Most of my favourite maths lessons have involved food of some kind. Or to be more specific, some kind of chocolate. Just as there can be no omelette without breaking a few eggs, you can’t understand fractions without breaking a few KitKats (unless you’re more of a savoury person, in which case pizza will do the job just as well).
Mars Bars for example – which can be safely cut up using nothing sharper than a ruler (more important in some classes than others) – open the door to all sorts of interesting conversations about equivalent fractions and mixed numbers. Questions such as, “Would you rather share one Mars Bar with two children or four Mars Bars with six children?” are far more engaging when there are real Mars Bars at stake.
The possibilities are limited only by the quantity of chocolate.
And let’s not forget Smarties: unambiguously marketed at those with an eagerness to learn. Each packet contains an alluring jumble of colourful treats, in conveniently random quantities. How could anybody empty a packet of Smarties onto a table and not feel an overwhelming urge to calculate percentages? Fittingly, many lessons aimed at encouraging metacognition also make use of Smarties (for those unfamiliar with the language of Teacher Buzzword Bingo, this means thinking about your thinking. Deep, I know, but the important thing is that you have to buy LOTS of Smarties).
Yes, chocolate can be a powerful friend when trying to engage children in maths, but regrettably, there is a dark side (and we’re not talking high percentage cacao here).
I’m guessing some kindhearted teachers will share the chocolate with the children at the end of a lesson, but given that maths is generally taught in the morning and I often skipped lunch as a teacher, I’m sure you can guess what happened to most of the chocolate in my classroom.
Of course, I always knew this was a bad idea; you don’t need a degree in nutrition to figure out the reason behind a massive sugar crash when you’ve just consumed three packets of Smarties. But beyond that, I never really considered the impact sugar could be having on my mental health until now. Having done some research on the subject, it seems that chocolate-led learning is not a good idea, unless of course you’re willing to share the spoils and enjoy as part of a nutritionally balanced diet.
I’m not taking the high ground here – I refuellled on a large slice of cake after half a day’s work yesterday – but it’s always good to make informed choices, so here are three important reasons why we need to be mindful of our sugar intake when struggling with mental health issues:
1. Sugar Causes Inflammation
It’s widely accepted that eating excessive amounts of sugar can cause inflammation in the body. Not the natural sugar found in fruit and veg, which can actually be anti-inflammatory, but the added sugar found in chocolate, cakes or sugary drinks. And whilst depression isn’t an inflammatory disease, scientists are increasingly recognising the importance of the two way communication between gut and brain (in fact, the gut is often referred to as the second brain) and finding links between inflammation, depression and other mental illnesses. Interestingly, some studies have shown that the effectiveness of SSRIs can in some cases be attributed to their anti-inflammatory properties. Conversely, other research shows that inflammation can inhibit the effectiveness of anti-depressant medication.
2. Sugar Causes Hormonal Havoc
When you eat sugar, your pancreas produces insulin to help absorb glucose from the bloodstream into liver, fat and skeletal muscle cells. But the body responds to spikes in insulin, which cause a dramatic dip in blood sugar and an increase in appetite, by releasing cortisol. This not only reduces insulin resistance over time, but also triggers a fight or flight response, which isn’t helpful if you’re suffering with chronic stress, depression or anxiety. In fact, this sugar roller coaster may leave you feeling so low, that you find yourself reaching for another chocolate bar. Tempting I know, but strap yourself in for a bumpy ride.
3. It’s not Sexy
To add to the problem, whilst your body is busy producing cortisol, it ceases production of the female sex hormone progesterone and another sex hormone, binding globulin, resulting in a decreased sex drive and elevated levels of testosterone and estrogen, thereby worsening the monthly misery that is premenstrual tension. Not good news at all.
Unfortunately sugar cravings can be triggered by stress, perhaps due to depleted serotonin levels, meaning that you’re more likely to fall into the trap when you’re feeling low. And this is compounded by the fact that dopamine, which acts like a reward system for our brains and can be a factor in addiction, is highly sensitive to sugar and can make those cravings difficult to resist.
But whilst sugar might take the edge off depression and anxiety in the short term, it’s actually making the problem far, far worse and can even reduce the effectiveness of medication.
I’ll be honest here. I can’t see myself giving up sugar completely and a life without carbs is unimaginable to me. But I’ll definitely be making a few changes to even out my blood sugar levels. As for chocolate-led maths….I think I’ll have to give that up altogether. The temptation to eat all of the resources might just be too much.
Thank you for reading my post. I welcome all feedback and would love to hear your views. If you want to find out more about the connection between sugar and depression, I’ve included links below to some interesting articles I’ve read this week. Please visit my Facebook Page to find more information and articles relating to teacher burnout and mental health.
Kelly Brogan MD ‘From Gut to Brain: The Inflammation – Depression Connection’ https://kellybroganmd.com/from-gut-to-brain-the-inflammation-connection/?fbclid=IwAR2VKILFhGtKisUzBG9TWJJe-2XDb96nxCZ1iVfysum02o1BV8WVHx32cgc
Kelly Brogan MD ‘Three Ways Sugar is Ruining Your Mental Health’ https://kellybroganmd.com/3-ways-sugar-ruining-mental-health/
Psychiatric Times, ‘Five Things to Know about Inflammation and Depression’ https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/special-reports/five-things-know-about-inflammation-and-depression
Psychology Today ‘The Link Between Sugar and Depression: What you Should Know’ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuronarrative/201709/the-link-between-sugar-and-depression-what-you-should-know
Science News ‘Sugar Changes Brain Chemistry, New Animal Study Shows’ http://www.sci-news.com/medicine/sugar-brain-chemistry-08019.html?fbclid=IwAR1jlDGjaaXh2AqhswLKcdOH-ITNIt4mYhAB79J7Vh1rwpdJjvS4_UNcuaY
Very Well Mind, ‘Why You Self-Medicate with Carbs and Sugar During Depression’ https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-i-crave-carbs-1065212
Psychology Today, ‘Is There a Blood Sugar Monster Lurking Within You?’ https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/inner-source/201311/is-there-blood-sugar-monster-lurking-within-you
Chris Kresser, ‘Nutrition and Mental Health: What’s the Connection?’ https://chriskresser.com/nutrition-and-mental-health-whats-the-connection/?fbclid=IwAR3ieoWw8di-cC2Z9gZCl62Qak8h-6tOJQGOlp8wRgMNdMiG53wckZ_O-Vw
Mindful, ‘Meet your Second Brain: The Gut’ https://www.mindful.org/meet-your-second-brain-the-gut/
Healthline, ‘The Connection Between Sugar and Depression’ https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/sugar-and-depression
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