Sugar and Heart Disease

Introduction

What is the link between sugar and heart disease? Can eating a lot of sugar cause heart disease?

Yes, it can, that is according to a number of experts in the field of medicine.  For example, according to the American Heart Association, adding too much sugar to your corn dough porridge, oats, wheat porridge, coffee, tea, or rice porridge can increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Other Authorities Also Agree…

Is there a connection between sugar and heart disease? Yes! It is not only the American Heart Association that agrees that eating too much sugar can cause heart disease. The British Heart Foundation also shares this opinion.

…And The Harvard Medical School Also Provides Evidence That There is a Link Between Sugar and Heart Disease

According to the Harvard Health Publications of the Harvard Medical School, a diet which contains a lot of sugar can increase the chances that you may develop a heart disease.

How Do I Deal With This Problem So That I Will Not Get Heart Disease?

Knowing all this, what should you do, if you eat a lot of sugar but want to avoid getting heart disease? How can you deal with your sugar cravings? How can you cut back on the amount of sugar you consume every day? And how can you break your sugar addiction, if you are addicted to eating sugar?

How To Deal With Your Sugar Cravings

• When you crave a sweet, pick up an orange or an apple and eat it. If you are a middle-aged person or an elderly person, you might want to eat a chocolate, which research shows is good for the heart.
• Gradually, reduce the amount of sugar you eat every day and rather eat natural sweeteners such as agave, 100% maple syrup, xylitol, or raw honey. As you get used to the taste of these sweeteners, you will find it easier to totally eliminate refined sugar or brown sugar from your diet.
• Eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. For example, instead of adding sugar to your porridge, you may choose to sweeten it with slices of bananas. As you continue doing this, it will become a habit and you will get used to the taste of bananas in porridge which will make it easier not to miss eating refined sugar.
• Take 1000 mg of glutamine, an amino acid, every five hours. This amino acid will make your body believe that it is getting glucose and so you will not desire to eat refined sugar.
• Drink a lot of water every day. You may choose to add lemon juice, or a cocktail of blended sweet fruits such as pawpaws, pineapples, and mangoes, to it to give it taste.

How To Reduce The Amount Of Sugar You Consume

Write Down The Vision

• Write down your decision to reduce the amount of sugar you consume. The Bible says in Habakkuk 2 v 2 that, “Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets, so he may run who reads it.” In other words, writing down the vision will motivate you to achieve it.
• Furthermore, a study conducted by Yale University many years ago found out that people who write down their goals are better able to achieve them.
• So, write down your vision in your diary and read it every day. Or, paste the words “I will reduce the amount of sugar I eat today” in a corner of your room where you will see it immediately you wake up every morning so that you will remember your decision. This strategy will remind you of your decision so that you can maintain your resolve to cut back on the amount of sugar you consume.
• Write out a detailed plan of how you will deal with the temptation to eat a lot of sugar and stick to that plan.

Develop A Strong Will

• Stay away from temptation. Choose to eat sugar only in the mornings and resolve to avoid going near the sugar in the house in the afternoons and evenings. Occupy yourself in your room or visit friends when you have nothing to do.
• Develop strong, powerful habits such as meditating on God’s word, the Bible, every day for about 10 minutes.
• Remind yourself every day of why you want to reduce the amount of sugar you consume so that you can keep focused on your goal.
• Remind yourself every day of the likely consequences of eating too much sugar, or of the impact that bad habit will have on your long –term health and the health of your heart.
• Do the opposite of what you normally do. For example, choose to eat sugar-free diets during weekends or for a whole week. You will build your capacity to live without eating sugar and that will make it easier for you to reduce the amount of sugar you consume.

Be Careful Of Processed Foods

• Sugar comes in many forms and many processed foods contain the other forms of sugar. So, read the label when you are buying your food and avoid buying foods on which you see “fructose,” “glucose,” or “contains a sweetener.”

Prepare Your Own Drinks

• Choose to drink juices you prepare at home yourself instead of drinking sodas. For example, blend a variety of fruits and make a fruit drink out of it. Store it in your fridge and drink it often.

Involve Others

• Be accountable to someone who will monitor your consumption of sugar. For example, let your spouse or sibling monitor you. Let this person be in control of the sugar in the house so that he or she can give you access to it only when you need it, such as once in a day.

Fight On When You Mess Up

• Anticipate failures and challenges. When you consume a lot of sugar, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just say to yourself, “This is just a setback. It is not the end of this war. I have lost a battle, but I have not lost the war. I will persevere and win this war. I will continue fighting!”
• Reward yourself when you achieve your targets. For example, when you are able to avoid eating too much sugar for a whole week, buy a gift for yourself or go to watch your favorite movie at the cinema. Doing this often will motivate you to persevere so that you can meet your targets.

How To Break Your Sugar Addiction

• Replace the habit of eating a lot of sugar with another habit, such as exercising, volunteering, or music training to help make the transition easier.
• Make sure that you eat your breakfast every day. Avoid skipping it. Doing this will help you to maintain normal levels of glucose in your body so that you will not be tempted to eat sugar in order to boost your energy.
• Add protein to your diet. According to researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, if you want sustained energy then eat protein instead of sugary foods.
• Additionally, eat foods with low glycemic index, such as wheat bread, brown rice, corn, beans, dried peas, and apples.  
• Eat breakfast, lunch, and supper.
• Involve your family and friends in your fight against sugar addiction. Let them know you are battling your addiction so that they will cooperate with you and respect you by trying to tempt you to eat sugar, or by keeping sugar away from places where you will see it and so be tempted to eat it.
• Join support groups that help people to deal with sugar addictions.
• Pray. You may intone prayers such as this one every day, “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for all the wonderful foods You created to help us sustain ourselves whilst we are on Earth. Lord, I thank You that I can work and earn money to buy food to eat, for there are many people around the world who cannot even afford to eat two meals in a  day. Father, I have a problem with sugar—I am addicted to eating a  lot of sugar. Please give me the grace so that I can control myself. Help me to refocus my mind on other things when I am tempted to eat sugar. And help me to fight the temptation to eat too much sugar, just as You strengthened Jesus when Satan tempted Him and helped Him to resist the temptation. Amen.”

Conclusion  

It has been established that there is a connection between sugar and heart disease. And some of the ways to control your sugar consumption so that it does not make you develop this medical condition are to eat fruits and vegetables often, drink a lot of water every day, avoid eating too much processed foods, replacing your sugar eating habit with powerful habits such as volunteering and eating a lot more protein, and by asking for the help of the Omnipotent One who is able to help us solve our problems.

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