Nowadays, many people do not leave sweet drinks such as milk tea and fruit juice on weekdays, although they are not hungry, they just want to eat sweet; I'm not thirsty, but I just want to drink sweet. When they are in a bad mood, many people want to relieve their bad mood by eating sweets, looking for a short-term release, and then fall into a whirlpool of regret and self-blame for eating too many sweets, and enter a vicious circle. The more serious question is,When a person gets used to eating high-sugar foods frequently, they always have to eat more and sweeter foods each time to get the same satisfaction as before。In fact, sugar addiction is difficult to quit not because a person lacks willpower, but because sugar addiction is essentially a nervous disorder.
High-sugar foods stimulate the reward system in the brain, activate neurons, and release dopamine. The release of dopamine can produce a pleasant feeling or rewarding effect. When we eat sugar, our brain remembers the sweet taste of the last time we ate sugar, secretes dopamine, and looks forward to doing it again next time.
In the long run, we will not get the same happiness if we eat the same sugar, and we need to eat more sugar to get the same feelings. This is known as "dopamine resistance", similar to insulin resistance. So,Relying only on willpower to control yourself from eating sugar may have a certain effect in a short period of time, but it is difficult to stick to it for a long time, which is why it is more difficult to quit sugar
The dangers of sugar addiction
How do we reduce sugar
Rebuild the brain's reward system
We can try to reactivate the reward system of the brain that we want, such as repeatedly obtaining fresh ingredients and savoring them carefully; Repetitively do your favorite exercise when you're in a bad mood instead of drinking sugary drinks. Doing this over and over again will make you remember the cycle and gradually change your brain's reward system to help you get rid of sugar cravings.
Choose a step-by-step approach to sugar reduction
We can choose foods with different sugar contents, and gradually switch from high-sugar foods to low-sugar foods. For example, people who love coffee can drink sugary and milky coffee, and then slowly convert to drinking pure coffee.
Avoid emotional eating
When people have certain emotions, they will especially want to eat certain foods, especially high-sugar and high-fat foods. If you find yourself relying on food to vent your emotions, you may want to try some of the right emotional relief methods first, such as reading a book or running.
Reduce refined foods
Choose low-fat, high-fiber, low-glycemic load, and satiety carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains, whole wheat bread, corn, purple potatoes, etc. Eat enough protein with a reasonable meal, reduce hunger, and improve basal metabolism. Learn to read the ingredient list, do not actively drink sugary drinks, and try to choose fresh, low-sugar fruits or sweet products with natural sweeteners to satisfy the feeling of "sweetness".