Growing up, my family worked the land and ate fresh food we grew and gathered.

We were strong and healthy.

We came on hard times, though, and left our village to find work and a better life in the city.

In some ways, life became easier.

Instead of the hard work of farming, my father drove a taxi and my mother had a factory job.

We sat a lot more.

Our food also changed.

We bought sweets, sugary drinks and fast food.

It tasted so good and was fast and easy.

Our family began to look like our city relatives.

My father got a big belly.

He was proud of it.

He said it was a sign we had enough money to eat well.

One day, I saw a notice for diabetes testing.

The man on the poster looked a lot like my father.

I was surprised my father had signs of diabetes.

He was thirsty a lot, peeing often, had blurred vision, and he sure was tired.

My father didn't think he had a problem, but since his brother had lost his leg to diabetes, he agreed to get tested.

Sadly, my father's blood had a lot of sugar in it.

The nurse said he had diabetes.

It turned out that my father's big belly was a sign of his poor health.

The nurse explained that eating too much, especially sweets and starchy foods, makes unhealthy fat inside the belly.

It's different from the soft fat we can pinch.

Fat inside the belly leads to diseases like diabetes.

She explained that when we eat, sweet things turn into sugar, but other foods do too, especially starchy foods like rice, potatoes, and bread.

A lot of sugar is hidden in processed food.

Diabetes makes sugar build up in the blood and damages the blood vessels and nerves.

People are more likely to have heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and blindness.

They may also get dementia, becoming forgetful and confused.

Injured nerves make feet numb, so people don't feel injuries which can get infected and lead to amputation.

Nerve damage can even make the penis weak.

It was a terrible disease, but the good news was that my father could control diabetes and not get those problems.

The nurse explained that our new way of life was the reason for my father's problems.

To get healthy, he had to eat better, eat less, and be more active.

Now my father had diabetes.

My uncle did too.

I realized my whole family was at risk.

I went to see my grandma.

When she grew up, there was no junk food and no one had diabetes.

We made a plan together.

First, we stopped buying sweets and fast foods.

Instead, we shopped at markets for fresh food, vegetables, whole grains, and foods high in protein like beans, eggs, and fish.

Then, we cooked the traditional food that's kept us well for generations.

My grandma said home cooking is the only sure way to guarantee we're eating healthy food.

We also ate less, with healthier portions, and not much rice.

And last, we started walking every morning.

Over that year, my father lost his belly, his blood sugar got better, and his energy came back.

We all became healthier, and we really didn't miss the sugar.

Remember, eat real food, cook it yourself, and be active.

Your family can be healthy too.