Gestational Diabetes and Soda

Yes, the title is a funny combination of words but just stick with me! I have enjoyed watching the Willis Family on TLC. They are a godly family with 12 children who sing and do a whole lot more. During Tuesday's episode, the mother shared that one of her babies was 12 1/2 pounds! She had trouble getting her daughter out of the birth canal and her daughter has permanent shoulder damage because of it. The mother said that after her daughter's birth, she researched gestational diabetes, which causes abnormally large babies, and decided to change her diet after this difficult pregnancy and birth. 

The family goes on tours around USA to sing and perform. During one stop, they had pizza to celebrate their oldest son's birthday. I noticed they were all drinking water. What, no soda with pizza? That's like watching baseball with no peanuts! Right? Wrong. Soda is poison to the human body. Maybe they have decided they will not be a soda drinking family after her bout with gestational diabetes since they were all drinking water. {Just a guess!} I never bought my children soda while I was raising them. I knew the ingredients and they were not fit for human consumption. {Fresh lemonade is MUCH better tasting and good for you, as a healthy alternative!}

Here is an article that explains eight ways soda affects your health negatively. Yes, it tastes good if you like sugary sweet drinks, but we need to learn to cater to the health of our body instead of our taste buds. Everything you put into your body is either nourishing it or destroying it. Every cell and tissue is made up from what we consume; it doesn't just go in one end and come out the other. We are the temple of the living God and we need to treat it as such in everything we do. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God {1 Corinthians 10:31}. Don't live to satisfy the flesh and give into its desires but do everything for God's glory. Stop supporting the makers of junk food that are destroying the health of many and support those who are working hard to make food that nourishes our body and gives us good health.

"Start children early on knowing that cookies, ice cream, candy and cake are not healthful food and are not synonymous with love, their birthday, holidays, or parties. Teaching them to avoid bad habits is a better love. You can start them on the habit of not routinely putting harmful things in their body. Remember, that automobile coolant tastes sweet, but it is not good for you. You can teach a similar concept about sweet tasting junk food, soda, and harmful drugs to children and yourself." {Joli Bookspan}

I remember reading the journals of a mother who had nine children. She observed that her first few children were small but during her last few pregnancies, she developed gestational diabetes and her babies were very large which made delivery extremely difficult. She even needed a c-section with one because the baby was so large. After studying the cause, she too came to the conclusion that it was her diet and radically changed her family's eating habits. {You can read the archives of all her journals on the link I provided. If you want to read some godly wisdom from a mother who is raising children who've grown up walking with Jesus, I encourage you to read them. It is time well spent!}

We are responsible for our health and the health of our family. We are the ones who do the shopping and preparation of the food they eat. Yes, it takes time but it is worth it. If you are young and want to have children, eat as healthy as possible to make your body prepared to house the creating of a baby.  Don't take drugs to cure your sicknesses, if you can help it. Search for healthy alternatives that boost the immune system since it is what keeps a body healthy and fights off disease. God created the amazing human body with an incredible ability to heal itself of many diseases. Learn how it works best and take care of it. "Many people turn to vitamins, supplements, drinks with stimulant compounds, and various medicines, both over-the-counter and prescription, hoping these will fix their low energy or poor health, without ever looking at the unhealthy daily eating habits behind their problems."

Do you not know that you are a temple of God

 and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

***Remember, I'm NOT a doctor. I'm just a homemaker who loves to research 
natural cures and have found many that have worked for my family and me. Information I have given is for educational and informational purposes only and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider. Any statements or claims about the possible health benefits conferred by any foods or supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Nothing you read here should be relied upon to determine dietary changes, a medical diagnosis or course of treatment.