My mum, a diabetic was hospitalised for more than a week due to hypoglycemia. It was a traumatic experience. A few days before, she wasn't eating much but was still injecting the insulin religiously 4 times a day as prescribed by the doctor - who failed to informed her that she could reduce the dose based on her eating habits. In my ignorant even when she was delirious, not realising the symptoms of hypoglycemia, I administer the insulan jab mistakingly thinking it would make her feel better!! My gratitute to all doctors and nurses at Hospital University Malaya who in addition have also educated me on the care of a diabetic and the numerous follow-ups, which are not common in other hospitals.
Numerous complications of a diabetic made me realised the danger of too much sugar intake. In my growing years in Kota Bharu, my brothers and others just loved their thick creamy tea and coffee but I hate the taste of it without knowing why. Back then everything was taken with sugar - goreng pisang, roti canai, biscuits, ubi and the pengat must be thickly sweet sehingga bergetah. Later, coming to KL and getting married to a Negeri Sembilahan who loved his tea-O "nipis dan manisnya hanya dihujung lidah" - I realised the pleasure of tea. The tea makers even advised for tea to be taken without sugar to taste the texture of their various blends.
But now sadly all these over-dose of sugar have spread to KL. The sambal nasi lemak has the taste of sweetness instead of pedas - not only at the mamak stalls but also foodstalls, restaurants, highway R&R, hotels and clubs. We were appalled when even the rendang has acquired the sweet taste. The hot drinks and juices are by default very sweet unless you specifically request for "kurang manis". This sweet tsunami in our food is sheer madness. A famous chef even propogates "sedikit gula pembuka rasa" on TV. People have now acquired these sweet-taste and enjoying their food unaware that their meals and drinks are becoming more and more abnormally sweet. This is a sure investment for future diabetics.
We overhead at our favourite kopitiam a conversation between a father and his young son who kept on asking why;
Father: "Your grandpa is still healthy even at his age" Son: "Why"
Father: "He watches what he eats - alot of vegie and fruits and less meat and high sugar content food" Son: "Why"
Father: "You are what you eat" Son: "Why"
Father: "As you get older you take longer time to digest using more energy"
This conversation may not have been necessary if our education system is effective in imparting the knowledge of healthy diet. I remember being educated on the pyramid of a balanced diet during my school days. Unfortunately the knowledge was not applied. It was just another subject to be learned for exams and detached from our everyday eating habits. Even the foods sold in the canteen were all against what were being taught. There were no cut fruits or vegie salads but all sweets savoury snacks and sweet sticky sirap drink.
And now the country is paying for its previous sins with a high % of the population being obese and diabetics. So please be aware of what you are eating - taste it, feel it and be aware if its supposedly should not be sweet.
