By Dr C. S. FOO

IN days of antiquity, our hunter gatherer forefathers had it rough. There were no 7-Elevens round the block. Neither were there 24-hour food outlets to pander to our gluttony. Food was wild game and bounties from the earth.

Arrows and spears were invented as the meal of the day ran faster than man, and he either chased the prey or ran from predators. Man was too busy trying to survive and ate whatever they could to live.

In commonality, modern man is also trying to stay afloat (that basic instinct has not changed), but here is where the divergence becomes apparent. He still chases for a better life, but hardly runs. He pampers himself with good food for working "so hard" and soon develops the tendency of "living to eat".

I get this thrown in my face very often, "What is the point of living if I cannot eat what I want?"

Addicted to carbs

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We cannot live without carbohydrates as they are the fuel of life itself, being the primary source of energy. Yet not all carbohydrates are the same - there are good and bad ones. A stem of broccoli and a bowl of potato chips are both carbohydrates. I have yet to know of anyone who chomps incessantly on warty greens while glued to the television.

Some carbohydrates (high glycaemic) drive our blood sugar up rapidly while some do so slowly. Our brain is already so overworked, and creating a sugar stress would cause more confusion.

A blood sugar which is too high can cause coma and death. Contrarily, an excessively low blood sugar can knock one unconscious. Low blood sugar or hypoglycaemia has been blamed for various felonious acts and used as defence evidence in court. Do you know that insulin injections can be a murder weapon?

We function well within a narrow range of 5.6mmol/l on fasting and 7.8mmol/l two hours after a meal. Extreme situations at both ends of the pendulum is potentially fatal, but what happens on a daily basis?