The Sentinel

Guest Commentary | I'm ready for a break from all the bad news

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

I’m burned out watching the news. I don’t enjoy feeling like I want to throw up. There has to be more to life than taking in the world headlines every morning and every evening. However, I have to pause and give thanks because I’m not part of the news story. I don’t want to be because news is typically bad.

When you turn on the morning or evening news the first few minutes is filled with all the bad news in the world and your area. Innocent people in Israel being ripped apart by hate-filled religious terrorists. Innocent civilians in Gaza are dying every day. Another mentally ill gunman kills innocent people in Maine. A category five hurricane wipes out Acapulco. Congress finally agrees on a Speaker. Surely, we are glad if we are not part of the news story. Being in the news typically means something bad is going on. You don’t want to be in an active shooter situation or being attacked by terrorists.

A friend of mine has said, “I don’t watch the news, it’s too depressing.” Depressing is probably a reasonable word. Yet, be glad that you weren’t in the news because that would be more depressing.

If you are like me, you are probably ready for a break from all the bad news. You can turn off your television and your computer and move throughout your day. Just hope that along the way that nothing bad happens around you. There are crazy people almost everywhere it seems. Drugs are flowing in this country. Drug related deaths are rampant. Violent drivers are on our highways. Road rage violence happens somewhere every day in this country. The mentally ill have access to semi-automatic rifles. Hate-filled people live throughout our country. The desperate and hurting are everywhere. Hate-filled religious terrorists are not just isolated people living in the Middle East. Some of them probably live not far from you.

You can be minding your own business and living the good American citizen’s life and still have something bad happen to you. At every level there is a new devil. It just takes a crazy person to make news happen and unfortunately you can be in the right place at the wrong time to become part of the news story.

So, while many of us are tired of the bad news, let’s try to be grateful for every day that we somehow, by the grace of God, miss being a part of the news.

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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Too much Halloween sugar can lead to a scary future with diabetes

Photo: Denny Müller/Unsplash

KEWANEE - Halloween is here, and many Americans are looking forward to venturing out for Halloween festivities and trick-or-treating with kids. While the holiday is all in good fun, one aspect of Halloween that experts have warned about for years is the overconsumption of candy and other high-sugar sweets.

According to the American Heart Association, kids ages two to 18 should have less than 25 grams (or about six teaspoons) of added sugar daily. Eating too much added sugar at an early age is linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and increased risk for heart disease. Sara Umphfleet, RD, LDN, is a registered dietitian at OSF HealthCare Saint Luke Medical Center in Kewanee, Illinois. She says some of our favorite treats are often harboring more sugar than we might expect.

“There is a sugar model I like to use. It talks about things like the amount of sugar in half a cup of Jell-O, for example – and there is a lot of sugar in Jell-O (about 16 grams). Same with the amount of sugar that is in something like just one Pop-Tart (about 14 grams), and you get two in a bag. A big one is soda which has a lot of extra added sugar in it (about 39 grams). And these aren’t natural sugars like from apples and oranges and bananas. These are sugars that are added. Hershey’s candy bars are another example with a lot of sugar (about 24 grams),” explains Umphfleet.

However, according to Fortune, the average child consumes about three cups of sugar on Halloween alone, which is about 144 teaspoons and nearly 27 times the recommended daily amount. Furthermore, every year Americans purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy for Halloween festivities and trick-or-treaters.

If you haven’t bought Halloween candy yet this year, Umphfleet recommends an alternative route.

“I typically recommend offering things like bubbles or bouncy balls – some of those little trinkets you can find at the dollar store instead of giving candy out. You also think of food allergies and they are going to get candy from a lot of neighbors and friends – so try to do something different,” says Umphlfeet.

You do not need to completely forego the Halloween candy. But if you do let your kids indulge, Umphfleet recommends doing so in moderation, as too much sugar on even just one day can result in increased exhaustion and headaches – or a “sugar crash.”

“I recommend to give them a couple pieces of candy and then putting the rest away. They definitely don’t need to be eating all of the candy the night of Halloween. And then offer it usually in the afternoons rather than at night time when they are getting ready for bed and less active. You don’t want all of that sugar to sit in their gut,” Umphfleet explains.

It is also important to make sure your child is drinking enough fluids on Halloween in between the festivities and candy consumption – but make sure their beverage of choice is not full of sugar. When it comes to hydration, plain old fashioned water remains the best option.

“It is very important to stay hydrated and get those beverages in, but try to stick to the sugar-free beverages. Choose 100% fruit juice rather than juice that has 10% juice which has a lot of extra added sugar. Also look on food labels to avoid things with high fructose corn syrup, so things like soda,” advises Umphfleet.

While you don’t necessarily need to skip sugary treats altogether, Umphfleet emphasizes that you should not let your kids deter too far from their normal daily eating habits on Halloween. Enjoy a piece of candy or two, and spend some time over the holiday weekend enjoying other Halloween traditions as well, such as watching a Halloween movie, looking at local decorations, and carving pumpkins.