How to stop eating sweets

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It is difficult to give up sweets and cakes, but it is possible.

Why do we love sweets

Sweets are a source of energy and love for them is determined by nature. The ancestors of modern man had to run for food not to the nearest hypermarket. Hunting and gathering are challenging and labor-intensive.

And the pleasure of eating is one of the mechanisms that should make the body more actively obtain food. Accordingly, the more calories in a product and the easier it is to break down into components that are absorbed by the cells of the body, the more we like it.

How much sugar can you eat

The World Health Organization recommends reducing sugar intake to 10% of the total energy in the diet. The WHO says this will reduce the risk of overweight and tooth decay. Experts note that reducing sugar intake to 5% of the daily calorie intake will bring additional health benefits.

Therefore, a not very active thirty-year-old man with a height of 180 cm and weighing 70 kg is recommended to eat no more than 60 g of sugar per day. Now, according to statistics, the average Russian consumes 40 kg of sugar per year, which is approximately 109 g per day.

How to limit yourself to sweets

1. Add complex carbohydrates to the diet

Sweets are quickly broken down in the body into simple sugars, forcing you to seek new sources of energy. A portion of the cereal will eventually also be transformed into simple sugars, but this process will take longer, so you will stay full longer.

2. Reduce sugar intake gradually

Instead of three cubes of refined sugar, start throwing two into the tea, then one. Don't reach for the second candy. Divide the cake in half with a friend or other half. You will get pleasure from sweetness, but eat half the sugar.

3. Make your consumption of sweets meaningful

Do not eat ice cream on the run, and do not eat candy at the computer. So you still will not get full pleasure, and eat a portion of sugar.

4. Give up rituals associated with eating sweets

For example, afternoon tea with colleagues, cake in the theater buffet, and so on. Replace the absorption of sweets with something unrelated to them.

5. Don't reward yourself with sweets

This forms an unhealthy bond. First, you complete an important project and buy a cake. Then you start eating cakes in moments of stress, because you associate sweets with success and joy. Reward yourself with something inedible, or put money that you were going to spend on sweets in a piggy bank.

6. Think of ways to distract yourself from sugar cravings

For example, you can sit down 50 times or repeat 10 words from a foreign language. Chances are that after physical or mental effort, you will no longer have enough sugar.

7. Drink water instead of sugary drinks

A can of cola contains 39 grams of sugar - more than half the average male's daily value. And in a glass of orange juice - 33 g.

8. Start reading labels

Sugar is found in many foods where you might not expect to find it. For example, we are talking about muesli, sweet cereals that do not require cooking, ketchup. Replace them with sugar-free counterparts.

9. Maintain a feeling of fullness

As long as you are not very hungry, it is easier to control what you eat.

10. Make your own desserts

In this case, you can control their sweetness. Just put less sugar in the cake than the recipe says.

11. Take vitamins with chromium content

Some studies have found that chromium picolinate can reduce carbohydrate cravings. If you decide to give it a try, check with your doctor just in case.

Willpower and these guidelines will help you beat sugar cravings. Do not deviate from the intended goal, and your body will thank you!