Killing Us Softly

By: Alfreda Evans

3 John 2 (KJV) says: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

For this scripture to come alive in our lives, we must do our part to attain health, exercise discipline over our bodies, and obey the voice of God when He speaks to us about our health.

Heart disease is the most significant health problem worldwide, with 1 in 14 of us known to be suffering from cardiovascular diseases. (MTM Editorial Team, 2021). It is the leading cause of death in America, with one person dying every 34 seconds due to this condition. (Centers for Disease Control, 2022, July 15). Making healthy lifestyle choices can prevent most heart diseases. This article addresses two nutritional additives and their role in harming our health. They are the seasoning, salt, and sweetener, added sugar.

Another name for salt is sodium chloride. Sodium is a crucial mineral that we all need for the healthy functioning of muscles and nerves and to keep our fluid levels in proper balance. But that fluid level is very delicate. Overeating salt increases the amount of sodium in the body, which draws in water to keep the sodium at the right concentration. This increase in fluid volume causes pressure against the blood vessels and leads to high blood pressure, overworking the heart. High blood pressure, the long-term force of the blood against the walls of the arteries, can cause a stroke or brain

Excessive salt also contributes to dementia or memory loss, increasing dementia by 600 percent! It is a factor in osteoporosis or weakening of the bones and stomach cancer. It is related to obesity because the more salt you eat, the more food you eat. (Who can eat just one chip?).

What exactly is an excessive amount of salt intake? The recommended amount of salt for most people is 2300 mg. per day, about one teaspoon per day. For those who are salt-sensitive, including most African Americans, should reduce daily salt intake to 1500 mg. per day, which is about 1/6 of a teaspoon! The salt-sensitive group should become actively aggressive in reducing excessive salt intake. Avoiding the worst salt offenders, such as the saltbox, pickles, processed foods, salty crackers, nuts, most cheeses, and canned soups, is a good start. We should eat out less and use spices for flavor rather than salt. Excessive salt must be recognized as the killer that it is.

The second dietary offender we must gain control over is added sugar, the white, crystalline, granulated, processed substance people love. At one time, it was considered a luxury, but today many think they cannot live without it.

There are two kinds of sugar, the naturally-occurring type, which comes from fru it, vegetables, and milk, and the processed type. Naturally-occurring sugar is not

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Phil. 4:13 If we say it is impossible to do a thing, we are immediately and ultimately defeated. ALE

sugar to live. The sugar that we must get control over and that is killing us like poison is the type that we will call added sugar. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when processed or prepared. Added sugar is the number one food additive, but did you know there is no physiologic requirement for added sugar? According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the body does not need added sugar to function healthily. All human nutritional needs can be fulfilled without one teaspoon of white, brown, or raw sugar in any food or drink. People eat so much added sugar because we now process our foods, can afford the sugary foods, and love them! Have you ever watched a baby’s reaction to their first taste of ice cream? Yikes!

For some people, sugary drinks have replaced the water we need to live as the preferred drink of the day. Added sugar is likened to poison because it boosts calories without adding nutrients, fills us with empty calories. It is also linked to certain diseases such as tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, and heart disease. Yes, heart disease. At one time, it was thought that only certain fats and salt were the causes of heart disease, but now research has shown that added sugars are also a risk factor. Added sugars raise the risk for atherosclerosis because it causes plaque to build up in the lining of the arteries, causing the vessels to narrow and limiting the flow of nutrient-rich blood to the brain, kidneys, and heart.

We can stop the scourge of sugar, the sweet poison, to our body’s organs by not putting it in our mouths. If we must eat added sugar, women should consume no more than six teaspoons and men no more than nine teaspoons per day.

So, what are some of the things that we can do to change the way we consume such large amounts of unhealthy additives in our diet? Here is a list that we should all consider:

• Include God in our decisionmaking, praying for His help with unhealthy food desires. • Increase our water intake and eliminate sugary drinks. • Monitor the number of times that we eat out and choose places that offer healthy choices. • Read the labels on all foods, refusing foods with unhealthy levels of sodium or sugar content. • Increase the use of spices for seasoning rather than salt. • Get buy-in from all family members to eat more healthily.

Amount of Added Sugar in 12 oz. of Sweetened Drinks

The recommended amount of added sugar per day for women is 20 Gms. (6 tsp.) and 36 Gms. for men (9 tsp.).

Mountain Dew

Fanta Orange

Mug Root Beer

Pepsi

Coca-Cola

Sprite

Dr. Pepper

Original 7 UP

Tropicana 100% Orange Juice Pulp Free (Frozen)

Powerade Mountain Berry Blast

Lipton Iced Tea Lemon 46g

44g

43g

41g

39g

38g

38g

38g

23g

22.6g