What it is:
Some of you may be at the end of your 'Dry-January' challenge, but why stop there? Cravings, taste potency, and tolerance can all be reset to lower levels. Although the time it takes can vary from person to person, we can retrain our neuroconnections and tastebuds by doing a hard reset to lower levels required for satisfaction. Scientific evidence suggests that set breaks can help rewire the brain's reward system. After a few weeks, you can reintroduce the items but at lower levels and reap the pleasure rewards!
Salt, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol are just some areas you can focus on to find a better balance and get more enjoyment with fewer adverse health effects.
Purported claims:
Salt (sodium) takes 1- 3 weeks to reset
Sugar takes 1-3 weeks to reset
Alcohol tolerance takes 3-4 weeks to reset
Caffeine takes ~ 2 weeks to reset
What the science says:
Salt (Sodium): 1-3 week reset
Studies have shown that preferred salt levels in food depend on the salt level consumed. So, although sodium is an essential nutrient in our diets, most people consume too much, which can result in a cycle of increasing intake.
Your taste buds renew every 10 days, and although some cells last longer, the average turnover allows you to reset your intake levels quite quickly. If you perform high-sweat activities, your needs will be greater, but most people can lower their intake safely and significantly benefit their heart and health.
Excessive salt intake is linked to various health issues, including hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. So, if you notice your salt intake is creeping up, you can restart your sensitivity within a few weeks. Action items can involve:
Reduce premade foods, cook at home, and limit adding salt to your meals.
Go for a gradual reduction to allow your taste buds to adjust.
You can emphasize the salt you already consume with natural flavor enhancer foods like dried tomatoes, mushroom powder, etc, as they contain natural MSG (umami).
Focus on other flavours spices, citrus, and herbs.
Add in spices such as garlic or onion powder, lemon zest, or pepper.
Increase potassium intake to help balance sodium levels. Foods such as sweet potatoes or leafy greens.
Drink plenty of water to help flush excess sodium from your system, reducing the desire for salty foods.
Sweet: 1 - 3 weeks
Taste adaptation can be rewired to crave natural sugars by reducing added sugars and hard-resetting. However, don't use sweeteners to replace sugars, as they are hyper-sweet and can actually increase your cravings. The aim is to reduce your neuro-association with high sweetness levels.
Some action items to assist in resetting your associations with sweetness can include:
Begin with protein. First, eat your protein for every meal or snack; this can curb sugar cravings and spikes.
You can bring out their natural sweetness by roasting vegetables and baking fruits.
Add sweet-associated spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves.
Add a touch of vanilla extract to baked fruits or smoothies.
Combine consistencies: For example, place an almond and peanut butter into a date. The mixture of crunchy and smooth lights up pleasure centers in the brain.
Change the temperature of the food. By freezing or warming an item, you can increase the pleasure component.
Freeze and mash bananas for an ice-cream consistency
Warm cut-up apples with a side of yogurt, a touch of cinnamon, and vanilla extract
Alcohol - 3-4 weeks
Depending on the areas of the body or brain you're looking to recover, they all take their own time to repair. However, 3-4 weeks without alcohol is a big step in giving your liver, brain, and other critical organs a rest.
If you want to heal fully, a new study shows just 7.3 months without alcohol lets the brain completely recover and repair damage from heavy drinking.
If you'd like to learn more, we have a deep-dive series on alcohol and your body.
Alcohol on Nutrition, Sleep, and Exercise - Part 2 (The Why)
Alcohol: Science-backed Ways to Protect Your Body & Brain - Part 3 (The How)
If you don't want to do a hard reset, you can still become more aware of your current habits by counting the number of drinks you have or deciding on a set number when you do choose to drink. This can help cut out excess consumption since every drink counts regarding health. Alcohol is a known carcinogen (cancer-causing); therefore, any break in intake is beneficial. Action items can include:
Add-in beneficial beverages:
Kombucha
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) with sparkling water.
Digestive bitters with sparkling water.
Replace with non-caffeine teas (mint, chamomile, decaf black)
Add citrus to your water, such as lemon, lime, or orange
Caffeine (Coffee): ~2 weeks
Caffeine is another item consumed daily and whose levels can increase gradually alongside lowered sensitivity and higher tolerance. Yet, we can reset this increase through abstinence for a few weeks. Even if you don't want to go whole hog, you can gently decrease your consumption over time.
Research has repeatedly shown coffee and tea's protective and beneficial properties in healthy adults. If you currently consume caffeine, aim to stick with quality options such as black coffee, tea, and above 90% dark chocolate. You can increase your enjoyment of intensely dark chocolates by gradually increasing the percentages. This is a dual advantage as increasing the darkness decreases the sugar and increases the polyphenol benefits.
Be wary that withdrawal symptoms may start within 12 to 24 hours after quitting. Additionally, withdrawal symptoms from caffeine, especially if you are consuming it regularly, can include headaches, fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms typically peak within the first few days and gradually improve over time. You can begin with a drip approach by slowly decreasing your intake each day to minimize withdrawal symptoms.
Our take:
By performing a hard reset on your taste buds and body, you can actually begin to appreciate the items more keenly. With improved sensitivity, you may be more attuned to the natural tastes of foods and rely less heavily on alcohol or caffeine as a crutch. The health benefits of taking a break are endless for all items and it doesn’t have to be forever, just a gentle reset.
Still curious to try it? If you do, here’s what to keep an eye on:
Reduce all items cautiously and preferably under the supervision of your doctor. Let your Client Advocate know of your desire to limit each item in order for us to provide you with the best support and overall outcome of your goals.
References and additional reading:
Salty
Sweet
Caffeine
Alcohol
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