Authors: Dr Colin Michie and the students of the AUC
Wali the lizard and almost all youngsters have something in common – we like a little sugar! My favourite meal is fresh morning flowers, full of nectar – yum! – even better, a juicy ripe mango. I can smell these, with my tongue, from a long distance too!
So how do you take your sugar? I have seen humans putting white sugar in everything from pancakes to French toast and tea. And there’s loads of sugar in those fizzy drinks and sweets. You would not catch Wali eating those!
Sugar is all very well, but it is powerful stuff. Sugar can make lizards really aggressive. It can do this to some children and medical students too! The good news is that the sugars in fruit are less of a problem because fruits contain fibres.
Those fibres are really good for you. There is a lot of fibre in the peel of fruits, like on an apple, and there is some in a squidgy ripe banana! So a real, whole, messy mango is much better for you than mango smoothies or ice creams!
Sugar gives you humans another problem – it can damage your lovely teeth. Wali and his friends do not bother about that – we do not have teeth. Sugar makes acid that can damage the white shiny tooth enamel in children. And enamel cannot be replaced.
What we eat is often a habit. If you get used to sugary food when you are young, and your family eat it often, it is really difficult to change. We all tend to eat what our family likes to eat. I, Wali, do not know my mother or father, but I know my lizard crew all eat red and yellow flowers.
It was tourists who showed me that cucumber and lettuce are really tasty – green stuff is now one of my favourites. Do you guys eat anything green?! Kiwis? Salads? Okra? Callaloo? For all of us, these green foods are good, because they contain essential minerals like iron and zinc that help make red cells and muscles.
Fruit and vegetables also contain vitamins too, to help skin and nerves stay healthy and the immune system fight bugs. Our bodies – whether you are a lizard or a human – need small amounts of these goodies regularly because we cannot make them ourselves.
So, if you do not eat food with iron in it, you will become weak and anaemic. Or if you do not have enough vitamin C you will develop a painful mouth and joints and bad skin. So even when those doughnuts look really tempting, remember – you will not suffer with a doughnut deficiency!
We all need at least five servings a day of fruit or vegetables. That is quite a lot, so avoid doughnuts, except as treats.
Wali will be back with more fun in two weeks – keep smiling and show off your great teeth!
