We are all used to the adage that "no one would taste sugar and spit it out." Sugar is very addictive, especially for someone who has a taste for sugary stuff. There are many challenging effects of too much sugar intake. Not only does too much sugar affect one's teeth, but it also has other deadly side effects on our bodies.
For me, there was a time when avoiding, sweets, icing on cakes and carbonated drinks was difficult. My interest in gaining weight was blinding me to the negative effects of consuming too much sugar. I was seeing result I thought it was because of my taking sugary drinks.
I had some results that I never knew were from my balanced diet. I was happy and continued the daily consumption. Sometimes, I even went as far as taking two sugary cans of drinks at the same time on a regular basis. I didn't consider the health risk involved in consuming too much sugar until I witnessed it through my close family.
Awareness was enough for me to stop consuming too much sugar, but I didn't take it to be important until it happened that my immediate brother, who was also addicted to sugar, started feeling sick. At first, we all felt it was symptoms of malaria, and he went to the clinic and got drugs. Taking the wrong drugs for something is more like wasting time and money.
There was no result. We gave him all the self-administration we could offer to no avail, and suddenly, he started having a frequency in his water intake and frequent urination. That was when we knew it was something to be taken seriously. We rushed him to the Teaching Hospital as he was already so weak that he couldn't move or feel his nerves.
When we got there and explained, he was admitted to the emergency unit, and that was how his diabetes journey started until now. Frequent driving to the hospital has been a routine for him. Experience taught me a great lesson. I started cutting my sugar intake from sipping garri with only groundnuts without the thought of adding sugar.
This witness made it very easy for me to cut my sugar consumption. Instead of constantly consuming lime and two plastic drinks every day, I started going for just one sometimes. It wasn't easy then because I was already used to it, but I tried. I was forced to get a water bottle, which served the purpose of not only keeping me hydrated but also my way of always having something to sip.
Another thing is drinking extracted juice.
The taste is delicious, and I forget I need to take carbonated drinks. Before I knew it, I was already forgetting I used to take carbonated drinks. When I started with water alone, it was difficult, I won't lie, but I continued to tighten my taste buds. If I want to take any carbonated drink, I go for "Teem Soda," and I have been enjoying it. I'm always careful with my consumption as far as sugar and salt intake are concerned.
