Sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, fructose, sucrose – evil can have many names. The question is will you get caught up in marketing tricks? If you want to eat healthy, don’t you reach for the sugar bomb? Do you know how to really avoid sugar? Do you know how to help yourself fight sweet cravings? You will find answers to all these questions and many more in the article below. Enjoy reading!
Sweet porridge, sweet yoghurt in two versions
Do you think porridge with yoghurt is always a very healthy breakfast? Time for the honest truth – it’s time to turn over the packaging and read the ingredients. Muesli with dried fruits may turn out to be a sugar bomb. In 100 g of such porridge, there are often even 5 – 6 teaspoons of sugar! Instead of filling up with plain sugar unnecessarily, make your own blend. Choose natural oat flakes and add nuts, raisins, dried cranberries and other favourite toppings. You can also add products filled with minerals and antioxidants such as oat bran, expanded amaranth, chia seeds or goji berries. Replace the sugar bomb with a healthy energy and vitamin bomb!
The same fact applies to yoghurts. When deciding on a fruit yoghurt, we must be aware that most often real fruit content is only 2%, and all the taste comes from the added sugar and aromas. And yet it’s so easy to buy natural yoghurt and add fresh or frozen fruit to it. This way you will not only get rid of unwanted sugar, but also many chemical additives, preservatives and flavour enhancers. Also watch out for low-fat natural yoghurt! Sometimes manufacturers add sugar to skimmed yoghurt to reduce the sour taste of dairy products.
Skip sweet drinks altogether
For both children and adults, drinks are the largest source of added sugar. Almost half of the added sugar that is consumed comes from sweet juices, carbonated drinks, energy drinks and so-called sport drinks. Fruit drinks very often have huge amounts of sugar and only fruit aromas. Look at the composition of the drink and think about whether you really want to drink such large amounts of sugar or if you prefer to drink mineral water or green tea.
Don’t get caught on marketing gimmicks
Food producers spend huge sums of money on marketing, advertising and research to determine the needs of the society. It is clear from these studies that people will eat more of a given product if they feel it is healthy food. So the problem is eating too large portions. However, the most serious effect is that food producers do everything to believe that a product that has nothing to do with health is the healthiest option in the world! That is why shop shelves are filled with names such as light, fit, slim, diet and infinitely many similar terms. Remember that a bar called fitness does not mean that it promotes weight control! It is better to see the composition of such a bar and decide if it really is a fitness option.
A quick look at ingredients
Talking about looking at the composition of the product, we need to know what to avoid. All ingredients are listed in order from highest percentage to lowest. What does this mean in practice? If sugar is one of the first ingredients, don’t take the product! Note that the producer may call sugar fructose, sucrose, glucose-fructose syrup or other syrup. Stay away from such products as fire!
Take care of your liver
The liver not only removes toxins from our body. It is an organ that performs many different functions, and one of them is influencing the cravings and desire to snack. A healthy liver controls your blood sugar. The smaller the fluctuations in glucose in the blood, the less often we feel an unstoppable desire for sweets. So cleanse your body of toxins so that your liver can fully work on maintaining a constant blood sugar level. Do not burden the liver with fatty and heavy foods. Take care of your liver and it will pay you back by preventing snacking!
Make friends with your intestinal bacteria
The bacterial flora in our intestines has a surprisingly large impact on the desire to snack. By nourishing and strengthening probiotic bacteria, you limit your food cravings. Very good prebiotics include kefir and buttermilk, asparagus, bananas, garlic and honey.
Eat healthy fats
You already know that you want to avoid large fluctuations in blood glucose. As a reminder, eating a high-sugar product means a large increase in blood glucose, which causes increased insulin secretion, which in turn leads to a powerful and sudden decrease in blood sugar. And then the urge to reach for something sweet, which is hard to stop. Break this self-propelling wheel by choosing a snack full of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Examples are natural nuts, avocados or olives. Fats do not increase insulin production, so you avoid unnecessary fluctuations in blood glucose!
Think about why you eat
We should enjoy eating our favourite chocolate biscuit. However, if we eat this biscuit when we lose control, it is likely that we will eat too many of these delicacies. Overeating sweets usually occurs for two reasons: the need to de-stress or emotional problems. In such situations, sweets are not the only solution. Knowing and understanding the reason for reaching for sweets, it helps you find an alternative to empty calories in the form of healthier snacks, a workout during which you can unleash your emotions, a relaxing and relaxing walk in the park or conversation with friends.
Top up with serotonin daily
Hormonal imbalances can contribute to frequent cravings. Serotonin has a huge impact on our mood, emotions, memory, appetite, cravings for sweets, self-confidence, sleep quality and many more. If we are sad and depressed, we are instinctively looking for something sweet, because sugar stimulates the production of serotonin. Constant stress, too much work can also cause a decrease in serotonin levels. It is difficult to eliminate stress and problems. However, you can take care of the right dose of serotonin every day. Instead of chocolate sweets, reach for chia seeds, famous for the richness of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin. However, physical activity is an irreplaceable way to get high levels of serotonin. Training is a great trigger for a good mood!
