After a long day, I just wanted to indulge in some serious sugar, so I bought this pop-corn glazed with honey and sugar…Lord! Ten balls down and I was finding whom to gift it to already! The sweetness was absolute sweetness, like absolute zero! This righteous temptation is what most Nigerians face, at every corner there’s something sweet welcoming you, it’s no wonder we rate so high in diabetic patients. In celebration of UN’s world diabetes day on the fourteenth of this month, we are dedicating this post to the basics of diabetes. According to WHO, diabetes will become the seventh leading cause of death by 2030, most people assume diabetes as some sort of old people’s disease and kind of forget the meaning of this old nursery rhyme; “little drops of water, makes a mighty ocean”! Our bodies are like savings bank account, what you deposit in today will only garner more interests with time…so sooner or later, when you check that account, you will discover you’re so endowed with liters of blood sugar. In sub -saharan Africa, Nigeria is rated the top with the burden of diabetes with over 5 million cases diagnosed, it has been said that about 120,000 Nigerians lost their lives to diabetes in 2015. I could go on with the statistics of how deep diabetes has eaten into the fabric of our nation but no, enough with 100 information about the problem and 0 solution! So, here we go; there are 2 basic kinds, type 1 & 2 diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune condition, occurs when your immune system destroys the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, can be caused by genes and environmental factors accounts, whereas type 2 the most common form can be caused by various factors such as lifestyle choices and genes. The chances of developing type 2 is higher in non-physically active and overweight. It’s preventable, that’s why we all need to be aware of this diseases and do all we can to keep it at bay.
Symptoms includes;
Feeling thirsty all the time
Feeling tired
Loss of weight without trying
Blurry vision
Constant need to urinate, particularly at night.
If these symptoms are present in your body, it is time to go see a doctor for the various ways to manage this and change your meal plan. If negative, now is the best time to apply these preventive methods which includes; eating more of vegetables, fruits in place of refined sugar products, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, family support. When next the temptation comes, remind yourself how apples are equally yum, pretty awesome too and worth every bite! Incorporate #fitfam into your daily life, your future self shall be most grateful!