The Evolution of Sugar

Have you ever been at lunch with friends, the dessert menu comes around, and someone goes, “Oh no, I don’t have a sweet tooth” …

and then they’re the first one to pounce on the date balls the moment they land on the table?

Yeah. We all know that person.

Sometimes… we are that person.

My mom had the strongest sweet tooth I’ve ever seen. She could finish a quarter of a chocolate cake as a meal... and feel amazingly proud about it.

But here’s the thing:

It didn’t end amazingly.

Sugar controlled her.

It hurt her.

It caused REAL harm.

And because of that, I tried to hide from my own sweet tooth.

I watched what overconsumption can do.

So, I went the opposite direction.

I rejected anything sweet every time I tried the latest diet trend to control my blood sugar and insulin resistance.

Not because I didn’t want it,

but because I was conditioned to believe that if I liked sweetness,

I’d lose control and become her.

But the truth?

Humans have loved sweet things for thousands of years.

And biologically, we’re meant to enjoy sweetness,

just not drown in it the way modern life makes possible.

Back then, sweetness was rare.

A fruit.

A honeycomb.

Sugarcane you stumbled on and sucked.

Your body knows how to handle that.

What it can’t handle is:

constant access,

hidden sugars in everything,

stress eating,

emotional overload,

and ultra-processed sweetness engineered to override your signals.

And here’s the big epiphany for me:

It wasn’t “genetics” that made my mom lose control.

It was unmet needs, dysregulated biology, and zero understanding of how cravings actually work.

And it wasn’t “discipline” that saved me from becoming her.

It was awareness.

Awareness of my triggers.

Awareness of my nervous system.

Awareness of my patterns.

Awareness of how sweetness interacts with biology.

That’s why today, I can say - proudly -

“Yes, I have a sweet tooth.”

And it no longer scares me.

Because when you understand your biological make up,

You don’t fear the food... you fear the unawareness.

Once I learned how cravings actually work, biologically, emotionally, neurologically, everything changed. EV - ER - Y - THING!

I didn’t have to avoid sweetness.

I didn’t have to demonize it.

And I didn’t have to repeat my mom’s story.

I learned how to enjoy it without letting it hijack me.

So, if you’ve ever judged yourself for loving sweet things…

stop.

There’s nothing wrong with having a sweet tooth.

There’s only danger in not understanding the biology behind it.

Sweet things SHOULD absolutely be a treat! Once a week, once a month... and in a way that isn't processed and self-destructive.