Can SmartSweets Replace Your Sour Patch Kids Addiction, or Are They Total Garbage?

Chewy. Sugary. Sweet. Sour. These are just some of the many qualities that make gummy candy so irresistible. But there are also some not-so-great qualities when it comes to nutrition. Most of your drugstore favorites lack any real nutrients and pack upwards of 80g of sugar per bag (more than double the 36g recommended dietary allowance for adult men), in the form of high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar. Throw in all the extra preservatives and brain-rewiring chemicals, and you have a recipe for addiction.

Sugar and hard drugs impact our brain chemistry and behavior in similar ways, say researchers. Added sugars stoke dopamine levels and produce drug-like reactions, including bingeing, craving, withdrawal, and feelings of reward (1). Sweets register the same way drugs do in the brain, so they wreck your self-control and can lead to addiction (2). Which is why it’s often hard to stop at one serving size of your favorite sugary snack.

But if you’re anything like me, you’re not quite ready to give up your sour gummies—yet. I almost always need something sweet after eating anything salty—better yet if the two flavors are combined. But I also care about my health and live a healthy lifestyle. How do I kick my sugar habit and keep sweets? That’s exactly what SmartSweets’ founder set out to solve.