Is it difficult for you to imagine your day without a bar of chocolate or candy before bed? Welcome to the sweet tooth society. On the eve of the long New Year holidays, sugar issues are very relevant.
Sugar itself is not harmful, despite its high glycemic index. But not useful either. It contains neither vitamins nor microelements, it is not a probiotic, not an antioxidant (quite the opposite). It's all just a preservative. However, we firmly believe that sugar is essential for brain function. Take, for example, a glass of tea with sugar. After all, after it, there really is a charge of energy. At least that's how it seems to us. But the brain does not need refined sugar itself, but glucose. There is a lot of it in fruits, dried fruits, honey. But an excess of sugar is definitely harmful. It inhibits the secretion of gastric juice, slows down the metabolism and provokes a lot of troubles - from allergies and skin diseases to inflammation and the appearance of new wrinkles.
Sugar, as mentioned, is a high glycemic index, which means it quickly raises blood sugar levels. In response, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream, which blocks the fat cell. The more glucose, the more insulin and the more fat is synthesized. First, this leads to obesity, then diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis occur. The mechanisms of development of these diseases are so interconnected that they help each other to progress. Today, doctors have combined them into a single disease - metabolic syndrome.
Why are we drawn to sweets?
Since childhood, our parents have given us sweets to calm us down. So invisibly sweets have become a generally accepted consolation, anti-stress food. But more often we ourselves provoke such addiction. After we eat a slice of cake, the excess of simple carbohydrates, of which sweets are mainly made up, quickly rise in blood sugar levels. And after two hours, it drops below the level that was before the meal. From this, there is a feeling of hunger when you want something tasty.
All people are different. For some, chocolate is a mood medicine or a pressure stabilizer. But if you can't go without chocolate, then choose dark bitter. It is scientifically proven to tone blood vessels and is a powerful antioxidant due to its high flavonoid content. The main thing is that chocolate contains at least 75% cocoa and cocoa butter, which are rich in potassium, zinc and selenium.
What sweets are harmless
When it comes to sweets, for some reason we choose, as a rule, more fatty ones. They leave a long-lasting aftertaste and instantly saturate, albeit briefly. But the combination of sweet and fat is a real bomb that explodes the metabolism. But among the sweets there are low-fat ones: jam, jelly, marmalade, dried fruits, fruits and berries. There is no fat in marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade (no chocolate glaze). But they contain pectin - a natural soluble fiber that cleans blood vessels, lowers the level of "bad" cholesterol.
Should I give up sweets?
The physiological norm of sugar for humans is 80 g of glucose per day. This norm must be adhered to during the period of weight loss. You need to understand that 2 fruits a day (not overripe) is already half the daily glucose requirement. The other half can be consumed as 3 tablespoons of honey. If you don't like honey, then you can find an alternative: a teaspoon of honey is equal to 2 sticks of marshmallow, 1 marshmallow or 5 g of dark chocolate, or a teaspoon of sugar.
Important:
- Chocolate every day can turn into a lingering blues, as the body gets used to the increased level of endorphins and soon a tasty bar will give only a short moment of bliss, which will be replaced by irritation.
- 0 g of fat contains marshmallows, marshmallows and marmalade.
- 70 kcal in one marshmallow.
- From 16 to 18 hours is the optimal time for tea with sweets. During this time, blood glucose levels drop.
