Sugar, we’re drowning in it. It is in the foods we consume, most everything we consume, and if something tastes awful, we add more sugar to it. Great thing it’s packed with Vitamin … oh, wait, there aren’t any vitamins in sugar, no minerals, no nourishment whatsoever — only calories.

So why do we want it? At a certain point in your past, someone you adore introduced you to sugar. Maybe it was a cookie, a chocolate bunny or even a cupcake, but you also tasted sugar that is sweet and it left your mouth happy, and you wanted more.

But sugar also made your brain happy. Sugar is quickly digested and moves quickly into your blood and travels to your brain where it causes a release of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the reward and pleasure facilities of the brain. Your mind stimulates the identical way that drugs sex and gambling stimulate your brain.

Is it addicting? Yes, the more sugar you consume, the longer you require. The continuous supply of sugar in today’s diet overstimulates your dopamine receptors and over time, you need more sugar to keep your dopamine “high”. Every morning what’s the thing that is sweet you consume? Donuts? Pastry? Sugar cereal? How long can you go with no morning sugar? You’ll realize how addicting sugar really is when you experience withdrawal symptoms and cravings and also the tremors.

Are you prepared to decrease the sugar in your diet? Here are 3 steps to get you started.

1. Know The Enemy! Sugar goes by many names, nearly all end in “-ose”. Sucrose, fructose, lactose, galactose, glucose, maltose, dextrose, and high-fructose corn syrup are all sugars used in foods. There are many more: cane juice, beet juice, corn syrup, date sugar, caramel, brown sugar, carob syrup, malt syrup, fruit juice and fruit juice concentrate, turbinado, sorghum syrup, dextrin, maltodextrin, ethyl maltol and simple maple syrup.
2. Stop Drinking Sugar! Lots of bottled beverages that we consume daily are loaded with sugar. Sodas and colas, the juice box or carton of chocolate milk your kids drank with lunch, and those high-calorie and pricey frappuccino concoctions you picked up to work. The simplest way to lower your unhealthy sugar intake is to substitute those liquid sugar drinks with water!
3. Stop Eating Garbage! Do you really NEED that donut? Certainly not. You may feel that you will need those sugary snacks, but you now know that you “want” the donut because the glucose it contains releases endorphins. It is not your mouth or stomach that craves your mind, although the sugar. Recognize the reason for the addictive sugar cycle, locate wholesome food options to substitute for the sour crap you crave.