In the Distracted World, Cultivate These Superpowers #LeadersAreReaders January 2022

I was with a student-turned-friend when I asked my usual question, “What book are you reading now?” He said with a sound of disappointment, “I haven’t read any book consistently since last year.” I raised my eyebrows to signal him to say more. He continued, “I have been very busy with my works, and I’m addicted to social media and games too.” He needs encouragement. So I tried to spark his interest, “Do you know that there are two superpowers that are very valuable today?” (I use the word superpowers because we just came back from watching the Spiderman movie). Actually, I asked intending to answer my own question: “Focus and depth.” I told him since most people are easily distracted, if he wants to be different, he must learn to improve his focus and sharpen his attention. And since the major outcome of continuous distraction is shallow thinking, he needs to strive not to be a zombie but a person of depth, especially as a Christ-follower.

“There are various ways to exercise these superpowers,” I said as I concluded our lengthy discussion from the rise of TikTok to the Facebook Metaverse controversy to spiritual disciplines with now a friend-turned-student again, “and one of it is by cultivating the habit of reading widely and deeply.” Almost every time I asked my usual question to a student or a friend (last week was with my friend, George), it will lead me to this one passion: promoting literacy and fostering a love for reading, especially, the Scripture.

I see the urgent need to encourage our young people today - and you! - to redeem and use these superpowers (we called graces) in a distracted world for the glory of God. It's not just about our minds but also our souls. May this encourage you to think about all these things... Please consider this message ya #ServeToLead #Focus #APersonOfDepth #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my book reviews of #LeadersAreReaders JANUARY 2022, CLICK THE TITLES below:

1) Education, Free & Compulsory (1999) by Murray N. Rothbard

2) The Lord from Heaven (1958, 1974) by Leon Morris

3) The Notebook: A Novel (1996) by Nicholas Sparks

4) Cracking Philosophy: You, This Book and 3,000 Years of Thought (2016) by Dr. Martin Cohen (this not a review but more to an encouragement to study philosophy)

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Diet Rehab: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat (2011), Book Review

Diet Rehab: 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat (2011) 

by Dr Mike Dow

In March 2010, the Scripps Research Institute release a ground-breaking study (read page 15-16) that find rats who were fed high-fat, high-sugar diets such as bacon and chocolate (lucky rats!) developed full-brown food addictions such as drug addictions. Oh ya, they gave cocaine to the rats too. Amazingly, the food had altered their brain chemistry. Because of this, these rats – overweight and food-addicted – desire for more and more 'junk' food to experience pleasure or at least, just to feel normal. "Now here's the even scarier part," writes Dr Mike, a psychology expert on addictive behaviours, disordered eating and food addictions, "After cocaine-addicted rats stopped taking the drug, it took only 2 days for their brain chemistry to return to normal. For the food-addicted rats in the food study, though, their brain chemistry took 2 weeks to return to normal. In other words, food habits affected their brain MORE than drugs in some ways!" Now, that is scary!

Let me repeat: Food addictions alter brain chemistry the same as cocaine addictions but it took longer for food addictions to recover. Mind-blowing! In this book, Dr Mike focuses on two main brain chemicals that affect our food intakes, body weight and wellbeing, namely - dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is the pleasure, excitement, 'fall in love' and energizer chemical. If you're low in dopamine, you'll be listless, sad and feel lonely. Concerning food addictions, the more you eat high-fat foods, the more doses of dopamine you'll get to get 'high.' But the more you feed yourself with extra fat, neurons that release, receive and keep your dopamine moving become overloaded, then damaged. Thus, you need greater and greater quantities of dopamine 'junk' foods to feel normal again. This will create a downward spiral cycle of your food addictions. "The more you eat, the more you want." Serotonin, on the other hand, is feeling calm, peaceful and positive chemical. If you're low in serotonin, you'll feel anxious, fearful and perhaps depressed. You'll crave for high-sugary and sweet foods and the vicious cycle of the downward spiral will happen. Your craving for foods is the response of your craving for dopamine and serotonin boosts (among other important brain chemicals). You eat to feel calm when you're nervous, sad or depressed. Weight gain is the by-product.

There are two hallmarks of addiction: 1) Tolerance. "When you keep needing more to get the same high", and 2) Withdrawal. "The pain of giving up an addictive substance that the body has come to rely on." Any diet programs will have to face these two obstacles. And so, Dr Mike introduces his Diet Rehab program. His approach to addiction is based on 'gradual detox' in which "you begin by adding foods that will boost your serotonin and dopamine levels before you even cut back on anything." This is well illustrated in The Dr Oz Show (watch YouTube Dr Mike Dow's 28-Day Plan to Kick Cravings). Gradual detox is based on the understanding that it takes a month (about 28 days) for the human brain to create a habit. So, during Diet Rehab, you need to gradually replace "pitfall" foods, activities and thought patterns with "boosters." There are lots of examples of pitfalls and boosters listed in the book. I love the secret of Diet Rehab because it deals with not only the food that you eat, but also the activities that you do, and the thought patterns that you keep. It can be summed up in two-sentence, says Dr Mike:

1) First add booster foods (more greens and healthy foods) and booster activities (take a walk, exercise, sing, etc.) to your life

2) Then gradually reduce pitfall foods (saturated/trans- fat, high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, etc.) and pitfall thoughts ("I'm not good enough", "I'm always a failure", etc.)

What I love about this book is that Dr Mike gives good suggestions and science-based reasons for what, why and went we behave in certain ways that are stealing our lives. My favourite is Part 3 entitled Free Yourself from Food Addiction where he talks about obsessive eating, emotional eating and binge eating. This part alone is worth your money and time reading it. I bought this book for only RM10 (on sale) and I learned a great deal about the psychology of food addictions and behaviours and how to overcome them. To be honest, I didn't follow the 28-Day Diet Rehab Programme but I watch carefully what I eat, adding more booster activities and keep my thought patterns in check. If you have an eating disorder or eating emotionally (if chronic, check with your doctor), I highly recommend this book. Dr Mike has dozens of exercises that can help you to understand yourself better and how to deal with it.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

 

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