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How to Curb Your Cravings for Sweets and Sugar By Sara Ott, Associate Editor and Featured Columnist Last Updated November 12,2008 Related Links: Foods That Reduce Stress Lose 10 Pounds --A Simple Diet Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics Foods That Lower Blood Sugar Sugar Content of Common Foods Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics How Much Sugar Do We Eat? Sugar-The Disease Connection How Much Is Too Much Salt? Waist Size Matters Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure Bowel Movements -- Key to Overall Health My Heart Attack-Personal Survivor Stories Foods That Speed Up Your Metabolism Good Night's Sleep Helps You Lose Weight Westerners have a sweet tooth. We have built empires in our quest to satisfy an almost endless craving for sugar and sweet chocolate. Problem is, that most of the Western world --and a growing part of Asian and the Eastern world-- is overweight or obese. It is estimated by the Centers on Disease Control in America that 67% of all Americans are overweight and a full 33% are actually obese. Diabetes is now poised to become the top killer disease in the world. Sugar is the culprit. The taste buds for sugar are some of the earliest to develop on the tongue. We probably developed a taste for sugar, from and evolutionary perspective, because it helps infants to seek the sweet, nutritious mother's milk. However, this natural preference wears off after about a year. After that, you might notice that young toddlers have no special preference for sugar. After that, the taste for sugar is learned. The foods we are fed as toddlers on, grooms our taste buds for sugar-- sugar even in baby foods, sugar in breakfast cereal, even ketchup is mostly sugar. Why do some people develop a lifelong sweet tooth while others grow out of it after infancy? Why do we crave the things that are bad for us? Why do the things that are bad for us taste so good? One until now poorly understood reason for the growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes are our taste buds. Most of us are born with about 10,000 taste buds. But according to a 1991 study by researchers at Yale Medical School, about 25% of us have more than 20,000 taste buds, twice the normal amount. These "supertasters" have a heightened sensitivity to taste. Supertasters tend to choose different diets than the rest of us. Supertasters tend not to crave sweets, alcohol and chocolate for example. The rest of us--called "average tasters" -- tend to like sweet, fat and alcohol. Sound familiar? Americans and Europeans tend to have fewer supertasters among us. This may go a long ways toward explaining why Americans and some Europeans tend to eat more fatty foods and have a sweeter tooth than Asians or Africans or South Americans. Little wonder then, that most of our diets fail. We have just never come to grips with the enemy --that sweet tooth of ours. Article continues below. Scientists who have studied taste believe that we are born with a built-in desire for sweets and a distaste for things bitter. Since sweets are high in energy, we are genetically programmed to seek the sweetness of mother's milk. On the other hand, we are genetically programmed to shun bitter foods because in nature, many bitter foods are poisonous. So, how do you curb your cravings for sweets? How do you curb that sweet tooth that cries out for sugar? The solution is in your mouth, it turns out. The secret ally for curbing your sweet tooth are your taste buds. The taste buds that sense "sweet" are located at the tip of the tongue. Those that taste sour are along the sides and those that taste "bitter" are near the throat. Our 10,000 taste buds give us the ability to sense salt, sweet, sour bitter and umami, the earthy taste that comes from slow-cooked foods. Compared to other animals, we humans have been shortchanged. Some insects can taste with their antennae and feet as well as their mouths. Fish can taste with their fins and tails as well as their mouths. Cows have 25,000 taste buds and rabbits have 17,000. Nonetheless, our 10,000 taste buds work remarkably well for most of our lives. The number of buds remains constant until they start gradually to decline, around age 40 for women and age 60 for men. Exchange Oil for Sugar There are 2 powerful tricks discovered by dieters and confirmed by research which can turn help you to tame that sweet tooth. The first trick is to exchange oil for sugar. If you increase-- slightly-- the amount of oil you eat and at the same time decrease the amount of white carbohydrates (white bread, potatoes, white flour), you will start to lose your cravings for sweets in about 10 days to 2 weeks. This is the "trick" behind the success of many of the low-carb diets. Vinegar Kills Your Sweet Tooth The second way to curb your cravings for sweets and sugar is to eat something bitter or sour. If you sprinkle a bit of apple cider vinegar and oil, for example, on your salads, you will find that you tend to eat less sugar. Apple cider vinegar normalizes blood sugar and insulin production, preventing peaks which can lead to sugar cravings. The only downside is that vinegar consumed in excess can destroy tooth enamel. It may help to take the apple cider in moderation and not to drink it in volume as some proponents have advocated. One other important benefit of vinegar is its ability to fight infection generally throughout the body. Before the discovery of penicillin and anti-biotics, vinegar was used for many centuries and around the world to treat infection. The Mother of All Vinegars Are some apple cider vinegars better for curbing your sweet tooth? Some non-organic apple cider vinegars lack an enzyme called a "mother enzyme". A vinegar mother is the culture of live bacteria which produces the acetic acid which turns wine into vinegar or cider into cider vinegar. Almost all supermarket vinegars are sterilized before being offered for sale, and thus lack the mother enzyme. Some whole foods or organic chains now carry several brands of organic mother cider vinegar. Failing that, you should be able to find several at online stores. You can find some of those sources on the banner on this page to the right. My best advice is to shop around and sample a few until you find one that suits your taste and budget. Walking Cuts Your Cravings A new study on food cravings conducted by scientists at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom has found that taking a brisk walk can curb your cravings for chocolate. As reported in the journal Appetite, 25 regular chocolate eaters abstain from their favorite snack for three days, and were then assigned to either rest or to take a brisk 15-minute walk. The walkers experienced lower cravings both during the walk and for about 10 minutes afterward. They were also less likely to be tempted by unwrapping a chocolate candy bar. Mint Ever wonder why restaurants give you mint candy after your meal? They're not dumb. If they gave you mint before your meal, they wouldn't be in business for long. One of the best natural appetite suppressants is mint. Try chewing sugar free mint gum before you eat. Related Links for Members: Taste Buds--5 Tips For Improving Your Sense of Taste Taste Buds--The Secret to Losing Weight How Much Is too Much Salt? Foods That Reduce Your Blood Pressure Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure Snoring Increases Your Risk of Stroke by 67% My Heart Attack Why Your Waist Size Matters Why We Americans Read In Bathrooms--The Hidden Health Epidemic National Institutes of Health |
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