#BTColumn – Kicking the sugar habit

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Suleiman Bulbulia

Week two of taking up the No Sugar November challenge by Cheyne Jones, and I am experiencing cravings for some of the sweet stuff. Congratulations Cheyne, you have motivated me to do something I didn’t imagine myself ever doing. I am staying the course, as are so many persons who have taken up the challenge this year.

Cheyne Jones must be applauded for the initiative he started last November and continued this year. And the challenge hasn’t been lost on several influential leaders here in Barbados and across the world.

Our own Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley mentioned her participation on a platform in St. George North recently while campaigning and several Ministers of Governments, sports, cultural icons and well-known and not so well-known personalities have also joined in the campaign.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization himself weighed in when he tweeted: “I really like this #NoSugarNovember initiative, kicked off by #CheyneJones in #Barbados! It’s a great way to motivate ourselves but also others to introduce healthy habits in our everyday life. I call on everybody to join and help us #BeatNCDs.”

This year, the Challenge is to attempt one of three levels, Gold, Silver or Bronze. At the Bronze level no soft drinks and no juices (except natural juices with no added sugar) with one cheat drink per week allowed.

Those going for Silver are expected to have no soft drinks, no juices, no adding sugar to tea and one cheat drink per week. For the Gold category the challenge is no soft drinks, no juices, no adding sugar to tea and no foods with added sugars i.e. cookies, chocolate; natural sugars like fruits are acceptable.

I am attempting the Gold. Hoping to get there. Reality is, it is all mind over desire unless one has health-related complications. I am accustomed to complete fasting during the daylight hours for one month in the year as part of my faith teachings, but staying away from sugary, sweetened foods and drinks is new to me. One can feel the cravings. Let’s see how the rest of the month progresses.

Barbados has a tremendous problem with diabetes. It has been reported that Barbados is struggling to come to grips with this scourge that afflicts one-fifth of the population, and those are the known cases. A Caribbean Life online story presents startling statistics:

“The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) states that as of 2017 some 425 million people on this planet are struck with diabetes, equating to a world average of one in 11 persons, but the prevalence rate in Barbados of one in five persons places this island way above the world average.”

“A Barbados ‘Health of the Nation’ study in 2015 showed that 19 per cent of persons aged 25 and older have diabetes. That almost one-in-five ratio worsens when those over 65 years old are examined separately because the affliction percentage in that age grouping is 46 per cent, meaning almost half of the nation’s elderly population has diabetes.”

Last year, Diabetes Association of Barbados President Trudy Griffith observed: “Within our daily lives we interact with persons with whom we have a biological connection, and in our workplaces, our communities and social settings… we probably interact with multiple persons who are living with diabetes.

“We have a responsibility to our families in whatever setting to ensure that they are living well. Uncontrolled diabetes is the cause of all the complications we fear and desire to avoid, which are stroke, heart attack, poor oral health, impaired circulation to the feet, amputations and renal disease.”

As we prepare to observe World Diabetes Day this year on November 14th, we recognize the importance that challenges such No Sugar November play in highlighting the dangers posed by prolonged consumption of added sugars. And the sad reality is that our younger generations are now at the greatest risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes from an early age.

The prevalence and increased use of sugary, sweetened beverages so common among our children in the Caribbean and the consumption of an assorted range of snacks and foods that contain added sugars and other unhealthy ingredients are leading to the reality that 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese here in Barbados.

It is found that excess consumption of unhealthy foods, including those high in sugar like sugary drinks, is a major risk factor for obesity, heart disease, and some types of cancer. Studies show that drinking just one sugary drink
a day increases the likelihood of being overweight
by 55 per cent for children and increases the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 26 per cent.

These findings paint a dismal picture if we don’t pay serious attention to our diets and the diets of our children. And the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the situation and made it even graver. Having diabetes, heart disease and hypertension increases health risks from COVID-19.

In a nation like ours that is experiencing declining birth rates, we cannot afford to have a young generation beset with health issues and unable to perform to the best of their abilities due to NCDs.

The Ministry of Education is expected to roll out a National Nutritional Policy for our schools. This is much needed, for it is at these institutions of learning that our youth are being exposed daily to unhealthy options for food choices. And these unhealthy options are cleverly marketed, extremely attractive and hard to resist.

Our society, by and large, has lost its taste for indigenous healthy foods and instead we choose the processed imported foods that are easier to reach, more affordable in some cases (which some argue but reality is, that is not always true) and as some would say “taste better”. But these foods, if you study their ingredients, have little by way of nutritional value. Many contain added sugars.

Healthline.com carries an article titled: “Experts Agree: Sugar Might Be as Addictive as Cocaine”. This report clearly outlines why added sugars are hazardous to our health and well-being: “We reward children with it over the holidays or for a job well done in school. And we reward ourselves with it after a particularly stressful day or to celebrate a birthday or a special success. We add sugar to our coffee, bake it into our favorite treats, and spoon it over our breakfast. We love the sweet stuff. We crave it. But are we addicted to it?

“There’s an increasing body of research that tells us excess sugar could be as addictive as some street drugs and have similar effects on the brain. Eating sugar releases opioids and dopamine in our bodies. This is the link between added sugar and addictive behavior.

“The problem is that we aren’t meant to enjoy sugars in such concentrated amounts. In nature, sugar is found surrounded by fiber, in sugar cane and fruits. It naturally comes in a container that produces a shorter blood sugar response and aids in fullness. Today’s sugars are refined and concentrated.”

I encourage everyone to take up the challenge; it’s not too late, we still have 20 days of November to go.

Suleiman Bulbulia is a Justice of the Peace; Secretary of the Barbados Muslim Association; Muslim Chaplain at the U.W.I, Cave Hill Campus and Chair, Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. Email: suleimanbulbulia@hotmail.com.