Sat, Jan-04-20, 03:55
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Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
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Why the brain craves sugar... and how to kick it
Why the brain craves sugar... and how to kick it
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/lifes...w-to-quit-sugar
Quote:
Overindulged this festive season? Fear not. James Goolnik, clinical director of Bow Lane Dental Group and founder of the charity Rewards Project, offers failsafe advice on how to replace that sugar rush with something healthier, longer lasting and more rewarding
The Collins Dictionary defines a reward as something you are given, for example, because you have behaved well, worked hard or provided a service to the community.
We are talking about the way the mind reacts to the thought of a stimulus, rather than the stimulus itself. To some people, reading a good book is a reward; for others it is a piece of cake. So when did we humans start to make the association between sugar and good behaviour or performance?
And why does sugar still feature as a reward, especially when we know it is detrimental to our health?
Prehistoric man had more simple rewards than we do today. In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games were the first public reward system; the ultimate prize was to win the laurel leaf crown. If you got this you would become a hero in the eyes of the people. We still have Olympic medals today, but humans have developed a far more complex system of rewards and recognition, ranging from Starbucks loyalty points to sweets.
In his 1943 paper “The Theory Of Human Motivation”, American psychologist Abraham Maslow explained how humans must have basic physiological needs (such as food, shelter and water) met before being motivated to operate at higher levels. So think about it: how do you usually reward yourself and your children? Listen to your inner monologue and language before starting the 14-day sugar detox challenge. During a boring chore, such as doing the washing up, would you normally tell yourself, “After this, I deserve a biscuit”? How would it be if you chose a different reward, such as calling a friend on the phone or reading a good book?
Sugar rewards don’t just come from yourself; they are offered to us almost everywhere we go. I am constantly surprised at all these gyms and exercise clubs that offer “protein shakes” after the workout. You push your body for an hour at Barry's Bootcamp and then have a shake packed full of sugar to give you another high after the endorphin rush. All that good cardiovascular work, only to be ruined by the sugar. It’s probably better for your body overall to avoid the class if you are going to have a shake afterwards! Note, it is especially important to fuel yourself properly after a workout and experts suggest a mixture of healthy carbs and proteins within 45 minutes.
Most people replicate in adulthood the type of rewards they were offered as a child. "Finish your greens otherwise no dessert" turns into "No cake unless chores finished". How were you “preprogrammed” at school or at home? If you did well in a test did you get a chocolate bar? After a relationship break-up, do you now reach for the ice cream tub?
With the rising rates of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, isn’t it time to try to break this pattern? At the charity Rewards Project, we believe the place to start the change is at schools and nurseries. If we can get the healthy eating message across and break the cycle of food and sugar being used early on in life, we will set children on the path to having a healthier relationship with sugar in adulthood. For these reasons, we believe schools and nurseries should be sugar-free zones.
We carried out a survey of more than 487 schools in the UK and found ten per cent still reward the children with food or sweets, while 48 per cent of schools still celebrate children’s birthdays at school with cake and sweets, even though we know they will have it at home as well.
There are many alternative rewards that you and your family could transition to. I have divided these into experiences and times. If you think back over your highlights of the previous month, I doubt the best of those was when you ate that extra portion of dessert. Most of our fondest memories are related to experiences, especially those shared with others.
Experiences
- A walk outside
- Fresh flowers
- Dance class
- Taking a bath
- Spa day
- A massage
- Reading a book or magazine
- Listening to music or a podcast
- Going on a bike ride
- Screen time
- Theatre
- Cinema tickets (one of the best rewards we gave at our Bow Lane practice was a pair of cinema tickets to all the team members. It doesn't matter what salary people are on; this is a treat for everyone.)
Time
- With friends and family
- With your children (not looking at your phone!)
- Shopping
- Meditation
- Cup of tea or coffee
- Relaxing in the garden or on the sofa
- With children, depending on their ages, simple things such as certificates, stickers, stationery, a book, bookmark, small toys, craft kits, jewellery and balls are great fun, as are games such as den-making, digging in the garden and hide and seek. Rewards do not always need to cost anything. Speak to your family to discuss how they would like to be rewarded.
Rewards versus recognition
Let us look at how we are rewarded at work, as this is where we spend a third of our adulthood. Do you have a sweet drawer you rummage in when you finish a difficult task or are bored and no one is watching? At work, how does your manager encourage you? At Bow Lane Dental, we have employee of the quarter awards, appraisal meetings and salary increases. But is that enough? Most people want a simple thank you.
Rewards and recognition are both important but very different. Rewards are more appropriate for managing behaviours or meeting standards, such as good timekeeping or cleaning your room. We also need to be careful when removing rewards because they often turn into expectations or even entitlements. Recognition is when someone goes above and beyond, uses their initiative or creativity. These are usually intrinsically driven and whether they are recognised or not they will continue. Research shows that the most important aspect of recognition is that it is done timely, sincerely and, ideally, in view of our teammates.
In the context of the 14-day challenge, think about how you are rewarding yourself or colleagues. Is it always with food or sugar? Could you take everyone out bowling when you hit a target rather than bringing in a box of doughnuts? One of the best ways to design a rewards programme at work is to sit down with your team and find out what motivates them.
Dentist James Goolnik, founder of the charity Rewards Project, is on a mission to help the world to kick sugar. Along with leading nutritionist Jenny Phillips and TV chefs Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, he has written a charity cookbook called Kick Sugar to help people reduce the sugar in their diet permanently.
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Quote:
Kick Sugar
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kick-Sugar.../dp/1527249417/
Are you drenching your taste buds in sugar on a daily basis? If so, you may have lost the ability to appreciate the natural flavour in real foods. This is NOT a diet book, but a cookbook and a helpful guide created by professionals to help you regain control in a society where sugar is everywhere.
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