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Let’s consider the sweetness of life… By Carol M. Quigless
For some of you, it’s the moment when your team scores in the last 30 seconds of the game, which brings in victory. Or getting an “A” on your test that reflects your hard work. Or your boss giving you a “thumbs up” and saying to you, “Job well done!” For some of you, the sweetness of life comes when you can take a moment for peace and quiet for yourself, just to slow down, in spite of your busy schedule. For others, the sweetness of life comes when you smile at your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse, and that smile is flashed back at you – only a hundred times bigger! Those are just some of the moments that are the sweetness of life.
And then there’s literal sweetness that comes from sweets – your favorite pie or cake. That candy bar that you have on the run. Or your favorite cookies. And don’t forget your Mountain Dew or your Mellow Yellow. Did I forget Kool Aid and Sweet Tea? Without any doubt, dietary sweets are one of life’s great pleasures. Since ancient times, sweets have been included in celebrations and feasts. Presently, when we celebrate weddings, graduations, birthdays, or at Sunday dinner, it would be unthinkable not to include sweets. Sweets even have a place at the meal after a funeral, to sweeten that time of bereavement and grief. But now days, sweets are not reserved for celebrations and special occasions, but are commonplace. There are people who eat sweets up to 6 times a day – breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack! Sometimes, we don’t even know we’re eating something that has sugar in it unless we check the ingredients. It’s hard to find a cold cereal, a cracker, chips, breads, soups or sauces that do not have sugar or corn syrup in them. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing because we are in sugar overload which is making us fat, diabetic and hypertensive – even in childhood years. Check this out:
North Carolina ranks #17 in the nation for adult obesity. North Carolina ranks #5 in the nation for childhood obesity (ages 10 to 17). 36% of the population in eastern North Carolina is obese. Diabetes is 28% greater in eastern North Carolina compared to the national rate. Edgecombe County has the highest rate of kidney disease in the state – much of this is a result of hypertension, or high blood pressure. So, too much sugar causes obesity which in turn can cause Type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, or high blood pressure, even in children. According to Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., there are over 100 negative – and often – dangerous effects sugar has on the body. They include: 1. Suppressing the immune system (the immune system helps us to ward off colds, flu, infections, and various other diseases); 2. Causing hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties and crankiness in children (could this be ADHD?); 3. Weakening eyesight and starting the early beginning of cataracts and macular degeneration; 4. Causing acid reflux 5. Increasing bacterial fermentation in the colon 6. Affecting blood platelet adhesiveness, which causes blood clots.
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Monthly Thoughts |
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"Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love." -- A. Einstein |