Why is it so hard to quit sweet drinks? | Science Time

Nowadays, many people are obsessed with sweet drinks such as milk tea and juice. Although they are not hungry, they just want to eat sweet things; although they are not thirsty, they just want to drink sweet things. When they are in a bad mood, many people want to relieve their bad mood by eating sweets and find a short-term release. Later, they fall into a vortex of regret and self-blame because of eating too much sweets, entering a vicious circle. The more serious problem is that when a person is accustomed to frequently consuming high-sugar foods, he always has to eat more and sweeter foods every 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 neurological disorder.

High-sugar foods stimulate the reward system in the brain, activate neurons, and release dopamine. The release of dopamine produces a pleasant feeling or reward effect. When we eat sugar, the brain remembers the sweet taste of the last time we ate sugar, so dopamine is secreted and we look forward to doing it next time.

Over time, we will not get the same happiness from eating the same amount of sugar, and we need to eat more sugar to get the same feeling. This is "dopamine resistance", similar to insulin resistance. Therefore, relying solely on willpower to control yourself from eating sugar may have a certain effect in the short term, but it is difficult to persist in the long term, which is why it is difficult to quit sugar .

The dangers of sugar addiction

How can we reduce sugar

01Rebuilding the brain’s reward system

We can try to reactivate the brain reward system we want, such as repeatedly getting fresh ingredients and savoring them carefully; repeatedly doing your favorite exercise when you are in a bad mood instead of drinking sugary drinks. Repeating these will make you remember this cycle, gradually change the brain's reward system, and help you slowly get rid of sugar addiction.

02Choose a progressive sugar reduction method

We can choose foods with different sugar contents and gradually switch from high-sugar foods to low-sugar foods. For example, coffee lovers can drink coffee with sugar or milk, and then slowly switch to pure coffee.

03Avoid 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 eating to vent your emotions, you might as well try some correct emotional relief methods first, such as reading a book or running.

04Reduce processed foods

Choose low-fat, high-fiber, low-glycemic-load, and satiety-enhancing carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains, whole-wheat bread, corn, and purple sweet potatoes. Properly match a meal, eat enough protein, 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 containing natural sweeteners to satisfy your "sweet" feeling.