THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO KICKING SUGAR by Flora Zhao - HTML preview

Chapter 1

WHY YOUR BRAIN CRAVES SUGAR

“The brain is the most

energy-demanding organ, which

uses about half of all the sugar

energy in the body.”

Jessica Russo, clinical psychologist

Our brains often instinctively crave sugar. It could be a slice of cake during times of stress, a bar of chocolate when bored, or a sweetened coffee when needing a pick-me-up.

The inability to quit sugar may not stem from a lack of

willpower but rather from not fully grasping the nature of sugar and not finding the most effective methods to quit.

Sugar: Fuel for Life

“Sugar is very important for our body and our brain. And I 2

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Chapter 1

WHY YOUR BRAIN CRAVES SUGAR

think this is where a lot of the difficulty lies,” Jessica Rus-Our Brain on Sugar

so, a clinical psychologist from Philadelphia, told The Epoch Times during an interview.

When we consume sugar, the receptors on our tongues

Sugar serves as the primary energy source for every

send sweet signals to the brain, triggering the release of cell in our body and much of the food we eat is broken

dopamine, which can induce feelings of joy and happiness.

down into various sugars.

“We taste with our brains,” Mennella explained.

“The brain is the most energy-demanding organ,

Sweetness makes us feel good because these signals are

which uses about half of all the sugar energy in the body.

sent to various parts of the brain, many of which are asso-

“We’re biologically driven toward sweet foods,” as this

ciated with rewards.

is a survival mechanism, Russo said, explaining that in na-

“The brain pathways used are significant for pleasure,

ture, sweet-tasting foods are generally healthy, while tox-memory, and reward,” she said.

ic foods may taste bitter, and spoiled or rotten foods may This means that when we engage in activities that

taste sour, both of which lack sweetness.

trigger dopamine release, we experience joy, form memo-

Therefore, when we taste something sweet, our brains

ries, and look forward to doing it again.

signal, “Oh, this is good!”

“In the brain, it has very specific actions and is the

Besides helping us identify safe food, sweetness also

most important molecule in the brain that’s involved

plays a role in human survival and growth.

in bringing about well-being,” said Kenneth Blum, a re-

“We see babies being born with the ability to detect

nowned scientist with a doctorate in neuropharmacology.

sweet taste and to prefer it,” said Julie A. Mennella, a scien-Dopamine can also counteract stress, said Blum, who

tist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.

is a professor at the Western University of Health Scienc-It indicates that sweetness is associated with the quality es Graduate College of Biomedical Science, and a part-of breast milk, which can attract infants to suckle.

time professor at the University of Vermont and Wright

There is evidence to suggest that children’s preference University.

for sweet foods may be linked to their higher caloric needs

“When you have stress, the dopamine is released 100

during the growth stage, which typically lasts from infantimes above the normal rate.” It can block the action of

cy until the end of puberty, she told The Epoch Times.

stress hormones such as adrenaline.

However, Blum emphasized the importance of main-

taining a balance for this crucial molecule; otherwise, the brain could suffer severe negative consequences.

Many people are unaware that excessive sugar con-

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