Many of you are starting to realize that your current way of eating is slanted more towards the macronutrient of carbohydrates. Even more problematic is that many of us are relying on processed carbohydrates for our meals, especially in the morning. Processed carbohydrates are foods that have had all or most of their natural nutrients and fiber removed in order to make them easier to transport and store. Pretty much anything that can sit on a shelf in a bag or a box for a long time without going bad, is a processed carbohydrate.
Why are processed carbs so bad? It's a complicated process but stick with me and I will try to make it as simple as possible. When eaten, carbohydrates are broken down into sugars and circulated through the blood for the body to use as energy. Processed carbohydrates are already partially broken down so the body converts them to sugar very quickly. Too much sugar in the blood is a bad thing, so your body produces insulin in response to a rise in blood sugar. Insulin's job is to allow glucose to enter cells to be used as energy and to store excess glucose. Constant consumption of processed carbohydrates means rapid elevation of blood sugar levels followed by a rapid release of insulin to lower the blood sugar quickly. This sequence of unstable blood sugar levels leads to a condition called hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. In response to this your body craves food, especially sugar and the process repeats itself creating this vicious cycle that can eventually lead to any number of metabolic diseases.
This process created in part by the over consumption of process foods has lead to an increase in type 2 diabetes in our generation. This blog is a little bit longer and I will give you two weeks to complete it. It will count as a summative assessment towards your fourth quarter grade. I want you to spend some time reading up on type 2 diabetes and in your own words and in no more than two paragraphs, explain to me;
1. What is type 2 diabetes?
2. Why it is a concern to your generation?
