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Kitchen Blockers to Your Wellness

By Wiley Mullins - Founder, Wiley's Healthy Seasonings & Spices

Good Health and Wellness are simple words to pronounce, but achieving both requires hard work, determination and of course discipline. Many products and ingredients that are consumed with very little thought may present you with some severe health challenges if you aren't careful.

There are three items that can be found in most kitchens that are potentially blockers to Health and Wellness. Salt, Sugar and Margarine are not necessarily harmful, but they can cause major health problems if abused. "Food Abuse" is the term that describes excessive intake and consumption of food ingredients like these three products. So why are these common ingredients potentially harmful?

SALT:

If you examine the nutritional labeling on most products that you purchase, you might be surprised to find out that salt is found in a variety of products including cookies, breads and some beverages. The National Academy of Sciences recommends consuming a minimum daily intake of salt of 500mg. Salt is a necessary nutrient and your body needs a certain amount daily. It's recommended that a typical adult not exceed 2,400mg daily. Unfortunately, many people are consuming as much as 6,000mg daily, which overtime will cause harm to your body.

Are you one of those people who reach for the saltshaker before you even taste the food? This is one habit that you will need to break. High Blood pressure is a real problem for many African-Americans and the culprit maybe salt. More than 1/3 of the Adult African- American population suffers from high blood pressure. Excessive Salt consumption also contributes to other health concerns like asthma, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and stomach cancer. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! Too much salt in your diet diminishes absorption of important nutrients like calcium resulting in weakened bones, nerve damage and potentially heart problems.

If you are trying to reduce your salt intake levels and are having difficulty, here are two helpful suggestions:

1. Eat more potassium-rich foods like Collards, Pinto Beans, Bananas, grains and fruits. Potassium lowers your blood pressure.
2. Read nutritional labels on all food products prior to purchasing them. In many cases there are lower sodium alternatives available.

MARGARINE:

Margarine was created because people were concerned that butter (high in saturated fat and high in cholesterol) might contribute to heart disease and stroke. Recent studies suggest that users of polyunsaturated vegetable oils like most margarine might be at perhaps a greater risk of having a heart attack.

Margarine contains hydrogenated polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Hydrogenation creates a synthetic fat that has proven harmful to the human immune system. Further, this process has proven a contributor to elevating blood cholesterol. READ THOSE NUTRITIONAL LABELS! Read your ingredient listing to determine if hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils are listed. Margarine, butter or vegetable oils without either of these ingredients are most likely better for you. Butter should be preferred over most margarine and should be used in moderation given the high fat content.

SUGAR:

Sugar is addictive! Our bodies need sugar to supply energy. Most of us experience an over abundance of sugar from processed foods. Whole foods like fruit and vegetables contain sugar but the sugar is balanced with other minerals. This is not the case with highly processed foods.

Refined sugar causes most of the problem with sugar overload. The human body's natural state of being is interrupted because so many of the foods we eat are made with refined sugar instead of natural sugar. Refined sugars move rapidly in the bloodstream and often cause shock to the pancreas. When this happens, calcium is lost and the result is internal pain and bone problems. If that wasn't enough your body's blood sugar level is in a state of imbalance causing you to crave even more sugar.

Refined sugar may give you a burst of energy, but over consumption of refined sugar over time causes disease to develop. Sugar is a huge contributor to overweight, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and tooth decay. There are a number of sugar substitutes on the market. Some even taste like sugar. Be careful which you choose. If you have a "Sweet Tooth" and want to satisfy your craving try the following suggestions because some of the sugar substitutes actually feed your craving instead of stemming it:

• Curb your sugar craving by eating perfectly balanced whole fruits. Look for fruits that are in season. Seasonal fruits are usually sweeter and want require that you add any sugar for enjoyment.
• Some people use brown sugar in place of refined white sugar. Don't make this mistake! The impact of eating brown sugar is similar to that of refined white sugar.
• Honey is a natural sweetener, but it's refined by bees. BEE CAREFUL! Honey actually has more calories than white sugar. It is sweeter than white sugar and rapidly passes through the bloodstream. Honey has additional minerals and enzymes that white sugar doesn't have.
• Too many African Americans are over consuming these three food ingredients. Pursing Good Health and Wellness requires that we make the necessary changes to our diet. Living a healthy productive life on earth is why we were created by The Creator. Living less than this short-changes us individually, our families and our GOD. There is a tremendous amount of "unfinished work. Please complete it with Good Health!

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