Diet

Finding Your Sugar Zone

Diabetes, or "Sugar," as my grandma used to call it, affects the lives of many Americans--and many African Americans in particular. Many of us are predisposed to diabetes, for our parents and or great grandparents, who loved to chow down on soul food, may have suffered from the disease, making us more susceptible to suffering from it as well. Fear not, for nature doesn't always have to win over nurture. In fact, a healthy diet and exercise plan can override a lot of genetically predisposed illnesses.

Below is a quiz that was published in the April 2009 issue of Prevention magazine (pg. 105) that will help you determine whether or not your blood sugar level is in a healthy range or not. Use this quiz to determine whether or not it's time to step up your diet and or exercise plan so that you can ward off the onset of diabetes.

1. Which best describes your energy level?

• a. Rejuvenated and ready to go all day
• b. Peppy at first, but soon pooped
• c. Tired from morning to night

2. You're likely to make your sandwich on:

• a. Whole wheat bread
• b. Multigrain bread
• c. White bread

3. Your doctor has told you:

• a. You're at a healthy weight
• b. You should lose a few pounds
• c. You need to drop at least 20 pounds

4. You get how many hours of sleep each night?

• a. 71/2 or more
• b. Between 6 and 71/2
• c. Fewer than 6

5. You break a sweat exercising

• a. At least 21/2 hours a week
• b. 1 to 2 hours a week
• c. Less than 1 hour a week

Scoring
Mostly As: You're in the Sugar Safe Zone. Your lifestyle choices can help prevent you from developing diabetes.

Mostly Bs: You're in the Sugar Warning Zone. Simple tweaks to your habits can help put you back on a healthy path.

Mostly Cs: You're in the Sugar Danger Zone. Your weight, eating habits, or other factors may have increased your risk of developing diabetes. It's time to take a detour from the road you're on.

Special Note: If you find that you feel tired a lot, perhaps it's time that you check in with a physician. Fatigue doesn't necessarily mean that you're diabetic. In fact, I thought I was diabetic at one point, and went to see a doctor to confirm it. It turned out that I was not diabetic, but was instead suffering from anemia. Low iron can also zap you of energy, so it's best to let a doctor diagnose you so that you'll know for sure what it is that your body is suffering from.