Jennifer Garcia
Lessons from a
Former Sweet Tooth
What parents need to know about sugar intake I won’t sugarcoat this—it’s not
uncommon for recovering addicts to use sweets to combat cravings. Why? Because sugar activates the same pleasure and reward pathways in the brain as nicotine and other addictive substances; they increase dopamine levels. Realizing this—and being an enthusiastic sweet tooth—I decided to undergo a sugar detox. While the first week was rough (thank you, sugar flu), the results were staggering. In less than two months I dropped nearly 20 pounds, was able to discontinue blood pressure and indigestion medications, and experienced fewer tummy issues. I’ve learned a lot through the process, including a keen awareness of what I feed my toddler. While he’s genetically a big boy, he’s off the charts for weight. If I’m being honest, he eats too much processed food and sugar. I know I need to turn that around before he inherits all my bad eating habits and struggles. My family isn’t unique in these struggles. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, nearly 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 6 children or adolescents are
18 • SanDiegofamily.com • January 2026
overweight. Yet, it is estimated that the food and beverage industry spends nearly $14 billion annually on marketing to children, with most of the budget used to promote unhealthy products. So, what do parents do to safeguard kids against too much sugar? The first steps are to become informed and start reading food labels. Here is what I’ve learned in my own research and sugar detox experience.
The Sugar Effect Just like when someone drinks excessive alcohol too quickly and becomes overly intoxicated, when someone ingests excessive sugar, their body becomes flooded with more than it can handle. While this is true of both adults and children, kids can be more vulnerable to these effects. “They say sugar is the new screen time,” says Susan Buckwalter Hartman, Encinitas mom and co-founder of Recoup, a sugar-free organic gut health and hydration drink. “I have a 3-yearold, so we’re still in the critical stages of not only developing healthy habits, but also brain development.”
This is important because too much sugar during critical growth (the first five years), including sugars passed to babies in the womb and in breastmilk, can disrupt development of the heart, brain, liver and gut. Excessive sugar is also linked to lasting effects on memory, mood, cravings, taste preference, appetite, sleep patterns, metabolism and mental health.
Low-Calorie Sweeteners In the book Sugarproof: Protect Your Family from the Hidden Dangers of Excess Sugar with Simple Everyday Fixes, Michael I. Goran, PhD and Emily E. Ventura, PhD, MPH contest that low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) trick the body into thinking sugar has been ingested, causing an insulin response and increased cravings. Most LCS are processed differently than real sugar, sometimes broken down into harmful compounds and other times not broken down at all. According to Goran and Ventura, we don’t have enough information about LCS to understand their long-term effects on children’s growth and development.