Insulin resistance
Insulin, produced by the pancreas, controls blood sugar levels and helps transport glucose into cells for further energy production. With insulin resistance, cells lose sensitivity to the action of insulin, which is why glucose is not supplied in the required amount, and the cells experience energy starvation. This results in weakness, dizziness and cravings for fast carbohydrates - that is, for sweets. Therefore, if you notice these symptoms, we recommend checking your glucose levels
and
insulin in the blood
. Insulin resistance is a serious problem that leads to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
No power mode
Imagine what will happen to your car on the highway if you forget to fill it up? That's right, it will stall. The human body, in the modern rhythm of life, also often remains “unrefueled” during the day. In order not to completely stall, signals are sent to the brain about the lack of carbohydrates, the so-called “fuel” for life. The easiest way to get energy is from fast carbohydrates, which are found in buns, chocolate and other desserts known to everyone.
Very often at such moments, unconscious eating of sweets occurs, which does not bring pleasure at all, but only satisfies the increased needs of a hungry body. To normalize nutrition and reduce the percentage of sugar consumed, it is imperative to form a regimen. You can create an hourly plan according to which meals will be taken.
Healthy! By the way, a healthy adult needs 5-6 meals. Three of them are called the main ones - breakfast, lunch and dinner, and another 2-3 meals are snacks. Their volume is smaller, but they are necessary to maintain the body’s performance and avoid cravings for junk food.
Enlarge picture
What to do if you have increased cravings for sweets
Increased cravings for sweets can be caused by a lack of certain microelements in the body. First of all, it is chrome. It is responsible for maintaining normal glucose levels, and its deficiency in most cases leads to the abuse of sweets. This is associated with the use of a special additive - chromium picolinate - as a remedy for increased cravings for sweets. And whether it really helps, we invite you to find out right now.
On this topic:
Chromium picolinate burns fat - myth or reality? The whole truth about the benefits of this supplement
But remember that cravings for sweets can also be caused by hormonal imbalances. For example, insulin resistance, i.e. cell insensitivity to insulin, or an imbalance of thyroid hormones. If cravings for sweets have been with you for a long time, you should visit a doctor.
How to replace sweets
Stevia
Stevia is a plant from South Africa. A sweetener is made from this herb, which is well absorbed by the body and does not cause excessive insulin production. In addition, stevia normalizes blood pressure, so its consumption is indicated for diabetics and hypertensive patients.
Enlarge picture
Erythritol
Another alternative to sugar is erythritol. This sweetener is obtained from plant materials. Along with xylitol and sorbitol, erythritol is called a sugar alcohol. The substance is not as sweet as sugar, but can easily replace it, and erythritol is carbohydrate-free and contains no calories. It can be consumed by both diabetics and those watching their figure.
Consumption of sweets is only dangerous in excessive quantities. In the absence of indications, no one forbids treating yourself to a light dessert. However, you shouldn’t leave everything to chance - monitoring your sugar and blood pressure levels will help you avoid the development of serious diseases in the future.
You can purchase natural sweeteners using the iHerb promotional code September 2021 (promotions change and information is updated) Jogging, physical work, and fitness will help relieve your head from stress and heavy thoughts, and give your body the necessary physical activity. For sports, you can use Adidas promotional codes or Reebok promotional codes for real discounts of up to 70%. These are official online stores of brands where you can find promotions and great deals all year round.
Great mental expenditure
Deadlines, deadlines and “stops” at work and school force us to consume more sugar. Energy expenditure during active mental activity has a high turnover, and the body again needs carbohydrates to replenish the costs. The sweets that catch your eye, according to the worker, will help restore strength for further work. At such times, it is necessary to realize how dangerous excessive sugar consumption is. There is still life beyond the deadline, which it is better to enter as a healthy person. Nutritionists give some useful advice during such “blockages”:
- hide sweets in hard-to-reach places where the eye cannot reach;
- adjust your diet by adding a couple of meals;
- increase the percentage of complex carbohydrates consumed for breakfast: cereals, whole grain crispbreads and bread. Such products have a large supply of energy, which is consumed by the body gradually;
- improve your sleep patterns and get rid of stress.
Enlarge picture
What is the body signaling?
If a person is in a comfortable psycho-emotional atmosphere, but experiences sudden impulses or a regular desire to eat a cake, brownie, chocolate muffin, or at least a lollipop, it is worth reviewing the diet, daily routine, and consult a doctor.
This is how the body signals a violation.
If you are often drawn to sweets, the reasons may be different: maybe there is something missing, or maybe it’s the onset of illness, an unbalanced diet, or a simple lack of sleep.
Physiological factors
First of all, you need to analyze the obvious; perhaps the body itself will tell you the answer:
- diseases;
- irregular meals;
- lack of vitamins B and carbon;
- lack of sleep;
- low-carbohydrate diets/lack of slow carbohydrates in the diet;
- mental fatigue;
- change in physical activity;
- taking medications;
- coffee, cigarettes, alcohol;
- abrupt cessation of cigarettes.
It happens that sweets attract us for no particular reason. So you need to think about whether you are addicted to sugar?
Attention!
It has been proven that simple carbohydrates cause addiction and a desire to eat even more sugar.
They treat addiction with willpower, replacing sugar with fruits and dried fruits.
Psychological factors
It happens that there is no addiction, and everything is fine with physiology.
There may be psychological problems:
- stress;
- emotional stress;
- low self-esteem;
- underestimation of others;
- lack of attention;
- subconscious desire for self-promotion;
- the desire to disconnect from problems and experience a feeling similar to the pleasure that arose in childhood when eating such a sweet;
- desire to eat a forbidden product.
to avoid eating sweets due to stress : intimate conversation with loved ones, going to a SPA salon, outdoor recreation, shopping, hobbies, change of scenery . Listen to yourself, do what you have been putting off for a long time: knit a hat, join a club for lovers of Japanese culture, take horse riding lessons, start drawing. This technique relieves stress, promotes an objective assessment of the situation and quickly makes the right decision.
A qualified psychologist will help you cope with a serious problem.
FoodWhy do we love sweets and should we fight it?
The birds know the answer to the question. Birds and Nicolaas Tinbergen - Dutch ethologist and ornithologist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 “for his discoveries related to the creation and establishment of models of individual and group behavior of animals.” Tinbergen introduced the concept of “superstimulus” after his experiment with seagulls: he made the orange spot on the bird’s beak larger and brighter, as a result of which the chicks pecked at it much more actively - they were more attracted to it and liked it more. So a simple stimulus (a standard beak with a small dot) became a super stimulus (an enlarged orange spot). And in the same way, Oreo cookies excite most of us more than the prospect of eating a pear. A superstimulus is more active than a simple stimulus in influencing the construction of constructive connections in our brain and shaping our taste preferences. Therefore, an addiction to chocolate may arise after the first acquaintance with it, but the habit of snacking on fruit instead of a candy bar can take many months to develop.
From a certain perspective, sugary foods in and of themselves aren't that bad. In many ancient cultures, this type of food is considered healthy or healing. Thus, in the ancient system of Indian medicine, Ayurveda, there is the concept of “sattvic nutrition,” by adhering to which you can achieve a sharp mind, a strong body and good health. “Of the six tastes, only sweet is considered sattvic, since it is pleasant, nutritious and has harmonizing properties,” writes Yoga Journal Russia. Wild sugarcane stalks have been cultivated in India for thousands of years, and before the Common Era, cane sugar reached Europe in the form of syrup and as a medicine. Under the leadership of the Arabs in the 9th century, sugar began to be produced in Egypt, Southern Spain and Sicily. And in the 10th century in Venice, sugar took the form of conical heads.
However, almost ten centuries passed before sugar ceased to be a medicine or a luxury item. It was only in the 19th century that refined sugar became widespread, and humanity began to face many health problems. In modern traditional medicine, foods high in glucose are indicated for physical exhaustion, intoxication, a number of liver diseases, and shock conditions. In case of poisoning, no one will force the patient to chew healthy nuts or choke on salad - in order not to burden the body with food, but to quickly saturate with energy, he will be given sweet water or tea. And those who have run a marathon at least once know what a life-saving and stimulating effect glucose has on a body seemingly already killed by running, which is why athletes are also given glucose during high-intensity training.
Is it possible to eat sweets without harm to the body?
The benefits of sweets for the body appear only when you eat the right sweets. As a healthy replacement for your usual treats, you can use:
- Honey (only if you are not allergic to bee products). Calorie content – 320 kcal per 100 g. Honey is useful for insomnia and colds. It also contains the daily requirement of iron, magnesium and manganese.
- Marmalade. Calorie content - 290 kcal per 100 g. Marmalade is useful for containing pectin, which acts as an absorbent. It absorbs toxins, radionuclides and heavy metal salts, helping to cleanse the body of them.
- Dried fruits. Calorie content - on average 270 kcal per 100 g. Their main benefit lies in the fiber content, which has a beneficial effect on digestion.
- Marshmallow. Calorie content - 300 kcal per 100 g. Marshmallow cannot be called exclusively healthy, but among other sweets it is less harmful. The benefit lies in the content of phosphorus, iron and protein.
Top 5 reasons why women shouldn't eat sweets
The harm of sweets to a woman’s body lies in the increased incidence of thrush (urogenital candidiasis). This is due to the fact that Candida fungi, which cause the disease, “love” sweets very much. Foods rich in simple carbohydrates increase the activity of fungi, which, against the background of decreased immunity, can lead to thrush.
In pregnant women, excessive consumption of sweets can be harmful to the fetus. In the future, the risk of developing nervous system diseases and allergic reactions in the child is high.
Why women should not eat a lot of sweets:
- increase the likelihood of developing polycystic ovary syndrome;
- increase the risk of endometriosis;
- worsen the condition during critical days;
- reduce libido and the likelihood of getting pregnant;
- contribute to the development of inflammatory processes in the uterus.
