COMBATING THE SWEET THREAT THAT IS SUGAR

My father always said that the deadliest substance usually comes in the most comforting forms and I'd think he was just being philosophical until I finally understood thanks to personal experience.

Sugar is one of man's most used resources when it comes to food intake. This is because there is literally no country, town or village that doesn't know what sugar is and in most cases it is even consumed on a daily basis both for its contribution and the satisfaction from its taste. Sugar is naturally sweet, highly comforting in the taste buds and easily identifiable. It is added into the morning pap (Akamu) to improve the taste, a major ingredient for making pastries, bread, cookies, sweets etc. Even the beverages, energy drinks and alcoholic drinks we take all have high amounts of sugar and most definitely stand as one of the reasons people purchase them.

At this point it is safe to say that sugar is rapidly becoming an official member of every family due to how it is used by everyone without limitations and not enough warning for its side effects. Notwithstanding, continuous consumption of sugar ends up building our health status, life's journey and eventually our future. When we throw caution to wind without checking what we eat, the hospital becomes our new home and we start fighting a battle of survival that could have been easily avoided all along and with all these as the inevitable end game, the unsettling question of if Sugar should be regulated even more than alcohol should be asked more often?....

The life long repercussions of too much sugar intake on well-being can no longer be treated as one of life's greatest mysteries like it used to be years ago thanks to societal growth. Research has shown that intense sugar intake is one of the primary causes of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and many other threats to life. Sugar is not only a progenitor to certain sicknesses, it also reduces the chances of having a full recovery when the body breaks down. The worst part about this whole sugar issue is the fact that it is not just found in edibles with that sweet taste but also in whole natural foods as well. I was so shocked some few years back when I discovered that rice (which is the world's most consumed staple food) has sugar in it too and the crazy part about it is that a lot of people still don't know about consuming it in bulk especially here in Rice Republic (Nigeria). So if you think you are reducing your sugar intake and still take a lot of meals with high starch, you are still ingesting excessive sugar.

I remember years ago when I was still a boy how much I loved taking sugar and would search for sugar and anything super sweet to satiate my sweet tooth despite numerous warnings from my parents. When we had tea for breakfast, I'd always sneak off to add extra cubes of sugar to make mine extremely sweet. Anytime I laid hands on spare cash, without hesitation I'll run out to go buy plain sugar. This continued until I felt the back hand of my actions. Urinating became a problem as it was always painful and I sometimes peed out blood. That was when I finally listened to the obvious warnings ringing from my surroundings. I even have an aunt who lost her right leg to diabetes which is a big product of sugar so blindly taking sugar is a hard pass for me.

Sugar should be regulated with as much effort like alcohol and tobacco or even more so that people will be completely aware of its dangers if it is not taken with caution. Warning labels should be placed on the packaging, make it overpriced to the point it becomes a luxury that should be taken on rare occasions and most importantly it should be accessible to children unless under an informed adult supervision. This is going to be extremely difficult but I believe with effort and dedication we can make it work one step at a time. Let's make the right choices to protect the future of our health.
Thank you.
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