Prayer for new week

The mighty hands of God's protection shall cover you and every member of your family. Every evil arrow against you shall return back to the sender and God will bless you with an abundance of wealth. You will enjoy all round increase, spiritually, emotionally and financially in Jesus name. God will bring separation between you and those causing setbacks for you in Jesus name!J

Happy New Week from us ASB-World.

Health: 5 Cancer Causing Foods to Avoid

Who isn't afraid of the word “cancer”? we all know a family member or a friend who had it. And indeed, according to the American Cancer Society, more than one million people in the United States get cancer each year. The American Cancer Society lists many possible causes to cancer disease, including genetic factors, lifestyle factors such as tobacco use, diet, and physical activity, certain types of infections and environmental exposures to different types of chemicals and radiation.  So let’s have a look at these cancer promoting foods so we all know not only what to eat, but what NOT to eat (or at least reduce their intake).

1. High intake of processed foods

Many different substances are added to commercially prepared foods, such as artificial colors, chemical flavors, salt, sugar or artificial sweeteners. These additives are constantly investigated by researchers to check if any of them is thought to be a real risk. Sometimes there is a scare about a particular additive and some additives are thought to be a cancer risk. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, for example, may increase the risk of stomach cancer. This may explain why there is such a high rate of stomach cancer in Japan, where salty, pickled foods are popular. Also an epidemiological study published in June 2010 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet high in salt can increase in 10% the risk of stomach cancer. Also artificial food coloring present many health risks. The research on artificial food coloring and cancer is limited to animal studies, including mice and rats, but some claim that these dyes are toxic – possibly toxic enough to cause cancer also to humans.

2. High intakes of red meat, processed meat or charred food

It has been found that bowel and stomach cancer are more common in people who eat lots of red and processed meat. Red meat includes all fresh, minced and frozen beef, pork, lamb or veal. Also processed meats pose a risk for cancer. These have been preserved in some way other than freezing and include bacon, ham, salami, sausages, corned beef, black pudding, pâté and tinned meat. When you eat processed meats, you’re almost assuredly consuming sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate, which are added to processed and cured meats to preserve color and extend shelf life. Unfortunately, these compounds can be converted to nitrosamines, which are also known to cause cancer in laboratory rats (though again, the link in people is unclear). Also hot dogs, bacon and the like may also be preserved by methods involving smoke or salt, which also increases the exposure to potentially carcinogenic chemicals.

Also charred food creates chemicals that can damage our cells, making them more likely to become cancerous. Therefore the way you cook your meat can potentially make a big difference in the cancer risk it poses to you. Well-done and char-grilled meats that are slightly burnt on the outside are among the worst foods that increase the risk for cancer.

3. Sugar

There are a lot of websites that promote the idea that sugar “feeds” cancer. They suggest that eating foods with sugar makes cancer grow faster. As a result, some cancer patients avoid eating any sugar, and eliminating beneficial foods, such as fruits, that contain essential nutrients. However there is no conclusive research on human subjects to prove that sugar makes cancerous cells grow. Avoiding foods with processed sugar is a good idea in general, but eliminating foods with natural sugar won’t stop cancer cells from dividing. According to Mayo clinic, sugar doesn’t make cancer grow faster. All cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose) for energy. But giving more sugar to cancer cells doesn’t speed their growth. Likewise, depriving cancer cells of sugar doesn’t slow their growth. The link between sugar and cancer is different according to Canadian Cancer Society, eating lots of sugary foods are more likely to cause you to gain weight. Research shows that being overweight or obese increases your risk of cancer. This is because obesity may cause changes in hormone levels or insulin that might increase the risk of developing breast, colon or uterine cancer. Therefore limiting the amount of sugar in your diet is important. Diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can lead to overweight and obesity, which indirectly increases cancer risk over time.

Sugar can be found not only in obvious foods such as cookies, cakes, sodas, soft drinks and other sweets. Sugar can be found even in pasta sauce, salad dressing and canned vegetables. So when reading food labels, look for sugar listed as the first ingredient and be aware of hidden sugar names: fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glucose, dextrose. Natural sugars such as molasses, honey and maple syrup contain beneficial antioxidants but those, too, should be consumed in moderation. 

4.  Fried food, French fries, potato chips and snack food

French fries, potato chips and other snacks may contain high levels of acrylamide, another carcinogenic substance that forms when foods are heated at high temperatures, such as during baking or frying. Acrylamide may be found in any food heated to a temperature above 250° F, but potato chips and French fries have been found to contain the highest levels among foods tested. Cooking methods such as frying, baking or roasting are more likely to produce acrylamide, while boiling, steaming, and microwaving appear less likely to do so. Longer cooking times and cooking at higher temperatures can increase the amount of acrylamide in foods further.

It must be mentioned that prolonged exposure to acrylamide has caused a range of tumors in animal tests (rats and mice), whereas most of the human studies published so far have failed to find any links between acrylamide and various types of cancers. However many believe it has a potential to be a human carcinogen because of those animal studies. If you’re still worried, the FDA and other public health groups say the best way is to follow the general advice on healthy eating, including limiting the consumption of fried and fatty foods.

Another components found in these type of foods that may increase the risk for cancer are trans fats or trans fatty acids. These are formed when manufacturers turn liquid oils into solid fats via a process called hydrogenation.  And indeed, trans fats can be found in many foods including vegetable shortening, margarine, crackers, cereals, candies, baked goods, cookies, granola bars, chips, snack foods, salad dressings, fried foods, fats and many other processed foods. Trans fats cannot only increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but the high intake of trans-fatty acids may have a direct association with prostate cancer in men, which ranks number one among the most common malignant cancers in American men. Chronic inflammation plays an important role to the development of prostate cancer and the association of trans-fats and chronic inflammation may explain the link between prostate cancer and trans-fatty acid ingestion. However, further studies and clinical trials are needed to establish this fact.

5. Excess alcohol

There is a strong scientific consensus of the link between alcohol drinking and several types of cancer. The more alcohol a person drinks regularly over time the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer. According to Cancer Research UK and American Cancer society, alcohol can increase the risk of a number of cancers, such as mouth cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer and throat cancer.  You’ve probably heard about other studies that have found that certain substances in red wine, such as resveratrol, have anti cancer properties, but like many thing in life moderation is the key.
Source: www.healthyandnaturalworld.com

INSPIRATIONAL WORD About The blind boy!

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.”

There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.

The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”
What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Reflection:

Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively.

Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Great men say, “Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness….

In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience.”

The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling… And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!

We would be glad you share your views on today's inspirational word.

Remain blessed!

OUR SIGN TO A LOST WORLD

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24

Sometimes we may think, "If only I could perform a miracle for my friends, I know they would all become Christians." But I don't think that is true. Even when Jesus walked this earth and performed so many miracles - so many signs - so many still did not believe.

In fact, on one occasion, Jesus was present with Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead, and people flocked to see them.

Lazarus was a living, breathing miracle man who had been dead and was alive again. So the leading priests wanted to kill Lazarus too (see John 12:10-11).

As a Christian, you are a miracle man or woman. You have a testimony of what God has done for you, and that is why people oppose and ridicule you.

As a follower of Jesus, you are a threat. Our sign to a lost world is Jesus crucified, risen again from the dead, and alive.

The apostle Paul said, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1-2).

We don't need to add to this message or take away from it. We don't need to apologize for it. We just need to proclaim it.

Paul also said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

That word "power" speaks of explosive, dynamite power. There is explosive power in the message of Christ. This is our sign to a lost world.

Prayer: Ask the Lord to empower you to be a living testimony of His glory.

Scriptural Reading: I Corinthians 1:18-25

THE WORD IS ALIVE AND POWERFUL

My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Psalm 89:34

An unbelieving professor in a university, in speaking of the Bible, said that it was quite impossible in these days to believe in any book whose authorship is unknown.

He then wondered how any civilized person could still believe in the Bible.

In response, a Christian student asked if the compiler of the multiplication table was known. "No!" answered the professor.

The student countered, "Then, of course, you do not believe in it." "Oh yes," was the professor's reply, "1 believe in it because it works well." "So does the Bible," was the rejoinder from the student.

"I believe in it because it works". The skeptic professor had no answer to that. Yes, we believe the Bible because it works. But the Bible does not work because it has supernatural power in itself. No.

The Bible works because it is the Word of our supernatural God. God inspired people to write down His Word for us so that we can know His thoughts and walk in His ways.

For the Bible to work for you, you must:

Respect what it says. The Bible is the Word of God and so must be read with reverence. Its words are inspired by God.

• Understand what it says. Spend time to understand the historical and cultural context of the Bible and how it applies to you today.

• Believe what it says. Understanding must lead to faith. Faith is the force that releases the power of God.

• Apply what it says. When you dare to act on the demands of scripture, you will release God's supernatural power to work on your behalf.

Prayer: Lord, make Your word real to me and reveal Your power in my life.

Scriptural Reading: Psalm 89:28-34

Recipes: DELICIOUS AND TEMPTING CHOCOLATE LASAGNA FOR YOU TO TRY

To make this scrumptious chocolate lasagna you will need oreos, cream cheese frosting, chocolate pudding, whipped cream frosting and chocolate chips. Start by crushing oreos in a ziplock bag. Then spread a layer of crushed oreos. After that spread a layer of cream cheese on top of oreos and make it smooth with a spoon or spatula. Pour chocolate pudding on its top. Again layer crushed oreos followed by a layer of whipped cream. Top the lasagna with chocolate chips and voila!

You can serve it in the form of parfaits or cupcakes too. This dessert is going to be loved by young and old both as it is super yummy.

Source:www.stylishboard.com

All things!

It was her daughter’s school professional day. Being a single mother of 2, it hasn’t been easy taking care of the children alone since her husband left her. Funmi tries her best to provide the basics and some extra for them but sometimes cash is tight. Like right now. The children have been asked to dress up in the outfit of whatever profession they wanted to be in future. Of course that meant she had to get her daughter a lawyer’s outfit as her 6 year old daughter has always said she wanted to be a lawyer. But the lady who was going to make that outfit said it would cost her N6,500! That was just too much for her! So she came up with an idea – dress up her daughter as a school teacher. She will wear that Sunday skirt suit her aunty bought for her and give her a notebook and pen to hold.

So on the day, pupils were asked to come out and talk about their professions. Out came the doctors, Lawyers, Engineers even Pilots. The parents cheered each child warmly. Then out came her daughter, she was alone because no one else taught to dress up their child as a teacher. As she stood taking about the benefits of being a teacher, all the teachers of the school cheered, came out and hugged her! Oh, and she got money from the Proprietor of the school, lots of it with cheers of “Yes, that is the most authentic profession” LOL. Needless to say, Funmi was one proud mama that day. Not only did her daughter end up looking good as a teacher, she ended up making as much as N6,000 from the money doled out to her by the proud teachers. No one could guess the reason why she was so dressed was because they had no money! And see how it all turned out!

That could have been a hypothetical story but the reality of it is God always work things out for our good. Sometimes when it looks bleak and hopeless, with no help in sight but have you noticed how those seemingly hopeless situations end up working on our behalf? You’re not sure? I dare you to take a stock of your life right now. Tell me you can’t see when God has turned the bad situation for your good. I can tell you that for me He always does. It may not be how I want it, or when I want it. It may not even be where I want it but one thing I know is He does it eventually.

Romans 8: 28 - And we know that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. NKJV

The truth of that scripture resonates loudly – ALL THINGS! Not some, not few, not a handful. ALL. The reason we don’t take the words literally is because we forget the next part of the scripture – for those who love God. You see the problem is not God. He always stands true to His word. The problem is because we love God as humans and judge His faithfulness based on our love for Him. And because we operate as humans, we sometimes are out of love with Him and then judge ourselves based on this scripture.

I love God = All things work
I don’t love God = Not all things work

Seems logical right? But we forget the concluding part of that scripture – We are called according to His purpose. He called us, He chose us and therefore He is committed to us!

So on the days you feel ‘out of love’, remember He called you to Himself and loved you first. And that love propels you to love Him back. And for certain, ALL things WILL work together for YOUR GOOD, no matter how bad it is now. I believe that!

by sis Deby