Check-Up: How to control your ‘sweet tooth’

Dear Readers,

Maureen is a 44 year old lady with a sweet tooth. She finds it hard to keep her weight under control because of this. She lives in the Kingston 8 area and works in the Kingston 6 region, where, in both places there are several supermarkets, ice-cream shops, pastry shops and really just too many places to access chocolate bars, ice-cream cones, plantain tarts and cheese cake. Her meals are mostly purchased and since she delights in eating sugary treats, her weight keeps climbing. Maureen asks Check-Up to help her with some suggestions to manage her sweet tooth.

Sweet is the very first taste human beings prefer form birth .Carbohydrates stimulate the release of “feel good “hormones such as serotonin in the brain and body. Endorphins are also released with eating sweet meals, which make us feel relaxed and even give us a natural high. With this occurring it’s no wonder we often crave sweets almost like a drug! The problem comes with the overconsumption of these sweets.

There are some studies which indicate that some of us actually carry a ‘sweet tooth’ gene from birth. This gene endows those who obtain it genetically, with a sweet tooth which is described as an “extreme liking for sugary and sweet foods” like chocolates and pastries.

The gene FG21 when present, often results in a craving for alcohol and sugary foods and drinks. Additional findings showed that people with the ‘sweet tooth’ gene were actually less at risk of obesity and diabetes and were also less at risk of developing heart disease. People with this gene ate more sweets but were less at risk of real obesity although they were more likely to experience thicker waists and problems with controlling their blood pressure.

A person with a ‘sweet tooth’ is someone who thinks about eating a sugar source almost from when they wake up in the morning

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