Get Energy the Natural Way
| You have plowed wickedness;
you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you
trusted in your own way. Hosea 10:13, NKJV. |
Most of us work
hard to complete certain projects on time. However, with unplanned interruptions
and looming deadlines, we realize we need extra energy. Many succumb to
society's artificial energy boosters: coffee, tea, or cola. Some wish that
they could find a text that would endorse their caffeine habit. They wish
that Jesus had indulged in a cup of coffee to give Him that extra boost
of energy when facing Gethsemane, but He relied on friends and prayer instead.
Probably He knew what artificial stimulants such as caffeine do to the
body.
Here's what research has
found: caffeine elevates blood sugar; aggravates hypoglycemia; can cause
irregular heartbeat; increases urinary calcium and magnesium losses; dilutes
and constricts blood vessels, thus increasing blood pressure; increases
stomach acid secretion and aggravates a stomach ulcer; can cause tremors,
irritability, and nervousness; disrupts sleep and produces insomnia; increases
anxiety and depression; heightens symptoms of premenstrual syndrome; lowers
tolerance to physical and emotional stress; interferes with higher brain
function; and is associated with colon, bladder, and ovarian cancer.
More than 100 years ago God
revealed to Ellen White that tea and coffee are "stimulating, and contain
poisons" (Counsels on Diet and Foods, pp. 419, 420). "Tea has an
influence to excite the nerves, and coffee benumbs the brain; both are
highly injurious" (Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 365). "Tea and coffee
do not nourish the system. The relief obtained from them is sudden, before
the stomach has time to digest them. This shows that what the users of
these stimulants call strength is only received by exciting the nerves
of the stomach, which convey the irritation to the brain, and this in turn
is aroused to impart increased action to the heart, and short-lived energy
to the entire system. All this is false strength, that we are the worse
for having. They do not give a particle of natural strength" (ibid.,
vol. 2, p. 65).
Get energy the natural way.
Take walks several times a day, drink plenty of water, get more sleep,
spend time with your friends, and ask God to provide you with wisdom to
work smart and lead a balanced life.
| How long has it been since you read
Ellen White's book Counsels on Diet and Foods? I challenge you to
pick up a copy and read it from cover to cover. You'll be amazed at the
wisdom and insight of this godly woman with only a limited formal education. |
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