Cake, bread, snack, rice cake, chocolate, candy, ice cream, soda, juice…
You who can’t stop eating sweet snacks. Thinking about diet or health, “I should cut it” or “I should cut it down,” but it doesn’t work out the way I want. Of course he deserves it.
The craving for sweet food is not something we can overcome by willpower. Not because it’s sweet, but because it’s hard to interrupt due to signals from the brain and gut.
Most people think that when they want to eat something, they are attracted to it because of its taste. Among foods, sweet food is especially delicious, so I think I want to eat more of it.
But more recent research suggests that sugary food cravings are largely due to the way our brains and guts work. To be precise, our brains and guts push our bodies against sugar cravings.
If you understand these brain and gut mechanisms, you can more easily control the intake of sweet foods in your daily life.
The process by which sugar is digested in our body
Throughout our lives, we consume many forms of sugar, including sucrose, glucose and fructose which are mostly found in fruit.
Among them, many studies have shown that sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener used in processed foods, has adverse health effects, such as causing high blood pressure, diabetes, various inflammations, and fat accumulation.
And then the other parts?
Let’s look at natural fructose. For example, in high fructose corn syrup, 50% of the total liquid weight is sugar, while the fructose in peaches is about 1% of the weight of the peaches.
The natural fructose consumed through fruit contains antioxidants, potassium, vitamin C and fiber. All these nutrients have a positive effect on our body.
what about glucose Glucose, which is obtained mainly from staple foods such as grains, legumes and starches, is a naturally occurring sugar.
When you eat carbohydrates, they break down into glucose. The broken down glucose is transported throughout the body via blood vessels.
Our brain and body use glucose as their main source of energy. This is why humans need this fuel (glucose) to survive.
The machine that consumes sugar, the brain
Although our brains only make up about 2% of our bodies, they consume about 20% of our total calories. The brain is the most energy consuming organ in the body.
That’s why the brain is called “a sugar-consuming machine.”
Without sugar, the brain cannot function properly. In a recent study, scientists looked at brain activity in animals.
As a result, it was confirmed that well-fed animals were able to process visual information more accurately because the visual cortex of the brain was more active than fasted animals.
If you don’t eat enough sugar, your brain can’t function properly. It’s the same principle that if hypoglycemia continues, brain function is impaired and cognitive function decreases.
In other words, we shouldn’t consume too much sugar or too little.
Two algorithms in our body that keep asking for sweets
According to medical research, when we crave sweetness, our body precedes two cases.
The first is when you want dopamine, which you can get from the sweetness itself. When you eat something sweet, sweet taste receptors on your tongue send a signal to your brain.
This signal helps the brain produce the chemical dopamine, which is simply the hormone that gives you a sense of accomplishment and happiness.
When sweetness triggers a dopamine-producing algorithm, it triggers the brain to seek more sweetness. Once created, this algorithm is correct as-is. As a result, you will find more and more sweet foods.
The second is unconsciousness itself.
Scientists have found that rats that cannot taste prefer sugary drinks to water. Even if the tongue has lost its gustatory function, the body craves sweetness. What’s the reason?
This is because the neurotrophic cells lining the gut respond to the presence of sugar in the gut. Neuropathic cells recognize glucose as sweet and send electrical signals to the brain to produce dopamine.
In other words, whether you taste it or not, sweetness creates an algorithm that unconditionally generates dopamine, which constantly puts pressure on your body to consciously or subconsciously crave sugar.
It sounds very dark just listening to it this way. How do you get out of this belt?
Can you control the feeling of wanting to eat sweets with willpower alone? For most people, that’s easier said than done.
4 practical ways to control the daily craving for sweets
In order for our body and brain to perform their functions, we must live near the party all our lives.
However, even though it’s the same sugar, you can live a lot healthier if you consume unrefined sugar and natural fructose. At the same time, by controlling your dopamine levels, you can even control your sugar cravings.
Here are four practical ways to make it a habit in your daily life.
1. Drink lemon or lime juice after meals
Mammals, including humans, have genetically evolved to avoid sour tastes. When you eat acidic food, neurons in your mouth send signals to your brain, which sends a signal to stay away from the food.
Therefore, drinking lemon or lime juice after meals can dull the craving for sweets. However, it is not recommended for hypoglycemia or on an empty stomach.
2. Eat cinnamon
Cinnamon is a useful food for regulating blood sugar levels. It slows down the rate at which sugar flows through your bloodstream and the rate at which food is digested in your stomach.
If you eat foods high in sugar or carbohydrates, adding cinnamon to your food can prevent a rapid rise in blood sugar.
However, don’t eat too much cinnamon at once as coumarin is toxic. The recommended amount is less than 1.5 teaspoons per day.
3. Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are very good for health. Not only that.
In addition to sugar, neurotrophic cells in the gut also respond to omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate the brain’s dopaminergic system to produce dopamine, while at the same time helping to suppress the algorithm that wants sugar to obtain dopamine.
To reduce cravings for sweets, take 1 to 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids daily as a supplement. It might be a bit bulky, but of course you can also consume it through food. Salmon, mackerel, seaweed, shrimp, sea bass, walnuts, beans and chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Sleep well at night
Sleep disturbances can affect appetite and sugar metabolism. When you don’t get enough sleep, your specific appetite for sweets increases.
Try to go to bed not too late each night and wake up at a consistent time in the morning. It’s also helpful to turn off your TV, computer or smartphone before bed to get a good night’s sleep.
conclusion
The desire to reach for sugar is normal. But that doesn’t mean we can’t help but live with this need for the rest of our lives. It’s not very difficult to overcome the temptation of sweets if you learn to make your body and mind crave less sugar.
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