Those of you who have been avid readers of my weekly column may have remarked that I have not posted any articles for a few weeks. On the other hand, you probably haven’t even noticed, having been focused on other more interesting things. My lapse was caused by internet difficulties followed by extreme lethargy, but as these are not good enough reasons for deviation, I apologize.
This week, I shall be discussing the downsides of a diet high in sugar intake, together with ways and means of watching our sugar intake. This article does not purport to address control of blood sugar by those who are diabetic- for information on that, please contact your health care professional.
Sugar contains empty calories-low in nutritional value- that will make us fat. Obesity increases the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. There is also some recent research suggesting that excessive consumption of added sugar may directly increase the chance of type 2 diabetes, regardless of weight. Sugar also leads to dental cavities.
No more than ten percent of our diet should come from added sugars. Most processed food contains added sugar, and we should, therefore, read labels carefully before we make our purchases. Brown and white sugar, corn syrup, corn sweetener, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, honey, maple syrup, malt syrup, maltose, and molasses all count as added sugars, although the glyclemic index of honey and maple syrup is lower than sugar (they don’t raise your blood sugar as much) and they are more nutritious (honey is said to have medicinal qualities and contains manganese, iron and riboflavin; maple syrup is rich in zinc, manganese, manganese, calcium, iron, and potassium).
A big source of sugar in our diet is sodas, which we should avoid as much as possible. We should choose fresh fruit rather than fruit-flavored drinks or even fruit juice which has a high concentration of natural sugar. If you or your children drink fruit juice at all, make sure it is 100%. Don’t allow sweetened drinks to replace water and milk, especially for children, who need the calcium for their developing bones. Children are as susceptible as adults to the diseases mentioned above, especially because of their tendency to like sweet things like candy, sodas, punches and sugar-laden cereals specially formulated for and targeted at children. We as parents have a duty to be firm with our children and discourage them from eating and drinking sugary food and drink, since God has given us the wisdom to distinguish good from bad.
We should also avoid simple or refined carbohydrates like white flour and white rice, which are high in sugar, and choose whole grains as much as possible. Millet, amaranth and quinoa are examples of whole grains, but unless the label reads “whole” in front of wheat, corn, barley, or rice, these grains have been refined. Please read my column posted on January 10, 2010, for more information on reading labels and the dangers of refined carbohydrates.
Sugar substitutes are not necessarily the answer either. There is evidence to show that they don’t help us lose weight and may, in fact, contribute to weight gain. This may be because artificial sweeteners can be many times as sweet as natural sugar and consuming them may upset our ability to judge natural sweetness.
Chemical sweeteners may also be unsafe. For example, saccharine was eventually declared dangerous, years after it was said to be safe. Even though current studies have not linked chemical sweeteners conclusively to health problems, it’s probably best to avoid them. More natural alternatives to sugar are Stevia which is a herbal sweetener, made from the leaves of a South American plant, and agave nectar or syrup, produced in Mexico from the agave plant. I personally don’t care for Stevia because it has a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste.
Talking about sugar, my daughters and I worked on an edible art project last weekend, for a contest at the girls’ school on Monday, March 1. You were allowed to make anything as long as it was edible! My older daughter, who is in third grade, and I put in a parent/child entry (you could also do a child entry either on your own or with other girls). The contest was for 2nd to 5th graders but my six-year old helped us a lot! The cupcakes that you see in the pictures represent different countries around the world, and the idea behind our project was to show a world of peace, hence the depiction of the peace sign. I hope that you recognize the American, Nigerian and other flags!
I am glad to report that the project won first prize. We serve a wonderful God! This might seem like a triviality- we are talking about an elementary school art project after all- but to me this is a testimony of God’s care for us. The preliminary idea for the peace theme came to me in a dream or vision. I saw the big peace sign and almost immediately after conceived of the peace in the world idea. My daughter and I then had to work to flesh out the idea and figure out how to implement it- it took us several days of brainstorming and research, but I was insistent that we not deviate from the vision and that this idea would win the top prize! I was convinced that the idea came from God and He worked it out in the end so that the vision was preserved in the execution. The final piece of information to help us to complete the project in accordance with God’s vision came from a friend, Tanya. I had telephoned her to ask for ideas on implementation because I know next to nothing about baking. Without my having told her about the original vision, she gave a suggestion that provided finishing touches to seal the vision! It shows how much God is interested in even the little details of our lives. He has us inscribed in the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16).
The downside of the contest for me was that after the entries had been judged and the winners announced, we were allowed to eat up all the entries. I most definitely did not follow my own advice about avoiding sugar. I gorged myself! What a lot of fun, though! I have since renewed my vow to watch the things that I consume, as befitting God’s temple.
The testimony that I narrated above reminds me of the time our youngest child was invited to a birthday party. We got a present for the girl but our daughter wanted to add to the gift a small white teddy bear of hers with a red bow around its neck. Initially I tried to discourage her, saying that we already had an adequate gift and asking if she would not miss the bear, which was a favorite. She insisted she wanted to give the bear to her friend. Anyway, when I came to pick her up at the party, she showed me a prize that she had been given for winning one of the party games. It was a large white teddy bear, with a red bow around its neck, the exact replica, in a bigger size, of the bear that she had given away! Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor! Our child demonstrated the principle of giving, even though I had tried to dissuade her, and showed how God blesses us bountifully in return. We should take to heart Jesus’ warning in Matthew 18:2-6 (NIV) that “unless [we] change and become like little children, [we] will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
As we continue our Christian walk, may the Prince of Peace teach us how to be generous, live in unity with one another, and give us the courage to carry out our goals and do His perfect will.
