How to overcome addiction to sweets. How to get rid of addiction to sweets and starchy foods

Practical psychologists In my work I often encounter problems food addiction at the client's. People who have become hostages of receiving food do not know how to give up sweets and starchy foods. positive emotions from eating delicious foods.

Sweets and baked goods are at the same time beautiful, tasty, associated with warmth, comfort and coziness, and besides, they also bring a lot of joy and delicacy. Well, how can you resist and not eat a piece of a beautiful and pleasantly smelling cake or pie?!

The problem of addiction to sweets and starchy foods is widespread and for many insoluble.

What determines the need for sweets and starchy foods? The fact is that such products contain carbohydrates– the main source of energy in human body. When 1 gram of carbohydrates is burned, 4 kcal of energy is released. It is impossible to completely eliminate sweets and starchy foods; without these products you simply cannot survive.

Health problems begin when a person eats too many carbohydrates. Particularly dangerous simple carbohydrates. They, unlike complex carbohydrates, are absorbed quickly and easily, which is why they are also called fast. But if you eat too many of them, then after some of them are used up for energy, some are stored as glycogen for muscle work, and the rest are stored as fat.

obesity,
diabetes mellitus,
dental caries,
atherosclerosis,
skin diseases,
decreased immunity,
cardiovascular diseases.

The problem is that it is very easy to eat more carbohydrates than you should! After eating one piece of chocolate, it is difficult to get enough of it; now the entire bar has already been eaten, and your hunger is still not satisfied; on the contrary, your appetite has increased even more.

The rate of carbohydrate consumption varies depending on the physical activity and lifestyle of a person from 300 to 500 grams per day (1,200 – 2,000 kcal). A bar of milk chocolate contains approximately 25.4 g of carbohydrates, that is, 547 kcal, which is about a third of the daily requirement!

Only the need to work hard can justify the use of simple carbohydrates. For example, if you eat a piece of cake and then go and “work it out” in the gym, fat is unlikely to be deposited, since all the energy will be used up.

Simple carbohydrates contained in sugar and, accordingly, in all sugar-containing products, in honey, jam, cakes, cookies and all other confectionery products, in carbonated sweet drinks, white bread, white rice, sweet fruits and vegetables.

More often addiction It is caused by foods containing fast carbohydrates - sweet and starchy treats. They become a real “drug” because the sugar they contain stimulates the production of happiness hormones – endorphins.

The body begins to demand a tasty “dose” and suffers if it is not there. A person accustomed to receiving a boost of energy and Have a good mood When eating a chocolate bar, she will get angry, nervous and lash out at loved ones if suddenly her favorite sweet is not at hand. This is how a habit turns into an addiction.

It is better to replenish the body’s energy reserves not with simple, but complex carbohydrates. Only complex carbohydrates can create a feeling of satiety until the moment when the amount eaten exceeds the permissible norm. They break down slowly and are practically not deposited in body fat, unless of course you overeat them. But even if you overeat such foods, the harm to your health and figure will be much less than from simple carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates are found in beans, vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, etc.), oatmeal, buckwheat, potatoes, bread coarse and other products.

Causes of food addiction

Overcoming cravings for sweets and flour is more difficult for some people, easier for others. Some people eat as much candy and sandwiches as they want and remain thin, but plump, even following strict diet, can't lose weight. It all depends on the reasons that caused the addiction and the characteristics of the human body.

There is an opinion that the key to the success of any diet is willpower, and the main problem of people with overweight- immoderation in eating. This is true, but only partly.

The fact is that reason excessive addiction to sweets and starchy foods can become:

metabolic disease;
lack of chromium, magnesium, calcium and others important microelements, maintaining blood glucose levels;
hormonal disorders (eg, insulin resistance);
hereditary predisposition to addiction to sweets;
consequences of concussion, hypotension, osteochondrosis (due to insufficient blood supply to the brain there is not enough glucose).

A signal that a sweet tooth is based on health problems may be the fact that a piece of candy or a bun becomes "tablet" from a physical illness, such as a headache.

A person begins to feel better after eating sweet product due to the fact that the simple carbohydrates it contains are very quickly broken down into glucose and delivered as an emergency energy boost to the body.

It becomes clear that to eliminate the physiological reasons for the love of sweets, willpower alone will not be enough; the help of a doctor will be required.

To the number psychological reasons Sweet addictions include:

the habit formed in childhood of receiving sweets as encouragement and reward for work;
the habit of “eating” negative emotions: sadness, anxiety, fear, self-doubt;
the habit of “eating” stress, failures, troubles at work and at home, conflicts and simply Bad mood;
the “forbidden fruit” effect - what is forbidden is what you want most.

Dependency mechanism from sweets and starchy foods is based on the habit of treating delicious food as a source of joy, happiness and pleasure, and not as food. Yes, indeed, sweetness can lift your spirits, give you optimism and self-confidence, due to the fact that it stimulates the production of happiness hormones, but this is a temporary and short-term measure.

A cake or bun will not solve the problem; the food will be eaten (and most likely over permissible norm), A psychological problem will remain unresolved.

Nutritionists allow the consumption of simple carbohydrates, but in very small quantities, approximately 5% from total number norms of consumed carbohydrates. It is not forbidden to treat yourself to a spoonful of honey or a slice of dark dark chocolate once a day, the main thing is to know when to stop.

How to get rid of cravings for sweets and starchy foods

If the problem of food addiction lies only in psychological reasons, you can overcome it yourself. Of course, you will have to have patience and willpower. The most difficult thing is to start, the further you go, the easier it is to give up sweets and starchy foods, to the point of complete indifference to such products.

The following will help you cope with your addiction to sweets and starchy foods: recommendations:

Change your attitude towards food. People need food to maintain the vitality of the body and nothing more. The fact that it helps to cope with stress, cheer up, and give self-confidence is only a temporary illusion.

When eating, you need to think about food, not about problems. Many people talk at the table or watch TV. These habits also lead to overeating.

More can be applied radical methods: start to relate to junk food like poison or something unpleasant. If you are interested in the production features confectionery and their composition, changing your attitude towards such products will not be so difficult.

communication with positive people,
play, including with children and animals,
doing what you love, hobbies, creativity,
reading an exciting book,
playing sports, any other physical activity,
hugs, kisses, lovemaking, etc.

The main thing is that the new “drug” does not become as excessive and harmful as the previous one. You can become addicted to anything that brings you pleasure. In this regard, a workaholic who loves his job is no different from a lover of sweets. The difference is that the first addiction has more benefits than problems, while the second addiction brings only problems.

Healthy sleep. Another important condition that allows you to successfully get rid of addiction. Lack of sleep encourages you to eat more sweets and starchy foods so that you have enough energy to get through the whole working day.

If you can’t get rid of food addiction on your own, a psychologist can help. By far the most popular destination in psychology, neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is used to help solve the problem of overeating.

Read about overcoming food addiction:

Jacob Teitelbaum, Krystle Fiedler “No Sugar. A scientifically proven and proven program to eliminate sugar from your diet.”
Oleg Freidman “Your freedom! How to get rid of addiction and find the way to yourself”
Tatyana Trofimenko “How to overcome any addiction? Healing with information”
Frank B. Minearth “The Drug Called Food”
Giorgio Nardone “Captive of food. Vomiting, anorexia, bulimia. Short-term therapy for eating disorders”
Irina Lopatukhina “ProFood Slave. Psychology of Slimness” and “Slaves to Food? Slave revolt!”
Marion Woodman

The human personality is designed in such a way that it very quickly gets used to something pleasant, which gives pleasure to the soul and body. People strive to give themselves, their loved ones, more fun, pamper, relax and improve with this psycho-emotional state. But unfortunately, excesses always turn out to be detrimental; everything should be in moderation. As a result, a person has to deal with various habits and addictions that cause significant harm to the body, and sometimes completely destroy it.

Our modern citizens, living in an atmosphere of frequent stress, depression, blues and constant fatigue, addictions develop especially often. One of these addictions, at first glance, does not mean anything bad - the desire to eat sweets. But unfortunately, in an effort to pamper oneself with goodies, a person does not notice how addiction to sweets causes significant harm to health, which cannot be compared with receiving short-term pleasure.

Sweet addiction provokes a number of dangerous pathologies

Doctors started talking about the fact that sugar is a drug, faced with a sharp surge various diseases in people who consumed too much sweets. And even though they understood their problems, they couldn’t refuse the goodies. By the way, only about 200–300 years ago, sugar was not included in the work of culinary masters. What now? Modern industry has elevated sweets to favorites and almost the main ingredients of any product. What did the person get in the end:

obesity;
diabetes;
tooth decay;
metabolic disorders;
liver and pancreas diseases;
problems with the cardiovascular system.

Features of sugar addiction

According to experts, sugar addiction in modern world is already breaking all existing records. Almost 80% of the population of Russia alone suffers from increased cravings for sweets.

It has been established that addiction to sugar develops 8–9 times faster than addiction to drugs, in particular cocaine.

Taking into account the sharp increase in sugar consumption per capita (from 2 kg in the 19th century to 50 kg in the current century), doctors are sounding a real alarm in caring for the health of the nation. After all, sugar, consisting of the simplest carbohydrates, is instantly absorbed in the body and immediately turns into adipose tissue.

And excess fat creates significant obstacles to the normal production of insulin in the required amount, which in turn leads to the accumulation of glucose. As a result, a person is faced with large and very dangerous problems with health.

Common causes of “sweet” addiction

Let's understand the reasons

To understand how to overcome addiction to sweets, you should know the culprits of this problem. Often, an irresistible craving for sweet foods and dishes is attributed to a person’s usual weakness of will and inability to control the portions eaten. But unfortunately, not everything is so simple. Experts examining this problem, highlight following reasons, which create a sweet addiction:

Illiterate eating habits. Doctors say that one of the most harmless culprits of this addiction is the inability to correctly compose one’s own diet. This also includes the possible breakdown of a person who for a long time I starved my body with strict dietary restrictions.
The habit of eating failures and frustrations. These culprits belong to psychological aspects and come from the depths of the past. From the times when a child was encouraged and appeased with sweet treats, and was punished by deprivation of sweets. Many years later, such an already matured child, in the same way, when faced with troubles, will begin to “eat” them with sweets, calming and consoling himself.
Birth defect and performance disorder brain system formation of serotonin. This is the most serious reason for the development of addiction to sweets. In this case, goodies, high-calorie foods become the only method improve bad mood, relieve anxiety and calm down.
Lack of microelements and diseases. In particular, calcium, magnesium and chromium. Also to the reasons sweet addiction This also includes some pathologies of the digestive system (yeasts and fungi that become active in the intestines also push a person to excessively consume sweets). Diabetes mellitus also occurs when the patient experiences a lack of glucose in the blood.

In general, doctors, when explaining why sugar is so important for people, turn to natural physiological reactions occurring in the body for an answer. Various negative manifestations, stress, troubles significantly reduce the level of endorphin and serotonin (hormones of joy). And sugar helps improve the synthesis of these substances, which ultimately forms an unconscious reflex in a person: sweets mean pleasure and joy, because good emotions so often lacking in modern people.

Who's at risk

But why do not all people, even those who were raised “sweet” in childhood, become involved in such a development of events? Psychologists consider those individuals who have an individual penchant for sweets to be at risk. Those who are partial to attractive pastries, sweets, chocolate, and a variety of cakes.

Also, doctors include people suffering from the following diseases into the special risk group:

Hypertension.
Diabetes.
Cardiovascular pathologies.

How to recognize an addict

Considering the symptoms that indicate this addiction, experts classify these signs into two categories. Each of them is characterized by its own set of distinctive symptoms of sweet addiction..

Unhealthy habits are often formed in childhood

Symptoms based on psychological addiction

If “sweet addiction” has psychological “roots of development”, then the symptoms include the following:

bad mood if there is no sweets at hand;
permanent and intrusive thoughts about sweets (they intensify when a person finds himself in stressful situation, in this his behavior is similar to when a smoker, worried, smokes cigarettes one after another).

Symptoms during the physiological formation of addiction

Signs of addiction to sweets, which were formed on the basis of certain physical problems and disorders look a little different. They are as follows, appearing in the absence of a favorite sweet treat:

drowsiness;
dizziness;
irritability;
increased sweating;
attacks of panic and aggression;
weakness, apathetic state.

By the way, an increased craving for sweet foods can also relate to excessive love for flour products. This is not surprising, because in the production of modern confectionery and flour, the same sugar is included in the composition of dough, syrup, filler, and cream.

According to statistics, women suffer the greatest tendency to develop dependence on flour and sweets. This is explained by the jumps hormonal levels, especially during menstruation, pregnancy and the postpartum period.

How to recognize the problem

Diagnosis of an existing unhealthy addiction begins with establishing the causes and clarifying the existing medical history. The main task of doctors is to exclude such a dependent person from having diabetes mellitus and hypoglycemia syndrome, which is characteristic of the disease. To do this, determine the concentration of glucose in the patient's blood.

The possible presence of other pathological situations is also considered. In particular:

tumors;
enzyme deficiency;
hormonal disorders;
dependence on medications or alcohol.

Doctors need such an examination to differentiate psychological dependence from physical dependence. Establishment true reasons Sweet addiction helps to cope with existing harmful and health-threatening addictions.

Illiterate nutrition becomes one of the reasons for the development of a sweet tooth.

To identify existing problem There is a test specially created by psychologists. This testing helps a person look deeper into himself and more meaningfully understand the existing addiction. This test may include various questions. Here are just a few of them:

How often do you feel the need to eat something sweet?
Can you go a day without eating sugar?
How long do you keep candies, sweets, cakes, pastries, and pastries in your house?
When stressed, troubled, upset, do you resort to sweet foods to relieve tension?
Do you feel a certain incompleteness of lunch/breakfast/dinner if there is no sweet, satisfying dessert at the end?

If a person consumes sweet and starchy foods every day, and most questions are answered in the affirmative, then there is an existing addiction to sweets. And what to do in this case, how to get rid of addiction to sweets and starchy foods?

Where to go for help

To cope with such a health hazard and appearance bias, you must first understand the real reason syndrome. To better understand yourself, it is better to visit a consultation with a psychologist. A specialist will determine the true culprit and advise what steps should be taken in the future.

In the case when sweet addiction is formed on any psychological factors, try to overcome it yourself. It is unlikely that you will be able to eliminate such an addiction right away, but it is worth making an effort and gradually, day by day, reducing the dose of sweets you eat. Goodies can be found a worthy alternative, replacing them with sports, physical activity or other types of hobbies.

Experts advise that when looking for a substitute for sweets, you should focus your attention on physical activity.

It has been established that such activity promotes the production of endorphin, which is also provoked by sweets. In addition, sport helps burn excess calories and improves metabolic processes. This brings great and tangible benefits to the body. Sugar can also be replaced natural source sweets - fruits (especially bananas and grapes), vegetables. If tea and coffee are very difficult to drink without the usual sweetness, sugar can be replaced with any sweetener.

What can be used

To overcome strong cravings for sweets, doctors advise using special preparations based on chromium. This compound has the following beneficial qualities:

stabilizes blood sugar levels;
actively participates in carbohydrate metabolism;
increases the body's sensitivity to insulin;
increases the permeability of cellular tissue for the penetration of glucose into it.

By the way, a person whose body is oversaturated with sugar experiences a great deficiency of this compound. Sweet and starchy foods promote rapid elimination from the body of this mineral. In addition to various vitamin complexes with an increased content of this substance, medications (which one to take, the doctor will advise), you can supplement your daily diet with foods rich in chromium.

Chromium helps burn excess fat

The following foods contain especially high levels of chromium:

beet;
liver;
broccoli;
Brewer's yeast;
duck and chicken meat;
fish (especially tuna);
chicken and quail eggs.

You can also use pharmaceutical, ready-made products that discourage cravings for sweets. According to reviews from people who have encountered this problem, the best drugs in this regard they become:

Fat-X;
Garcinia Forte;
Chromium picolinate.

Doctors advise taking a closer look at glutamine. This drug is an amino acid found in plant and animal proteins. This medication was created specifically for the treatment various inflammations gastrointestinal organs. During testing, glutamine was also found to have a beneficial effect on the state of the central nervous system and brain regions, which helps a person cope with various harmful addictions.

Let's summarize

Having discovered an unhealthy craving for sweets, and even more so an existing addiction, you should not follow your own unhealthy hobbies! And remember that the best prevention sweet addiction becomes activity in physically or doing something you love. Working full time every day helps a lot in getting rid of bad habits and forms in a person a new worldview and attitude towards his own body.

You may not give of great importance addiction to sweets. It would seem, what is the problem? Sweets are available on every corner, and getting a new dose if the mood begins to sour is not so difficult. But it is still too naive to underestimate: teeth deteriorate, it is more difficult to monitor your weight, mood swings affect relationships with others. I think you've also heard about diabetes.

On the other hand, most people are accustomed to sugar as something natural: from childhood, adults give their children candy to calm them down or just smile. There are lucky people who remain indifferent to sweets. But many, having grown older and gotten rid of parental restrictions, allow themselves as many sweets as they can absorb.

No matter how strong your addiction is, don't give up on yourself. There are several ways to painlessly reduce sugar cravings.

1. Consume more protein with your first meal

Research has shown that a protein-rich breakfast reduces sugar cravings throughout the day. Lean sources of protein such as Greek yogurt, unsweetened peanut butter, eggs and low-fat cheese, help reduce the amount of ghrelin - the hunger hormone - and increase the amount of pancreatic polypeptide, which signals saturation. These findings were confirmed at the University of Missouri, where MRI scans showed that those who ate a high-protein breakfast experienced less cravings for sweets later. Even if a piece doesn’t fit into your throat in the morning, still give preference to protein foods at your first meal.

2. Never go hungry

Get caught up in work and decide to put off lunch? In vain. Missed meals - the right way trigger sugar cravings and overeat for the rest of the day. Stick to a five-a-day meal plan (three main meals and two snacks) that will keep your blood glucose levels stable. If possible, also try to maintain a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates so that insulin and blood glucose levels do not jump throughout the day. Then you won’t be craving sweets either.

3. Consider the unobvious sugars

Many seemingly harmless products actually contain a lot of sugar: ketchup, sauces, some seasonings. The only way Avoid such products - read the ingredients. It is better to abstain from such food additives altogether. They often contain many harmful components besides sugar.

4. Develop your taste

In continuation of the previous point, the following advice: develop your taste and learn to enjoy products.

svariophoto/Depositphotos.com

Sliced tomato with fresh basil leaves, drizzled linseed oil, lightly salted and peppered avocado, cheese plate, after all! Personally, I am delighted with such dishes. Although just three years ago, the first thing I thought about when I wanted to eat was chocolate or ice cream. It's a matter of habit.

Experiment with spices: cinnamon and ginger suppress sugar cravings. Please your taste buds more sophisticated additives than mayonnaise and ketchup - at least take balsamic vinegar and try different vegetable oils. Think about it: Is milk really not sweet enough? Lactose is not called milk sugar for nothing.

5. Get more sleep

The hormones ghrelin, leptin and insulin play a decisive role in cravings for sweets. Bring them back to normal, and you will stop falling into unconsciousness in search of a cookie. At the same time, there will be fewer problems with excess weight. Research from the University of Chicago found that several sleepless nights it is enough for the leptin level to drop by 18%, and the ghrelin level to increase by a third - in total, the craving for sweets increases almost one and a half times. In addition, sleep deprivation reduces your ability to resist temptation. Therefore, sleep will help you in combating addiction to sweets.

6. Move more actively

A sedentary lifestyle increases appetite. On the other side, physical activity and without sugar it improves your mood. Next time you want to make another cupcake, make several simple exercises or just take a walk.

7. Identify what's really bothering you

Cravings for sweets are strongly associated with emotional discomfort. You may have a sweet tooth in adolescence when they were unable to cope with feelings of alienation or resentment. But now you have already matured! Find a way out negative emotions, and don’t fill them with candy. Yes, it is not easy to change a reflex that you have maintained for years. But probably. The next time you're irritated and reach for a chocolate bar, stop for a moment, close your eyes, become aware of your sensations, focus on and relax. Now it will be a little easier to resist another portion of sweets.

8. Identify sweet traps

Analyze your day and determine what times and places you are most susceptible to sweet temptations. Perhaps your office has unlimited access to cookies? Sorry. Read this article to your colleagues and suggest replacing sweets with fruits. Perhaps you can't resist buying chocolate bars from the supermarket after a hard day at work? Today, give in to temptation one last time, but buy an extra pack of nuts and put them in your bag. Tomorrow before you go to the store, kill the worm.

olgamanukyan/Depositphotos.com

9. Seek healthy rewards

Instead of treating yourself to sweets, reward yourself with more valuable pleasures. Sugar cravings often occur when you are bored or lonely. Make your list of sugar-free rewards and keep it handy for when you're feeling down. Think about what you could do in those 10-20 minutes while you are waiting for the next piece of cake in a coffee shop: listen to your favorite music, make a sketch, call a friend, scratch the cat, take a nap...

The main rule is that rewards must be non-food in nature.

10. Avoid calcium deficiency

Some studies show that cravings for sweets may be a consequence of a lack of calcium in the body. If you have other symptoms ( brittle hair and nails, tooth sensitivity, fatigue), take a course of a calcium-containing drug in combination with vitamin D. And think about weak points which lead to imbalance.

11. Record what you eat

Studies have shown that keeping a food diary promotes weight loss, in particular reducing the consumption of sweets. But you need to do it correctly, namely, record not what you have already eaten, but what you are going to eat. The easiest way to do this is with . It is not at all necessary to post the result on Instagram. The process itself is important: while you choose an angle, you give yourself a few extra seconds to think about whether you made the best choice of dish.

12. Relax with a cup of tea and a book

Not only is sugary stress relief not the healthiest, it's also not the most effective. The University of Sussex found that tea is a much better way to relieve stress. Music relaxes you even more. But most in an effective way is reading! Therefore, develop a habit: if you feel irritated, brew a cup of tea (preferably with chamomile) and read a book. Read - where The best way take your mind off your problems than chew.

13. Drink enough fluids

Dehydration is often misinterpreted as hunger or sugar cravings. Fatigue, anxiety, decreased concentration and even moodiness can be a consequence of a lack of water in the body. Are you reaching for some chocolate? Set it aside for 15 minutes and drink a glass of water first.

14. Arrange aromatherapy

Calm down and cope on your own strong emotions Pleasant smells can help. Instead of reflexively reaching for sweets, inhale the scent of lavender, orange or cardamom. These smells will help you relax and shift your attention to your senses of smell. At the same time, you can develop a new reflex that leads to calm.

15. Savor life

Take a moment to think about your schedule. Does it have enough things to do that really make you happy? The more healthy sources of joy you have in your life, the less you will crave sweets. Learn to enjoy the moment, whether it's dinner with your family or a walk from work to home. Smile more often and feel the sweetness of every moment of your life. Then the craving for sweets itself will become less.

Scientific research proves that sugar, sweets and starchy foods are quite addictive - a person gets used to sugar both physically (the natural taste of products begins to seem too bland to him) and psychologically (a habit appears of eating away problems with candies and other sweets). This is why many people cannot give up sugar.

Unfortunately, excessive consumption of sweets not only harms your figure and leads to weight gain. excess weight, but also seriously violates normal work metabolism, increasing the chance of developing diabetes and other diseases. Essentially, a complete abstinence from sugar (at least from pure form) - the first step towards healthy image life and proper nutrition.

Why do people love sweets?

The problem with sweets and starchy foods is not only the high calorie content. A spoonful of sugar in tea contains only 20-25 kcal - however, such tea can cause a feeling of hunger, forcing you to look for a “snack”. At first, sugar will sharply increase the level of glucose in the blood, but after half an hour this level will decrease - while symptoms low level glucose

If you try to “kill the worm” with another cookie or other flour product, then the glucose level will again first increase and then decrease, bringing even more severe hunger. The situation will be aggravated by the fact that regular changes in blood sugar levels will disrupt the metabolism, making the body less sensitive to insulin and provoking the development.

How easy it is to give up sugar

It is important to understand that giving up sugar, sweets and starchy foods is gradual process. Expect that you will need approximately 3-4 weeks to combat acute phase dependencies. After this time, you will begin to look at sugar calmly, allowing yourself sweets and baked goods from time to time, but without overeating. The benefit will also be that you will most likely be able to reduce body weight.

First week: give up sugary sodas and juices (FitSeven wrote that even), stop adding a few teaspoons of sugar to tea and coffee. If you can't drink black tea completely without sugar, drink it with a drop of honey (but not with a sweetener) or switch to herbal teas. It is acceptable to drink coffee with milk.
Second week: get rid of your stocks of flour and sweets, stop baking or buying new sweets and reconsider your eating habits. Do not keep sweets and cookies within sight - especially close at hand in the kitchen or near the workplace. Remember that they are not at all a “safe” substitute for sweets and contain a large number of Sahara.
Third week: Learn to see the “hidden sugar”. Pay attention to the composition of the products (breakfast cereals, ketchup and other sauces contain sugar), and also study its synonyms - food manufacturers are often misleading by labeling them “sugar-free”, but using substances related to sugar. , glucose, maltodexin, dextrose, sucrose, agave syrup, honey - all this is sugar.

“I can’t refuse sweets...”

Typical consequences abrupt refusal Sugar causes a bad mood and a feeling of clouded consciousness. If in the first days it seems to you that all your thoughts are exclusively about sweets, you cannot concentrate and there is a fog in your head, then everything is fine and your body is recovering. He just needs to get used to it reduced level blood sugar.

Use sweeteners carefully - in fact, they will only remind the brain of how pleasant sweet taste can be. In acute moments of withdrawal, take a hot shower, do some cleaning, or go for a walk. The ideal solution would be one that will literally bring you back to life. It is also important that cardio is the best way to return insulin to normal.

How natural sweeteners different from chemical ones? Which ones are safe for health? .

Is it possible to give up sugar forever?

Contrary to popular myth, the human brain does not need sugar at all for its work - the body is able to synthesize glucose from complex carbohydrates (for example, other cereals). In other words, no negative consequences giving up sugar simply cannot happen. The main thing positive consequence There will be an improvement in well-being and a reduction in body weight.

The main health benefit of giving up fast carbohydrates (that is, sugar, sweets and starchy foods) is that after just a week you will learn to distinguish real hunger from “false” hunger caused by sudden changes blood glucose levels. Essentially, you'll start eating less without experiencing any of the discomfort associated with dieting or calorie restriction.

Is it necessary to give up sugar completely?

Since it is almost impossible to completely give up foods that contain sugar or other fast carbohydrates in one form or another, it is better to learn to be as calm as possible about their periodic consumption in adequate quantities. However, it is important to see sweets not so much as a source of pleasure or reward, but rather as a “moderately dangerous poison.”

If you eat one small cake or drink a cup of coffee with sugar, nothing fatal will happen to you, but eating chocolate candies boxes or eating a bucket in front of the TV is a completely different matter. Remember that it is not so much sugar itself that is harmful to health, but its regular and excessive consumption.

***

Quitting sugar is a gradual process of fighting addiction, as a result of which you must, first of all, change your attitude towards sweets to be as indifferent as possible. After all, in fact, it is not so much the sugar itself that is harmful, but its regular use(even in small quantities) and “eating” with sweets for various emotional problems.

Why do you want sweets so much? After all, it seems that the body literally demands a muffin with chocolate syrup, a cappuccino with caramel or, say, a lemon tartlet with whipped cream. We know how harmful sugar is, but we can’t control ourselves. “At the heart of this obsessive need are both physiological reasons, (for example, a lack of microelements or an unbalanced diet) and psychological - many of us turn to sweets as a tranquilizer in order to relieve anxiety or anxiety,” explains nutritionist Elena Morozova.

The first reason: stress

Products containing sugar, when entering the body, stimulate the production of the hormone serotonin. It's biological active substance improves mood, calms, relieves anxiety. In fact, it is a natural antidepressant for any of us. And chocolate also contains magnesium, a microelement that has a calming effect. That is why, in a state of anxiety or depression, the hand reaches out for something sweet.

What to do: get magnesium and speed up serotonin synthesis with more healthy products nutrition.

Serotonin. In the body, serotonin is produced from its precursors, in particular from tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids. You need to consume about 1-2 grams of tryptophan per day. In a state of stress, the consumption of tryptophan increases, therefore the daily norm of this amino acid should be twice as much. Here is a list of products that are leaders in the content of this valuable amino acid:

LEGUMES (per 100 g): peas, beans – 260 mg, soybeans – 714 mg, lentils – 284 mg GRAINS, POTATOES (per 100 g): buckwheat– 180 mg, pasta – 130 mg, wheat flour (grade I) – 120 mg, oatmeal – 160 mg, millet – 180 mg, rice – 80 mg, rye bread – 70 mg, wheat bread – 100 mg, potatoes – 30 mg DAIRY (per 100 g): Dutch cheese – 790 mg, processed cheese – 500 mg, low-fat cottage cheese – 180 mg, full-fat cottage cheese – 210 mg MEAT (per 100 g): beef, turkey – 200 mg and even higher MUSHROOMS ( per 100 g): champignons, oyster mushrooms – 210–230 mg EGGS (1.5–2 pcs.): 200 mg

Magnesium. Like tryptophan, magnesium burns very quickly under stress. We should receive about 300–350 mg of magnesium per day. What products are best to get it from? First of all, among grains, for example, based on the magnesium content in 100 g of product, bran (350 mg), buckwheat (150 mg), and oatmeal (130 mg) are rich in it. One of the leaders in magnesium content is watermelon - 100 g of product contains from 220 to 440 mg of this trace element. Essentially, a piece of watermelon is daily norm magnesium!

Second reason: lack of microelements

An irresistible craving for sweets may be associated with a deficiency of chromium in the body. This microelement is involved in the regulation carbohydrate metabolism and blood glucose levels. It normalizes permeability cell membranes for glucose and the processes of its use by cells. Also, thanks to chromium, the sensitivity of cells to insulin increases and the effect of this hormone increases. In other words, the body will produce less insulin, but there will be enough hormone to meet the body's needs. Chromium deficiency causes a significant increase in blood glucose levels. In order to maintain it at this level, simple carbohydrates must be supplied to the body uninterruptedly, which significantly increases cravings for sweets and increases the feeling of hunger.

What to do: enrich your diet with chromium through food and dietary supplements.

The daily requirement of an adult for this microelement is 150 mg. A lot of chromium (about 50 mg per 100 g) is found in fish and seafood, offal (30 mg per 100 g), chicken eggs (22 mg per 100 g), broccoli (20 mg per 100 g). After consultation with a specialist, you can take dietary supplements with chromium picolinate.

Third reason: unbalanced diet

Paradoxically, the craving for sweets is most often due to the fact that a person abuses these same sweets. Almost immediately after dessert, your body's blood sugar levels rise sharply. The body tries to “accumulate” this sugar faster, for which the pancreas produces the hormone insulin. At the same time, we feel an unprecedented surge of energy. However, this condition quickly passes, since simple carbohydrates are utilized very quickly. To maintain such energy, another portion of sweets is required.

Sugar addiction is aggravated by irregular meals. When there are long periods between meals, blood sugar levels drop significantly. You can quickly raise it with the help of simple carbohydrates; every person knows this on an intuitive level, which is why the desire to eat something sweet arises.

What to do: maintain a balance of carbohydrate intake with food.

You shouldn’t give up simple carbohydrates completely, especially abruptly. Such a strategy will lead to irritability, decreased mood and performance. Moreover, from a psychological point of view, running away from temptations is not the best way to cope with them. How should you structure your nutrition plan?

The diet must include sufficient quantity complex carbohydrates and proteins that will help maintain even blood glucose levels. In particular, in the diet of people who are not physically active active image life, the daily intake of carbohydrates is 400–500 g, of which complex carbohydrates should account for about 80–90%. Daily norm protein – on average 1–1.2 g per kg of body weight.

Eat small meals. This will avoid sharp jumps blood sugar. Eat small meals about 5 times a day. The volume of each serving should not exceed 200–250 g.

Distinguish between true and false hunger. Often we experience not hunger, but thirst (in the brain nerve centers, responsible for these sensations, are very close). So before you eat something sweet, drink a glass of water.

pay attention to protein products. When you want something sweet, it’s better to eat a piece of cheese, yogurt or boiled egg. Such products stabilize blood sugar levels after 15–20 minutes, and cravings for sweets subside.

Eat sweets for dessert. After lunch, a piece of cake or cookie will not cause sharp jump glucose in the blood, which means you will be able to maintain a sense of proportion. If your meal includes only sweets, you will feel the urge to eat more within half an hour.

about the author

Elena Morozova, nutritionist, psychologist, CEO"Weight loss clinics of Elena Morozova"