Get Energy the Natural Way
Thursday, June 20, 2024
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.
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.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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