'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' Ladies All Seem To Have One Major Vice — Caffeine

Those who watched all eight episodes of the Hulu breakout hit reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives still have loads of questions about MomTok, fruity cereal, and the rules the Mormons live by, among many other things. And whn it comes to the latter, caffeine is something that viewers still aren’t totally clear on. So, can Mormons have caffeine like they do on Secret Lives?

For the ladies of the show, caffeine seems to be the one vice that is shared, and it’s also the one they openly discuss. But elsewhere, fans came to the conclusion that caffeine is a no-no in the Mormon Church. So, what gives? There are clearly some rules that some of the women play fast and loose with, but the caffeine of it all might be a loophole they can get away with.

The women of Secret Lives are not shy about how much caffeine they drink. One of them even admits to drinking more than 60 ounces of caffeinated soda in a day. Without getting into just how unhealthy that much soda and caffeine might be for the average person, it’s important to understand that Mormons can indeed have caffeine.

According to a TikTok user by the name of Ave who was once an active member of the Mormon Church, the idea that caffeine is forbidden by the church comes from Mormon church founder Joseph Smith’s "guide to live a clean life." In his guide, he included that hot drinks like coffee and tea were not allowed to be consumed by members of the church.

The user explains in her video that not drinking caffeine when Joseph Smith decreed it was a "principle of obedience." But these days, it’s a preference for different individuals in the Mormon church. Some of them still don’t drink coffee or caffeine as a show of their beliefs, while others expect this change in the church to be a talking point at conferences to officially un-ban caffeine.

And according to The Salt Lake Tribune, that tracks. The outlet reported that Latter-day Saint leaders said in 2012 that there isn’t a mention of being against caffeine in the church’s health codes. And Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, which is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, even sells caffeinated soda in vending machines now.

On Secret Lives, Demi Engemann shares her specific order from the soda fountain chain Swig in Salt Lake City. It contains 44 ounces of sparkling water, sugar-free coconut, sugar-free vanilla, sugar-free raspberry, sugar-free pineapple, and coconut cream. The chain has tons of other menu items which contain other concoctions. And it seems to be the place to go for members of the church who live in the area and want to indulge in caffeine.