Dr. Felicita Obetoh (MFM Birmingham)
Sweetness is a word that is familiar to all and the thought of it creates a pleasant feeling. The meaning of sweetness is that which is “pleasing in general, delightful and having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey”. It is often used in so many ways about people’s character to indicate the pleasure they bring to others.
The word of God makes a lot of references to sweetness in the promises of God; Psalm 119:103 “your promises are so sweet to me they are like honey to my mouth”. Christ‘s sacrifice for us, which is the foundation of our faith, is described by Paul as Ephesians 5:2 “a sweet smelling offering and sacrifice”. We in response are to reflect a Christ-like character because (1 Corinthians 2:14-15), God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet smelling perfume ... we are the sweet smell of Christ”. Also, in our walk with God the right fellowship is crucial and Solomon in his wisdom writes Proverbs 27:9 “good advice from a friend is sweet”. Such counsel is sweet because it draws from the riches of godly wisdom.
The sweetness in God’s promises and love is open, unconditional, does good always and never harm. In contrast, the sweetness that is of the world is oftentimes artificial and not long lasting. This reflects the story of the growing craze for sweetness in foods we eat!
God in His wisdom has created the human body in a complex and efficient way that no man could ever fully understand. This efficiency of our body was to be maintained by eating foods in their natural complex form with all essential nutrients, creating a sense of fullness because all the needs of the body are met .This encourages any fat consumed to be burnt up for energy. With this level of efficiency limited amount of fat is stored. A change to a fat storing system with limited physical activity creates an imbalance and as such a tendency to obesity and all the complications associated with it. The modern day foods which are high in added sugar have effectively converted an efficient fat burning organ system to a fat storing system! You wonder why? After all processed foods are great for our increasingly busy lives, handy and provide sugar on the go before the next proper meal. Sounds a good idea, but no lasting good to the body.
Solomon said “when someone is full, not even honey tastes good. But when he is hungry even something bitter tastes sweet “(Proverbs 27:7). These words of Solomon carry the wealth of wisdom that relates to our appetite and the foods we eat. When you eat whole foods that provide all the nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins and minerals etc.), your body feels full and so appetite for more food is reduced. However, eating low nutrient high sugar foods do not fully satisfy the needs of the body hence an intense desire and appetite for more! Ancient traditions about foods such as Chinese believe that a proper meal should have a combination of tastes.
There are two main types of sugar; complex as in starch and simple sugars: sucrose (table sugar) and fructose as fruit sugar. Complex sugars in starchy foods are released slowly as glucose to the blood when eaten so a steady level of glucose is maintained. However, simple sugars like sucrose or fructose on ingestion create quick hikes in blood glucose levels immediately followed by lows. Why? The body has a hormone insulin which does not like high sugars so it stores the sugar as fat. The other problem with high sugars is that once it drops there is a craving for more food so the cycle of more sugars and fat storage is sustained.
In fact another hormone in the brain Ghrelin or growling hormone has been linked to this craving and a tendency to perpetual addiction to these foods of low nutritional value but quick sugar fix. Fructose, a fruit sugar (sounds healthy) , is sweeter than table sugar (sucrose ) but has been found to have a lot of health hazards. It is increasingly used in various drinks, processed foods particularly as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It is also common for many low fat foods to have fat replaced with hidden sugar so not quite a good deal. They are presenting you with foods to enjoy but to get addicted at your expense but to their benefit. Addiction to these foods is no different from that to alcohol or tobacco! After all they create the same effect except that not many view this addiction to be of any consequence due to the pleasure they bring.
High sugar intake in foods has several health risks. There is also a growing concern about fructose due to the link with blood vessel and liver damage. Fructose can only be digested in the liver unlike glucose so when taken in excess a fatty liver develops which overtime can cause irreversible damage to the liver. Fat from high sugar intake leads to fat deposits in the blood vessels, with increased risk of hypertension and heart disease.
Obesity is clearly the biggest risk, other complications include diabetes, increased cancer risk and joint problems. The list is endless!
It is obvious that the regular pleasures of sweetness becomes addictive, damaging to the body and does indicate a lack of due care for the body we have been blessed with. I am sure for most of us it is not too late to take steps to cut out excessive sweetness in our diet but remain “a sweet smell of Christ”.
In your journey to healthy eating a few tips to note:
- Check what you eat , look at ingredients for sugar content indicated as High Fructose Corn Syrup, glucose , sucrose, fructose and honey
- Low fat NOT always Low calorie(low fat is bland so added sugar improves taste)
- Added sugars "contribute zero nutrients" and are just empty calories that can lead to extra pounds
- High sugar content is >15gm/100g but low sugar <5g/100gm
- Watch out for dependence on fatty and sweet take away meals
- Increase fibre content of your diet, creates fullness with less calories.
- Ensure 5 a day portions of fruit and vegetables
- Stay active and NOT a “couch potato”
The conclusion is that instant sweetness in excess can take you further than you intended because of the health risks. That is beyond the immediate pleasure of sweetness of excessive sugars are long lasting consequences. However, abiding in the goodness of God gives lasting pleasure.