Observe World Diabetes Day on November 14

 

WHO has estimated between 3 to 4 million will die due to complications of diabetes. Don't be included in these statistics!

A brief story of sugar:

This is what Pliny the elder (AD 23/24-79), a Roman naturalist and natural philosopher, wrote about sugar made from sugar cane,"

"Sugar is made in Arabia as well, but Indian sugar is better. It is a kind of honey found in cane, white as gum, and it crunches between the teeth. It comes in lumps the size of a hazelnut. Sugar is used only for medical purposes.". 

This shows that India's dalliance with sugar is from antiquity. It is said that this sweet and deadly stuff originated in India. It is also known that China (around 647 C.E) sent missions to India to get sugar refining technology. Indian sugar was taken to Brazil by the Portuguese and created a thriving industry. -Wikipedia

Sugar and indentured labor:

Sugar was also responsible for indentured Indian laborers shipped off to far-off places by the English. Indentured laborers were slightly better than slaves but were also widely exploited by their white supervisors who also abused them.

India is the largest producer of sugar:  

https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-becomes-the-largest-producer-of-sugar-in-the-world/articleshow/91788423.cms%E2%80%A6,-Search%20for%3A

That is great news. It is also the second-largest exporter of sugar. This is also good news. But India is also called sometimes the diabetes capital of the world. Not good, bad news.

India and diabetes:

https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/8/12321/Is-India-The-Diabetes-Capital-Of-The-World---#:~:text=Often%20known%20as%20the%20diabetes%20capital%20of%20the,due%20to%20high%20blood%20sugar%20in%20the%20world.

According to WHO an estimated 3.4 million die due to diabetes-related diseases.

Indians and sweets:

Indians love sweets and there is no festival that is celebrated without sweets. In present-day India, it has become even more popular with more and more types of sugary sweets (obesity has become a problem. Not only solid sweets but also sugared liquids both domestic and foreign). But perhaps it is time to take a step back and moderate at first and severely limit with time the intake of sugars. It should not result in the loss of life which takes so long to put in place.

The addiction is real:

Every time I visit Bengaluru I gorge on sweets. This said, I do not drink coffee with sugar, and seldom eat ice cream or cakes. I shun everything sweet.

These are the places I visit in Bengaluru and my brother-in-law is the co-culprit.

Pictures from the 2019 Deepavali Series (Festival of Lights)

Recommendation:

Celebrate World Diabetes Day by denying for one whole month (at least)of sugary sweets on November 14, 2022.

Look out for my next post:

My experiments with sugar control