Most of us know by now that refined sugars aren’t good for us and don’t serve our long term health goals. So why is it so hard to resist a stop at the office cookie jar? Understanding how sugar and sweets affect our brain chemistry and mood can be the key to making healthier choices.
Maintaining balanced blood sugar is essential for overall health. Blood sugar that swings high and drops low throws the body into a state of imbalance that can make you feel extremely tired, jittery, anxious, or angry. Excess sugar circulating over time leads to increased insulin production, increased fat storage, high blood pressure, cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, exacerbation of autoimmune conditions, adrenal fatigue, hashimotos, candida, and mental health issues. Eating refined sugar and simple carbohydrates (the “white stuff”) wreaks havoc on our blood sugar and triggers a cascade of reactions in our bodies that affect all of our organ systems.
A few powerful brain chemicals play major roles in driving us to have another muffin, a little more bread, or another quick pass by the candy dish, even when we know we shouldn’t and are committed to our health goals.
- Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that creates feelings of pleasure. When we eat something sweet, we release this potent brain opiate and it makes us feel good…like an instant reward system.
- Another player is the beta-endorphins, which are the brain chemicals known as the brain’s pain killer. They help us cope and boost our feelings of self-esteem. Eating sugar temporarily increases the beta-endorphin levels and leaves us feeling like we can manage the stress of the day a bit better.
- And, of course, our good friend seratonin is part of this as well. When we eat sugar, our insulin levels rise resulting in increased tryptophan which is a precursor to seratonin production. So, more sugar means more seratonin, which helps us feel peaceful and more relaxed.
With these powerful chemicals flooding our system with rewards after we eat sugar, choosing to pass on the treats can be extremely challenging. The good news is that we can stimulate these three neurotransmitters without consuming the sugary foods and simple carbs that can feel good in the moment but set us up for disease in the long term. Here are a few ideas:
- Tyrosine-rich foods like lima beans, avocados, pumpkin seeds, and almonds can stimulate the release of dopamine
- Tryptophan-rich foods like spinach, salmon, mushrooms, mustard greens, and tamari help increase seratonin production
- The taste of something sweet on the tongue helps these feel-good brain chemicals flow. So try experiencing the taste of sweetness without the harm of refined sugar by using low-glycemic sweeteners such as stevia, or naturally sweet low-glycemic foods like grapefruit, nectarines, pears, and blueberries.
