Health & Wellbeing: Sugar addiction and how to tame a sweet tooth

I AM absolutely blown away by the interest in information on sugar addiction these days. It could be a simple coincidence given it's the time of year for new resolutions, but it is very important to take this opportunity to raise awareness around this important topic.

Reducing refined sugar intake in our diet can help us to move down the needle on the scale and to improve our health.

Many people are compelled to eat sweet foods, similar in some ways to how an alcoholic might feel compelled to drink, or a drug addict might feel compelled to use toxic substances.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that an adult living on a standard 2,000 calorie diet should aim to consume about 25 grams of sugar per day. As a matter of example, a can of coke contains 44 grams of sugar, a medium pot of fruit yoghurt contains 32 grams of sugar, a glass of orange juice contains 21g, a mug of hot chocolate contains 40 grams of sugar.

Science evidence points out very clear that sugar addiction is a fact. It is believed that the addictive properties of sugar are the same to those of cocaine, although on a smaller scale. It can create a spark of energy and a short-term high in the body based on the dopamine release in the brain.

Obesity and diabetes are the top of the list of the long-term health risks of sugar overindulgence. But the list continues with cardio-vascular diseases, chronic inflammation diseases, migraines and the list goes on. So it is worth paying attention to this topic and to look into finding solutions to limit or to stop the refined sugar intake.

Before we look into a few practical ways to tame a sweet tooth, it is essential to understand what sugar is and what is the role that it plays in our body.

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate. And our body breaks down all types of carbs into glucose which enters the bloodstream and acts a source of energy. Some glucose is essential for the brain and the red cells to function optimal.

Therefore, our body needs sugar and there are a good amount of foods that contain sugar naturally. The problem is with the refined sugars that are added intentionally in the processed foods. They are the ones that literally kills our health bit by bit every day in a very silent way.

The first advice to start taming a sweet tooth is to become aware and to understand what refined sugar does to our body and are the effects of overindulging on our health. If we start at this point, I am sure that there would be less people who will take the risk just for the sake of a 5 minute pleasure.

The next piece of advice refers to understanding where the sweet tooth behaviour is coming from. Understanding the cause will help us to address the effect. So, the sweet tooth is created by the addiction of dopamine and endorphin release - what happens in our brain in a few minutes after we consume refined sugar.

Finding other sources of dopamine and endorphins more supportive towards our health would be a great starting point. As a matter of example, I can suggest a hug, a cuddle, petting your furry friend, or making love with your partner. They do the same thing for your brain as a muffin does. There is only one way to find out if I am right, next time when you crave a sweet pleasure try a healthier version of it.

Another practical and effective advice is to read the labels. Reading the ingredients list can be daunting if you don’t understand the technical terminology and to be very honest this is exactly what is the aim of the non-ethical food producers. I will leave you here a list of the most unusual technical terminology under which the refined sugar hides very easy: barley malt, carob syrup, corn syrup, diatase, diastatic malt, dextrin, glucomalt, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, maltodextrin, maltose, saccharose, sorghum syrup, HSucroze, treacle, Xyloze.

The last piece of advice is to ask for support from a qualified therapist or nutritional coach. A specialised advice and support will not only make the process accessible, but it will be more effective and sustainable with valuable benefits for your health and wellbeing.