If you have trouble kicking a sugar habit, you are not alone. Brain science shows that consuming sugar makes us want more.

Sugar increases dopamine levels in the brain, providing pleasure with every sip of soda or bite of chocolate. It also activates the insula in each hemisphere of the brain, triggering an emotional response that rewards us even when we think of a favorite sweet. On top of this, sugar affect other brain regions like the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. Together, they are responsible for helping us form new habits — both good and bad — like having a snack when we sit down to watch TV. No wonder it is so hard to kick our cravings!

The Real Culprit: Added Sugar

While sugar gets a bad wrap, it isn’t the sugar in fruits, vegetables or milk that are the culprit. The problem is added sugars found in so many processed foods. Beyond baked goods, these include canned soups, frozen meals, bottled salad dressings and sauces. Th.e American Heart Association recommends women eat no more than 100 calories of added sugar daily, and men 150 calories — yet most Americans consume three times this amount.

The Latest Research: Sugar & Health

In addition to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, and cardiovascular disease, new research published in October, 2020, shows that a high-sugar diet can damage the gut microbiome, increasing the risk for disorders like irritable bowel disease (IBD) [1].

Tips for Reducing Added Sugar

It is neither fun nor necessary to give up added sugar completely. Try these tips instead:

Choose your added sugar wisely. Invest those calories in a sea salt caramel vs. the sugar in processed foods.
Avoid sugar substitutes like Splenda and even Stevia. While Stevia is a natural ingredient found in plants, both are 400 times sweeter than sugar and create similar cravings.
Enjoy sugar later in the day. If you eat a bagel and a tablespoon of jam for breakfast, you set yourself up for all-day cravings. While the bagel isn’t sugar per se, it is a highly processed carbohydrate that reacts the same as sugar in the blood stream.
Try a low-sugar makeover. One of my favorite cookbooks is Half the Sugar, All the Love by Jennifer Tyler Lee. She uses high fiber fruits and vegetables to sweeten foods naturally. Try this recipe for double-chocolate brownies, with only 1.5 teaspoons of added sugar.