Sugar is a food, chemical crystals and nutrient that belongs to the carbohydrate class of food. It’s not just the sugar you add to your tea; it’s much more than that.
It’s sweet, provides energy and loved by many. Sugar needs no introduction because it’s everyone’s favourite young and old, male or female, and boy or girl, as we do say “…sweet like sugar…” in our nursery rhymes.
Also, sugar provides you with your daily energy needs, and you get it from eating all carbohydrate rich foods such as:
- Rice
- Wheat
- Flour
- Corns
- Cereals
- Yam
- Cassava
- Starch
- Potatoes (sweet& Irish)
- Sugarcane
- Sugar – processed
- Grains
Despite the function of glucose (the basic building block of sugar), the menace of high sugar level in the blood above the normal range poses a big threat to our overall wellbeing. Normal ranges of blood glucose for a non-diabetic person, tested while fasting, is between 3.9 and 7.1 mmol/L.
What is high blood sugar?
It’s when the blood sugar level is above the normal range (7.1 mmol/L) under any given circumstance. When it’s that high, you run the risk of getting diabetes, and you might actually be pre-diabetic.
What Is Prediabetes?
It’s when the sugar is more than the normal range (7.1 mmol/L) that it should be in your blood, but not yet up to the degree of a diabetic person. Basically at this stage, it’s possible to reverse the risk of being diabetic by adjusting your diet, having regular exercise and weight control.
It always comes back to what you eat and whether you’re moving your body…our bodies are meant to be moving, that is why exercise is very important.
How can you check your blood sugar?
At any health care centre close to you. Usually, two tests on two separate occasions are required to give a diagnosis. The healthcare workers and doctors will guide you through the process and also counsel you after the results are out!
It is necessary that you know your blood sugar so that you can adjust your lifestyle and diet.
When you’re prediabetic, you have a chance to avoid diabetes, use it!
