Sugar

 Little things matter, even sugar in sachets. Grandma loved collecting this sugar in sachets, and keep them in a transparent cellophane inside her cupboard. She had diabetes, and it was no calorie kind of sugar, Aunt will always say, she was a nurse overseas, and every Christmas she sent this sugar in sachets. 

  I didn't know sugars were in sachets too, apart from the one, mom brought in blue boxes, which she hid away from us, we found it, we always did, and took oats, pap, tea, and even Garri with them. 

 Mornings when we had tea or oats for breakfast, she counts two cubes of Sugar in it for us.  I loved sweet things, I always complained about how my tea wasn't sweet enough. 

  "You want to have diabetes, abi" she would say to us, then it was when Grandma have been diagnosed with diabetes, and doctors were saying that she needs surgery or her foot would be cut off. 

 I was very little then, so believed sugar in boxes will give you diabetes, and the sugar in sachets would not. So every evening, as Grandma went to sit out in the veranda, I stole her sugar in sachets. I used them to make cold teas in the afternoon. 

 I became older, I still used the sugar in sachets, to make my oats and tea, two sachets, I was scared of getting my foot cut off. When I shopped at the mall, I took extra time at the sugar section, looking out for the sugar in sachets, "No calories ' ones. It was where I met Chuwudi, his skin in a very darker shade of black, his half smile making him look silly. 

 He talked slowly, taking time before he parted his lips and spoke. He loved tea, and enjoyed tea parties. The day, we had tea together, he put 12 cubes of the sugar in boxes in it. I was shocked, and asked, 

"So much sugars, 12 ke?" He gave a little laugh. 

"I love my tea sugary".

"is the sugar in sachets not better"

"There are no real sweetners".

I knew sugar didn't just give you diabetes, too much starch did. But I was scared to lose my foot.  I ate vegetables a lot, and my fridge is stocked with fruits, pineapples and watermelons. 

  I was in doctor's office saying this things, when she told me I had diabetes. 

 "You inherited it from your Grandma ".

She was saying, her legs crossed, looking at me. 

  "Little things matter, even sugar in sachets. "

PS: obesity, overweight, physical inactivity, genes and family history, your blood sugar can cause you diabetes. 

Sugar is found naturally in fruit, vegetables and dairy foods. It’s also added to food and drink by food manufacturers, or by ourselves at home. The debate about sugar and health is mainly around the ‘added sugars’. This includes:

1. table sugar that we add to our hot drinks or breakfast cereal

2. caster sugar, used in baking

3.sugars hidden in sauces, ready meals, cakes and drinks.