Processing Sugar

Dopamine Crashes, and the Planet We Pretend Isn’t on a Diet

Author

Zachary Quintana

Date Published

3 months

If you’ve spent even five minutes on TikTok recently, you’ve probably seen the same slurry of “Agatha,” “blackpill,” and “mogging” content that I have. Half satire, half lifestyle philosophy — and apparently contagious.

So I decided to actually do something about it. Not shave my head or move to the mountains. Something simpler: a full day with zero processed sugar.

The 24-Hour Experiment (Humbling Myself)

I thought it would be trivial. I hit the gym, I eat decently, I’m not downing Skittles for breakfast — or so I believed.

Nah. That illusion got drop-kicked within hours.

Breakfast? Sugar in the bread.
Lunch? Sugar in the dressing.
Snack? Sugar hiding behind 17 syllables.

By the time my neighbors walked over with a homemade cake as a “thank you for walking our dogs” gift, the universe was basically testing me like some Greek myth. And no — I didn’t eat it. (Will I tomorrow? Don't worry about it.)

But here’s the part that surprised me: I actually ended the day feeling good. Energized, even. Like my body appreciated not being force-fed a chemical rollercoaster every three hours.

It was a brutal veil-lift. I realized: I eat a lot more sugar than I ever admit.

So I decided to actually do something about it. Not shave my head or move to the mountains. Something simpler: a full day with zero processed sugar.

The 24-Hour Experiment (Humbling Myself)

I thought it would be trivial. I hit the gym, I eat decently, I’m not downing Skittles for breakfast — or so I believed.

Nah. That illusion got drop-kicked within hours.

Breakfast? Sugar in the bread.
Lunch? Sugar in the dressing.
Snack? Sugar hiding behind 17 syllables.

But here’s the part that surprised me: I actually ended the day feeling good. Energized, even. Like my body appreciated not being force-fed a chemical rollercoaster every three hours.

It was a brutal veil-lift. I realized: I eat a lot more sugar than I ever admit.

Sugar Isn’t Just a Health Problem — It’s an Environmental One

Everyone knows sugar is rough on your brain, your energy levels, your insulin sensitivity — pick your poison. But nobody talks about how our sugar addiction fuels a pretty ugly environmental story:

1. Industrial sugar production wrecks ecosystems.

Huge monoculture plantations (sugarcane and sugar beets) demand absurd amounts of land, pesticides, and water. Whole habitats get bulldozed because we “need” syrup in everything from ketchup to “healthy” granola.

2. The water footprint is insane.

Growing one pound of sugarcane can take up to 600 gallons of water. For what? For the pleasure of feeling sluggish after a Frappuccino.

3. Sugar refineries dump pollution.

Wastewater from sugar mills is loaded with chemicals and biological gunk that can destroy downstream rivers. And when those rivers die, so do the communities depending on them.

4. Ultra-processed foods = ultra-processed waste.

Every sugary snack comes wrapped in plastic. That plastic becomes microplastics. Those microplastics end up in creeks, in fish, in soil — and yeah, I literally dig those things out of Menlo Park with PUNT.

Our obsession with sugar isn’t just wrecking our health. It’s wrecking land, water, and everything living on it.

The Dopamine Diet We Can’t Admit We’re On

Sugar is the quiet algorithm behind our daily habits. It’s optimized to keep you coming back, same as every social platform pumping short-form dopamine into your skull.

You scroll → dopamine.
You snack → dopamine.
You crash → repeat.

Cutting out sugar for a day felt like disconnecting from a tiny part of that loop. And weirdly, I felt more in control. Like I unplugged from one of the quieter addictions we all pretend doesn’t exist.

Where I’m Going From Here

I’m not turning into a monk. I’m probably eating that cake tomorrow unless God intervenes again. But after just one day, I get how stupidly automated my eating habits are.

So maybe I’ll keep going. Maybe you should try it. Not as a diet — but as a reality check. A way to see who’s actually steering your choices: you, or the barcode.

And if cutting sugar helps even a fraction with the environmental mess tied to its production, then honestly? It’s not a bad deal.

The Dopamine Diet We Can’t Admit We’re On

Sugar is the quiet algorithm behind our daily habits. It’s optimized to keep you coming back, same as every social platform pumping short-form dopamine into your skull.

You scroll → dopamine.
You snack → dopamine.
You crash → repeat.

Where I’m Going From Here

I’m not turning into a monk. I’m probably eating that cake tomorrow unless God intervenes again. But after just one day, I get how stupidly automated my eating habits are.

So maybe I’ll keep going. Maybe you should try it. Not as a diet — but as a reality check. A way to see who’s actually steering your choices: you, or the barcode.

And if cutting sugar helps even a fraction with the environmental mess tied to its production, then honestly? It’s not a bad deal.

Check This Out Next:

The Hidden Gold in Your Recycling Bin

Why CRV Matters in California

A Sea of Sails: Amsterdam’s Maritime Comeback

This piece covers SAIL Amsterdam 2025, a major maritime festival that returned in August after ten years. It describes both the historical side (tall ships, Dutch seafaring heritage) and the modern side (sustainability innovations in shipping). It also weaves in reflection, showing how the event connects past and future.

Invisible Invaders

The Rising Threat of Microplastics in the Bay Area

Charting the Future of Our Seas: The 2025 UN Ocean Conference

In mid-June, the coastal city of Nice, France became the center of global ocean diplomacy. From June 9–13, 2025, more than 12,000 delegates — heads of state, scientists, activists, and industry leaders — convened for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3)

Breathing Heat: What May 2025 Tells Us About Our Changing Climate

May 2025 was the second-warmest May ever recorded, with global temperatures averaging 1.10 °C above the 20th-century norm. It feels like every month a new record is broken for how severe our climate change is getting.

Flying Through Solar Storms: Planes, Radiation & Our Environment

When you board a high-altitude flight, your mind might wander to legroom, turbulence, or the view — but rarely to cosmic rays.

The Myth of Recycling

Toss the bottle in the blue bin, pat yourself on the back, and boom—you’re saving the planet... right?

The Storm That Shook America: The March 13-16, 2025 Tornado Outbreak

Between March 13 and March 16, 2025, a historic tornado outbreak swept across large parts of the United States — especially the Midwest and the South.