It’s 4pm, and it’s only you and a tall tower of marking in the classroom. You eye theemergency stash of all things sweet.
Should you? Of course you should, you decide. You retrieve a bar of chocolate that releases a wave of sugary euphoria, and you get started on the marking.
Whether it’s a chocolate bar, ice cream, fizzy drinks, or anything else delicious, most of us have at some point relied on a sugar hit to push us through when we are feeling lethargic.
But relyingon sugarin this waycomes with risks. Anoverconsumption ofsugarcan lead to disastrousphysical, neurological andemotional effects on the body.
So how do you know how much is too much? According to the NHS, adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughlyequivalent to7 sugar cubes).
What does this look like over a typical teaching day?We askedDr Nicole Avena, an author and expert in food addiction, to review the habits of three fictitious teachers.
Gabriela
Gabrielaworksas a modern foreign languages teacher.
She swears that the fruit smoothie she drinks for breakfast is the secret to her energy. During her breaks, she finishes preparationsfor her next lesson while eating an apple. At lunchtime,she scoffs down her homemade BLT sandwich and a side salad. And then after school, she fills up her refillable water bottle and finishes off her marking.
If she goes out, it tends to be something active. And it will likely finishwith a glass of wine (or three).
Total sugar intake:approx 29g
Dr Avena’s view:
BecauseGabriela stays within the daily sugar recommendation, Dr Avena says she is doing well. She’s getting “healthy sugars” from her whole fruits and, although her morning smoothie is high insugar, as the smoothie is made from fresh fruits and vegetables it’s a much better alternative than other typical breakfasts, such as cereal.
However, Dr Avena explains that having “a lot of sugar later in the day (especially in the form of alcohol), can cause you to not sleep well and wake up in the night”. This couldthen lead to Gabriela feeling tired or lethargic during the day.
Graham
Graham has been teaching for 30 years andhe’s a little set in his ways.
He has a leisurely breakfast with his husband. It consists of a glass of orange juice and a full English. During breaktimes, he likes to read ahead on the current text the class is studying. He nurses a black coffee as he does so.
For lunch, heusually eats a can of Heinz soup, two slices of buttered bread, and a Mars bar.After school, there is usually some cake left in the staffroom and he almost always grabs a slice.
Evenings are often spent socialising in the pub, and Graham’s usual picks are acurry, a brownie shared with his husband, anda gin and tonic.
Total sugar intake:approx 77g
Dr Avena’s view:
Graham is above the daily recommendation and is at the stage, says Dr Avena, when he will be craving sugar between helpings.
“The brain releases opioids and dopamine, this makes many people feel good when they eat sugar, and is often why it makes us want to eat more and more of it,” says Dr Avena.
If Graham were to work on cutting the sugar out of his diet, not only would he find himself losing weightbut also his overall mood would improve, explains Dr Avena.
Jess
Jess has three young children and teaches Year 6 at the local primary school.
Most mornings, sheand her husband eat the same breakfast as their children: toast with strawberry jam. Jess washes it down a milky brew (which she always puts two sugars in).
At breaktime, cake is almost always on offer butJess, in a bid to live a healthierlifestyle, declines the cake and has a yoghurt instead.
For lunch, she usually grabs beans on toast. She also snacks on biscuits that she brings in from home, such as a packet of Animals chocolate biscuits.
At 3pm, Jess runs an after-school club.On most days, she manages to eat some food with the children there:pasta and pizza are the regular options.
In the evening, there is usually a cake treat for her and the kids, and then a nice glass of wine with her husband.
Total sugar intake:approx 97.5g
Dr Avena’s view:
Jess is way above the daily recommendation and, if she tried to cut back,she would less oftenfeelirritable or quick to anger,says Dr Avena.
The trouble is, a lot of the food Jess is eating she may not have thought of as high in sugar - such aspizza and baked beans - Dr Avenaexplains.
“Her high sugar intake and unawareness ofit may lead to Jess’ body storing unnecessary fat.This can pose as a danger to Jess.”
What is worse,as Jess is snacking throughout the day, it’s unlikely that she willexperience the withdrawal symptoms and so will miss the body’s warning signs.
A spoonful of sugar?
So, which day are you closest to? Before you get too worried,Dr Avena is keen to point out that sugar isn’t all bad.However, in cases of overconsumption, the impact oftoo much sugar can be hard to shake.
“It is hard to break the addiction because sugar is in so many of the foods that we eat, and it is very hard to avoid it,” she says.
If you find yourself in that category, then Dr Avena suggests that instead of going cold turkey, it may be best to identify the things in your diet that contain the most sugar and work to replace them with healthier alternatives. It isn’t about “quitting” these foods, but finding out what it is you like about them, and then making the appropriate changes.
She also says we should try to work on understanding the link between our hunger and mood.For example, if you are eating sugar-rich foods as a way to cope with stress.
And lastly, you could alwaysremove the temptation: lose the snack drawer!
