Don't Let the Devil Kill You With Fat
Monday, May 6, 2024
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10, NIV.
The cancer statistics for the U.S. are grim. In 1993 physicians diagnosed 1.9 million new cancer cases, and about 530,000 people died from the disease. Cancer causes more than 20 percent of all U.S. deaths. The rate has been rising steadily during the past 60 years, from less than 150 deaths per 100,000 population to around 200. Adventists can take some comfort, since their rates are about 40 percent lower than those of the national population, according to the Adventist Mortality Study, but it’s still a major problem.
Based on today’s rates, one out of three Americans will eventually develop cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the overall cost is staggering—$104 billion. This amounts to about 10 percent of the total cost of disease in the U.S.
Dr. Richard McGinnis, an expert on cancer prevention, attributes more than 85 percent of the cancer cases to three factors—smoking, a low-fiber diet, and a high-fat diet—and to a large extent, one can consider cancer a self-inflicted disease. This would imply that if we would be willing to change our bad habits, our chances of getting cancer would greatly drop.
Smoking is not the major problem in the church that it is outside it, and most Adventists eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts, so they have a reasonable fiber intake. But it’s that third area that trips most of us up: a high-fat diet. The clever packaging, the advertising, and the good taste of so many products, which conceal the fat, make this a subtle and complex problem. We may avoid meat, or feel guilty if a church member sees us pull up to KFC for finger-lickin’ chicken, but we think nothing of ordering a chocolate shake, brownies, french fries, or apple dumplings loaded with fat—and calories!
Isn’t it about time to take a closer look at what we eat, and instead of just asking “Where’s the beef?” so we can avoid eating it, ask “Where’s the fat?”
When it comes to cancer, why be just two-thirds protected by not smoking and by eating fiber when, according to Dr. McGinnis, we could be 85 percent protected by avoiding the fat as well?
Read the labels on your favorite products and add up those grams of fat. You’ll be shocked at the amount of fat in even “low-fat” products. How can you lower your fat intake? Don’t let the devil kill you with fat!
The cancer statistics for the U.S. are grim. In 1993 physicians diagnosed 1.9 million new cancer cases, and about 530,000 people died from the disease. Cancer causes more than 20 percent of all U.S. deaths. The rate has been rising steadily during the past 60 years, from less than 150 deaths per 100,000 population to around 200. Adventists can take some comfort, since their rates are about 40 percent lower than those of the national population, according to the Adventist Mortality Study, but it’s still a major problem.
Based on today’s rates, one out of three Americans will eventually develop cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the overall cost is staggering—$104 billion. This amounts to about 10 percent of the total cost of disease in the U.S.
Dr. Richard McGinnis, an expert on cancer prevention, attributes more than 85 percent of the cancer cases to three factors—smoking, a low-fiber diet, and a high-fat diet—and to a large extent, one can consider cancer a self-inflicted disease. This would imply that if we would be willing to change our bad habits, our chances of getting cancer would greatly drop.
Smoking is not the major problem in the church that it is outside it, and most Adventists eat a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts, so they have a reasonable fiber intake. But it’s that third area that trips most of us up: a high-fat diet. The clever packaging, the advertising, and the good taste of so many products, which conceal the fat, make this a subtle and complex problem. We may avoid meat, or feel guilty if a church member sees us pull up to KFC for finger-lickin’ chicken, but we think nothing of ordering a chocolate shake, brownies, french fries, or apple dumplings loaded with fat—and calories!
Isn’t it about time to take a closer look at what we eat, and instead of just asking “Where’s the beef?” so we can avoid eating it, ask “Where’s the fat?”
When it comes to cancer, why be just two-thirds protected by not smoking and by eating fiber when, according to Dr. McGinnis, we could be 85 percent protected by avoiding the fat as well?
Read the labels on your favorite products and add up those grams of fat. You’ll be shocked at the amount of fat in even “low-fat” products. How can you lower your fat intake? Don’t let the devil kill you with fat!
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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