplish purposes similar to beer, cigarettes, and the other things we’ve been strictly forbidden from touching: destroying health and limiting agency.
If there were evils and designs being drummed up by conspiring men in Joseph Smith’s time, that problem has certainly compounded since then. As I’ve talked about many times before, there are most certainly conspiracies that affect Latter-day Saints in the 21st century. In fact, with the advances in technology that we’ve experienced in the past hundred years, conspiring people have been given nearly unlimited power to influence those of us who are doing our best to stay clear of their control.
So, let’s talk about Cheetos.
Why Cheetos Are Unworthy of a Latter-day Saint
Cheetos might not be brewed in a distillery or rolled into paper like a cigarette, but that’s not the point. When you examine what Cheetos are made of, why they were designed, and what they do to the body and mind, it becomes painfully clear that they fall squarely into the category warned about in the Word of Wisdom: a product born of “evils and designs… in the hearts of conspiring men.”
Let’s break that down:
� 1. Engineered to Be Addictive
Cheetos are a textbook example of what’s called a “hyperpalatable” food—meaning it’s been chemically engineered to overwhelm your brain’s natural appetite controls. The combination of salt, fat, artificial cheese, and crunch is no accident; it’s been tested and tweaked in labs to create a food you can’t stop eating even when you’re full.
Just as alcohol can hijack the brain’s reward system and make people crave more, Cheetos and other snack foods do something eerily similar. They light up the dopaminergic reward pathway—the same pathway triggered by drugs, gambling, and pornography.
And that should matter to us as disciples of the Savior.
What good is avoiding beer if we’re enslaved to another substance that blunts our agency, fogs our clarity, and drives us to consume compulsively?
� 2. Destroys Mental Clarity
It’s worth asking: Does what I eat make me more spiritually sensitive—or less?
Cheetos (and similar processed foods) are loaded with:
- Refined starches that spike and crash blood sugar, leading to brain fog
- Artificial colors (like Red 40 and Yellow 6) linked to behavioral changes and attention issues
- MSG and flavor enhancers that overstimulate brain receptors
- Inflammatory oils that damage the blood-brain barrier and promote long-term cognitive decline
If Satan’s goal is to dull our discernment, distract us from revelation, and slowly erode our ability to feel the Spirit, then these kinds of substances are very effective tools. We may not think a snack food can influence our spiritual trajectory—but if it influences our mood, our energy, our impulse control, or our ability to focus during prayer or study, then it absolutely does.
⚠️ 3. Created by Conspiring Men for Profit, Not Nourishment
The Word of Wisdom doesn’t just warn against harmful substances—it warns us to be aware of how and why those substances come to exist. Cheetos, like many ultra-processed foods, are not made with your health in mind. They’re made with one goal: maximize profits by maximizing cravings.
They’re cheap to produce, shelf-stable, and highly addictive. That’s not food—that’s edible manipulation.
The Lord knew we’d be living in a world full of corporations and industries that would prey on our appetites, our children, and our pocketbooks. That’s exactly what Cheetos—and countless other convenience foods—are designed to do.
� 4. They Numb Us Spiritually Just Like Alcohol or Tobacco Can
No, eating Cheetos won’t land you in a bishop’s office like drinking coffee might. But that’s kind of the point.
The Word of Wisdom was never just about external obedience. It’s about preserving health, clarity, self-mastery, and revelatory potential. If we’re foggy-headed, sugar-crashing, and nutritionally deficient, how well can we really:
- Parent with patience?
- Serve with energy?
- Study the scriptures with focus?
- Recognize the whisperings of the Spirit?
Discipleship is demanding. It requires a body and brain that function well. If we wouldn’t drink something that blunts our spiritual sensitivity, we should think twice before eating something that does the same.
So… Should Latter-day Saints Eat Cheetos?
No commandment explicitly says, “Thou shalt not eat Cheetos,” just like none says, “Don’t stare at your phone all day.” But the principle is clear:
We are stewards of our bodies. And that stewardship extends beyond just avoiding the “big” sins. It includes guarding against anything that numbs our agency, exploits our appetites, or hinders our ability to follow Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart—and mind.
That doesn’t mean you’re condemned if you’ve eaten Cheetos (we’ve all been there). But it does mean we ought to ask better questions about the foods we consume regularly.
- Is this food helping me become who God wants me to become?
- Does this substance sharpen my ability to feel the Spirit—or deaden it?
- Am I consuming this with intention—or out of addiction?
Because at the end of the day, a bag of Cheetos might not send you to hell—but if it slowly derails your health, clouds your judgment, and weakens your self-control, it can keep you from fulfilling your divine potential.
And that’s a cost no snack is worth.
But Didn’t Jesus Say It Doesn’t Matter What We Eat, But What We Say?
Inevitably, when such a serious question like this about whether or not Latter-day Saints should be eating Cheetos is brought up, there’s a response from someone who has glossed over the New Testament. His argument is that Jesus gave explicit permission to eat whatever we want without spiritual or moral consequence.
But did he? Let’s take a look.
The verse that is most often used to justify eating Cheetos is this one from Matthew 15:11:
Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Here’s a clear explanation of how to understand that passage in context—and why it doesn’t mean disciples can eat whatever they want and expect no consequences, especially when it comes to health and their ability to follow Christ effectively.
In Matthew 15, Jesus is speaking to Pharisees and scribes who are upset that His disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating—according to traditions, not God’s law. Jesus is confronting a legalistic, external-focused religion that missed the point of inner purity and integrity.
In verses 17–19, He explains:
“Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?… But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
So, His teaching is spiritual: Sin originates in the heart—not the stomach. You’re not spiritually impure because you ate with unwashed hands. You’re spiritually impure if your heart harbors evil, which then comes out in your words and actions.
� What This Is Not Saying
Jesus is not saying:
- “It doesn’t matter what you eat.”
- “Food can’t harm you.”
- “You can abuse your body without consequence.”
He’s saying that food, in and of itself, doesn’t make someone sinful before God in a moral sense. It’s a theological teaching—not a nutrition plan.
Why What We Eat Still Matters—A Lot
I’m using the example of Cheetos here because it’s a snack that I see way to often at ward activities, being sent home with my kids from Primary classes, and otherwise passed around the active Latter-day Saint community. We could just as easily be talking about any number of other guilty treats, such as:
- Skittles
- Ring pops
- Doritos
- Fruit Snacks
- Sodas
- Etc.
My goal here isn’t to make people reading this feel like there should never be any fun in life. Instead, it’s to help us all be more conscious of the fact that the foods we’ve been consuming (in addition to the shots of who-knows-what we have inserted into our bloodstreams…but that’s a whole article itself) and feeding our kids as being innocuous is far from that.
Let’s talk about a few gospel principles in relation to governing what we take into our bodies.
Your Body Is a Tool for Discipleship
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God…” (Romans 12:1)
Your physical health affects:
- Your energy to serve
- Your mental clarity to study, pray, and minister
- Your emotional stability and decision-making
An unhealthy body limits your ability to live as a disciple—not because it makes you morally impure, but because it physically restricts what you can do for others and for God.
The Bible Teaches Stewardship of the Body
“Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit… glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor. 6:19–20)
This isn’t just about avoiding immorality—it’s about how we care for the bodies we’ve been entrusted with. Poor nutrition, food addiction, or neglecting our health can:
- Dull our spiritual senses
- Shorten our lifespan
- Weaken our witness
So, Jesus’ statement in Matthew 15 doesn’t cancel the principle of stewardship. It reminds us not to turn food laws into a self-righteous scoreboard.
Freedom Isn’t a License for Harm
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.” (1 Cor. 6:12)
Sure, you can eat ultra-processed foods, chug soda, or live off Cheetos. But that freedom doesn’t mean it’s wise, beneficial, or aligned with God’s purposes for your life.
The Big Picture: Discipleship Requires Discipline
Spiritual health and physical health are intertwined. If your diet clouds your brain, wrecks your sleep, stirs up cravings, and robs you of vitality—you’re going to struggle to be the kind of alert, compassionate, disciplined disciple Jesus calls us to be.
So while Jesus freed us from the ritual law of foods and handwashing, He didn’t free us from the natural consequences of treating our bodies poorly. If anything, the freedom He offers calls us to a higher standard—not legalism, but loving stewardship of our whole selves.
While it might be worth sending a note to your Primary president to request that Cheetos and the list of other offenders (that’s a long list) be given to your kids, there may be other ways to more diplomatically keep your family and kids away from snacks that are unworthy of consumption. Similar to some of our friends in church who have woken up to the more important issues facing parents, we tell our kids that if they are given any of the standard treats, they can just accept the gift, then come trade us for something sweet that’s not going to have a detrimental effect upon them.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In