SWEET LIFE: Candies, Cakes, Ice Creams, etc.
Do you like sweet things? For example: candies, cakes, milkshakes, ice creams, bubblegums, chocolates, or cookies. There is no reason why kids, teenagers, or adults shouldn't eat them, although some are okay and some aren't, consuming them in excess is bad for both mental and physical health. However, the real question is, why does sugar taste so much better than other foods? Is there any reason why it is so difficult for children to eat vegetables while eating candies is so easy? Whenever we order coffee, why do we prefer to add sugar or eat a cake instead of drinking it without sugar?
According to an article published by Harvard University, “Glucose, a form of sugar, is the primary source of energy for every cell in the body. Because the brain is so rich in nerve cells, or neurons, it is the most energy-demanding organ, using one-half of all the sugar energy in the body.” (Sugar and the Brain | Harvard Medical School, 2016), sugar is not bad or a mortal thing, but what it’s mortal, is consuming it in an unrestrained way, your health will decrease, and can start to suffer from diabetes type 2.
According to the Harvard University article “The effects of glucose and other forms of sugar on the brain may be the most profound in diabetes, a group of diseases in which high blood glucose levels persist over a prolonged period of time. Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the immune system destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone used by the body to keep blood glucose levels in check. Type 2 diabetes, caused by dietary and other environmental factors, is a condition in which cells become overwhelmed by insulin and fail to properly respond; they become resistant to insulin.” (Sugar and the Brain | Harvard Medical School, 2016).
Some of the symptoms of diabetes types 1 and 2:
Feeling more thirsty than usual.
Urinating often.
Losing weight without trying.
Presence of ketones in the urine. Ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there's not enough available insulin.
Feeling tired and weak.
Feeling irritable or having other mood changes.
Having blurry vision.
Having slow-healing sores.
Getting a lot of infections, such as gum, skin and vaginal infections.
Type 1 diabetes can start at any age. But it often starts during childhood or teen years. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, can develop at any age. Type 2 diabetes is more common in people older than 40. But type 2 diabetes in children is increasing. (Diabetes - Symptoms and Causes, 2023)
Some of the food groups that can affect you if you consume them on a continuous basis.
(The Sweet Danger of Sugar, 2022) Source: CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–06.
Try to instill new habits in your life and get rid of those that may affect your overall health.
By: Mariana Sarmiento Camacho, Step 9.
