Why is it so hard to quit sugar?Expert advice: It’s better to reconcile with Tian
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Everyone must be well aware of the many harmful effects of excessive sugar consumption, such as dental caries, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Therefore, in modern society, in addition to emphasizing quitting smoking, there are also growing calls to quit “sweet” foods. However, it is really difficult to stop thinking about it. what to do? Experts say that if you find it difficult to quit sugar, you can’t blame it entirely. If you really can’t quit, just make peace with it.
“Looking for sweethearts” has been written into genes
Sugar is an indispensable energy supply substance for human growth activities, just like refueling is needed to make a car run. For people in ancient times, the greatest meaning of life was to obtain as much “energy” as possible to ensure the continuation of life, so they had to keep looking for something to eat. Although there was no concept of “sugar” at that time, people slowly summed up experience from their taste buds – foods with “sweetness” seemed to be more “anti-hungry”.
Over time, the ability to taste sweetness and a deep-rooted preference for sugar evolved and were firmly engraved in genes. Even after being tempered and filtered by the long history, the vast majority of people have already had enough food and clothing, and these genes are still intact. From this perspective, people’s liking for eating sweets is not a “bad habit”, and it is impossible to give up “sweetness” easily.
A craving for sweets is a “special disease”
From a medical point of view, liking to eat sugar and being addicted to sweets essentially has nothing to do with a person’s willpower, but a “special disease”, which we call “dopamine resistance.”
Sweet foods stimulate neurons in the brain to release dopamine, a powerful substance that causes people to feel happy and rewarded. Therefore, every time you eat sugar, your brain will automatically recall the wonderful experience you had the last time you ate sugar, and will secrete more dopamine layer by layer to encourage you to continue eating sugar and eat more sugar next time. If things go on like this, it is tantamount to having a “sweet addiction”: you always want to eat or drink some sweet food no matter what, and you are not satisfied even if you eat less. This is “dopamine resistance”, similar to “insulin resistance” in diabetics. In this case, it is difficult to maintain long-term control by willpower alone.
Scientific sugar eating and reconciliation with sweetness
Human beings’ response to sweet taste has gone through a formal process of natural selection, which is completely unlike the way tobacco (nicotine) coaxes the brain. Therefore, as long as your willpower is strong enough, quitting smoking is relatively easy to succeed, but quitting sweets is really difficult. In this case, instead of struggling with yourself, you should “eat sugar scientifically and reconcile with sweetness.”
1. Reduce highly processed foods
Ensure protein intake in three meals a day, and then eat more whole grains, whole wheat bread, corn, etc. Do not take the initiative to drink sugary drinks, and try to choose fresh, low-sugar fruits.
2. Choose low-sugar foods
If you must eat, try to choose low-sugar foods. For example, people who love coffee can slowly switch from sugary and milky coffee to pure coffee.
3. Do not eat high-sugar foods before meals
Try not to eat highly sweet foods before meals or before going to bed to avoid consuming too much sugar.
4. Find alternatives
Nowadays, there are many low-sugar and sugar-free alternatives on the market to choose from, such as low-sugar biscuits, sugar-free drinks, etc.
Let the brain “change its behavior”. If you used to love sugary drinks or pastries, change this habit now and switch to other foods, such as eating fresh vegetables and low-sugar fruits, such as grapefruit, blueberries, tomatoes, etc. Or simply exercise outdoors. Doing these repeatedly will gradually deepen the impression on the brain and slowly ease the dependence on sugar.
Text/Wang Fang (Beijing Hospital)
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