5 Reasons Why Sugar Makes Teaching Very Difficult

Sugar. So tasty and so crucial for making up some of our favorite treats.

However, too much sugar (like too much of anything) can have a negative effect on the body that makes teaching quite difficult to do. Here are 5 reasons why too much sugar makes teaching particularly challenging.

1. Sugar causes unstable blood sugar levels

   Sugar causes our blood sugar levels to spike and then drop quickly resulting in mood swings, headaches, and fatigue, none of which are fun to experience while managing a classroom of students.

2. Sugar may make you more susceptible to sickness

   70% of our immune system lives in the gut. Sugar feeds the bad bacteria and can cause a yeast overgrowth in the gut. When gut bacteria is out of balance our immune system cannot work optimally, resulting in a greater likelihood of getting sick. And every teacher knows, neither going to work sick nor writing up sub plans is a fun thing to do.

3. Sugar accelerates aging

   Not necessarily specific to teachers, but this isn’t a fun one for anyone. Sugar causes the skin to lose elasticity, resulting to wrinkles and premature aging.

4. Sugar affects cognition in students

   When NYC schools reduced sugar and artificial ingredients in their school breakfasts and lunches, their academic ranking increased significantly. Any teacher who’s seen their students after a bunch of sugar know that the focus in the class is not what it had been before.

5. Sugar increases stress levels

   Sugar causes blood sugar to spike and drop. When this happens, our body releases stress hormones to help even out blood sugar levels again. These stress hormones can also cause us to feel anxious and irritable, even when we aren’t in a stressful situation. Since teachers already go through stressful times, it’s less than ideal to add an ingredient that makes you even more stressed.

Next week I will be sharing tips to easily reduce sugar intake without having to change your whole diet.

Have you ever experienced these effects of sugar? Let us know in the comments below!