How to Resist the Sweets in the Firehouse
If you are “jonesing” for some sweets, you might think it’s best to have just a tiny bit. Don’t! You will only wind up craving more. A study published by Obesity showed that we tend to associate food with internal feelings, like anxiety, stress or happiness. Or external stimuli, like the sirens or bells. Whenever we feel these emotions or situations we automatically crave the foods we associate with them. so each time you give in and have that sugary snack at the firehouse- which you probably do often, you start to condition your body and brain to expect and crave it.
What’s the solution? Remove the stimulus! Don’t keep the junk food in a visible place like on the table and or counter. Better yet, when you feel a craving coming on, don’t go to the kitchen or a place where junk food is lurking. So, if you are trying to cut down on sugar, which you should do, don’t have it around the house. And, if you are working in a firehouse that has a lot of sweets and treats around, either put them in the cupboards or don’t hang around the kitchen. Personally, I like to put the sweets in the cupboards or on the far counters and put some celery or fruit on the table.
Always remember this:
Almost all of the health issues we face in the fire service can be improved with a healthy diet.
Stay safe and Get FRF!
Aaron (Zam) Zamzow
Resource:
Myers CA, Martin CK, and Apolzan JW. Food Cravings and Weight Loss: A Conditioning Response. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity. Review. In Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28618170