August 11, 2017
SUGAR: A DANGEROUS DRUG
Nowadays I have a full-time job in the financial area. I am always found sitting in an open area, so I can really hear almost everything that is going on with my coworkers.
Since I started this course, (health, eating, food, exercise etc.) every single aspect that is wellness related gets my attention.
My coworkers A and B (I will not mention names for obvious reasons) have interesting behaviours. “A” is overweight and 2 or three months ago, applied for a weight loss grant (subsidized by the government). B is not overweight but falls asleep at work every single day.
Both talk about food all day long, trying to convince their minds what is right, and what is wrong. Bottom line, they eat all day primarily addictive sugary foods: They eat sugar and they crave sugar.
Every birthday for them is an excuse to organize a cake purchase and eat it. It is so rewarding. We can see it in their faces. Then reality and guilt kicks in. Suddenly you can see them marching in front of their desks making an effort (as they say), to lose those cake calories in a 5 minute period walk. This marching behavior is actually used to justify the second piece of cake. Just delusional.
Just like cocaine or other addictive drugs, over time, the brain requires more sugar in order to generate the same high. The Dopamine receptors become less sensitive to the presence of sugar, and the addiction to sugar grows stronger.
Sugar changes our physical and psychological state. It’s just like a circle. Sugar gives that spike of feeling good, then the depression-guilt, the stress-anxiety, then that craving to get that spike again and feel good. The cycle keeps going.
As with many people, my coworkers are well aware that consuming a lot of sugar isn’t exactly healthy, but they may not understand just how dangerous sugar can be. As per their conversations, this is what I can get:
- They don’t realize how much sugar they actually consume
- They don’t believe that their sugar consumption is tied to an addiction
- They’ve tried to quit eating sugar (“A”) but found it too hard or uncontrollable, especially if “B” is enabling her
With all the information I have read I wish I could just stand up and tell them there is a way out, first by starting to accept that there is a problem, and then make better food choices by not consuming empty calories like: refined sugar, white flours and processed foods, so their body will stop asking for it.
When I am on my lunch break, I’m always hearing the conversations that fill the break room especially, “The ice cream talk between A and B.” Apparently, there is a nice place near this area that you can order online, choosing different flavours and toppings, and get them delivered to our office. Their way to feel “not so guilty” is inviting everybody to order some. This is a perfect example of peer pressure. (Since A and B are trying to convince their coworkers to order ice cream just so they don’t feel guilty). So far my buddy Pam and I said no. Was “A” even offended?
I have my “Staying Healthy with Nutrition” book on my desk (sometimes I read some material during my break). “A” saw it and said “Oh!!! And we are ordering ice cream” with a mocking attitude. Pam and I looked at each other and stayed quiet. They don’t want help. Complete denial, and oh boy! They really need it!
