I was led to study D&C 89 over the last 2 years and have had many revelations regarding this section.
One verse in particular is verse 4 which states "....In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation".
I interpret that to mean that there are people who will seek to harm others, but the key word phrase there is "in the last days".
If you look at the history of the world, up until the industrial revolution, what were people doing and eating? Some 90% of the population were farmers and grew their own food and traded with others. They were nearly eating 100% fresh fruits and vegetables and grains, and some were eating meat as well. But the point is, the food was untampered with, and fresh and natural.
Look at how we eat today. The majority of our food is processed with all sorts of preservatives and additives, and genetic manipulation, and other methods to make the food last for weeks or months (or years) on the shelves. All of which are completely unnatural.
If you pick an apple from your fruit tree, you can be pretty confident that you know what you are getting. If you buy any product off the shelf in a store, can you be sure you know everything that has gone into making it?
Recently there was the health scare from China, where some type of filler material was added to the milk products that killed (just under 100 people?) worldwide. Something like that is "bad" because we know it has "bad" and immediate effects. But what about the additives and preservatives that kill people slowly, like over a 50 year period or less. Are those any less "bad" because the effects are not as obvious or are less measurable?
I believe that in the Word of Wisdom that a higher law exists, and those who keep it will receive the "higher" blessings. If you survey 100 active church going Mormons, nearly all will say they keep the Word of Wisdom. On the surface, most will believe that since they don't smoke, drink, etc... that they are keeping the Word of Wisdom. In my opinion, that is the lower law. Whether the higher law includes becoming a Vegan is for you to ponder.
Someone else posted that they know many older Mormons who live the commandments, yet have health problems and are ill. I believe that the promise that they "shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones" is true and that the Lord will always keep his promises.
I'm a "good" Mormon, having kept the Word of Wisdom all my life as I understood it, yet I used to get the flue, or common cold 2 to 3 times a year as is common among the majority of the population. Yet in the last year, having changed my diet in accordance with the answers I have received after pondering D&C 89 in great depth, I have not been sick once in the last year, I have lost 30 pounds, and feel in better shape than ever. I still eat meat a couple times a week but that is a big drop from the couple times a day that I used to do following the SAD diet (Standard American Diet). You know the diet....Bacon or Sausage for breakfast a couple times a week...Hamburger or Hotdog...and don't forget the wonderful dinner dishes like Lasagna (containing beef), the Roast beef and potato dinners, steaks, summer BBQ's, etc. We as Americans eat a lot of meat, but as long as we eat an amount we consider to be "normal" then we feel we are doing OK.
I looked up the word "Sparingly" in Webster's dictionary. One of the many definitions said "To avoid the use of". Which definition do you prefer to use? Which one did the Lord mean? Which law do you want to follow? How do you want your health to be?
I believe that if you are not receiving the blessings you want (ie health, financial prosperity, etc.) that you are not truly following the law upon which those blessings are predicated.
The Word of Wisdom is not by "Commandment or Constraint" which means, the choice is yours. If you want the blessing promised towards the end of D&C 89, then follow the law. If you are not receiving those promised blessings, do some more soul searching to see if perhaps you are not quite following the law. Another thought to consider...perhaps the Destroying Angel is disease and other health problems???
I could go on for many more pages about D&C 89, but that is it for now. Do your own study...
Duhgman
