Getting to grips with 'sweetness' and the next step.

I am certain that the taste for sugar, even a repugnance to it, can be developed through gentle and continued exposure to the other tastes especially umami. This is the one probably best exercised when we try Asian foods - no one goes to the Chinese, Japanese and Indian restaurants for the 'sweet'.
Of course those restaurants provide 'sweets' to accommodate our western tastes, and they do have their own dessert menus. Chinese 'afters' whether man made or fruit - tend to be much less sweet than ours - our 'sticky puddings' comes to mind.
As human beings we tend to push ourselves a great deal - the element of striving I suspect is never is never in the vocabulary of our animal friends. With us it is, of course part habit and/or ritual or courtesy - who in their right mind refuses the host efforts to provide us with a tempting sweet. But that 'kicker' at the end of meal is just that. Having had a starter and presumably a meaty main and physiologically be about to nod off, out comes this 'small mountain of sugar'. Ice cream, sauces, fruit salad, pastry etc. All sugar dense and boy oh boy does it waken us up and enliven the conversation. It's like giving the table an intravenous shot and it acts almost as fast and then coffee, another shot in the right direction to keep us going, bolstered by mint and chocolate thins - what chance do we have?

Many cope with sweeteners. Though these would appear to be resolve somewhat the problems of sugar related to weight gain and tooth decay. Naturally much research continues to search for health problems associated with sweeteners but specific issues are rare. An interesting resume helps put things in perspective. The endorsement of xylitol by many in the dentistry industry gets my vote though one is warned off cheap versions and that made from corn instead of birch.

Allowing one has come to grips with sugar the next in line for the firing squad are the refined carbohydrates and it these 'fillers' that need to be considered. Forgetting gluten sensitivities, flour and what is made from it, the two staples, bread and pasta, has to be, with the cooking of vegetables, the biggest culprits of all. Of course biscuits, cakes etc are involved but unless the situation is dire they are not staples.
The problem with flour is that is too starch ridden and not fibrous enough. This is on top of many other issues that relate to its gluten content. That issue is in itself worrying but in terms of just fighting readily available calories bread needs to change. Also pasta offers the same concerns.
The big fight is for the bread bakers to change. We know the hit from bread in terms of the 'sugar' hit it provides and which is itself addictive but gluten itself is increasing suspected of being addictive as mentioned in the above reference. They must know that changing bread risks changing its addictive qualities so it is likely that only regulation will work.