Sweeteners for weight loss. What is sugar and why is it dangerous? Natural sugar substitutes: the best choice

Many people use a sugar substitute in their tea or coffee instead of regular sugar. Because they know that excess sugar in daily diet harms health, causing diseases such as caries, diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis. These are diseases that significantly worsen the quality of life and shorten its duration. Sugar substitutes (sweeteners) are low-calorie and inexpensive. There are natural and chemical sweeteners. Let's try to figure out whether they are harmful or useful.

Video about the pros and cons of sweeteners

Avoid sweets if you want to lose weight. This is the slogan of almost all famous diets. But many people simply cannot live without sweets. However, the desire to lose weight is also quite strong, and they replace sugar with chemical sweeteners.

The first sugar substitutes were invented to prevent the development of dangerous diseases, but, unfortunately, most sweeteners carry an even greater risk. Sugar substitutes for weight loss can be divided into those obtained artificially (synthetic sugar substitutes) and natural (glucose, fructose). Many nutritionists believe that it is better to use natural sugar substitutes for weight loss.

Natural "alternative" to sugar

• Fructose

The most popular natural sweetener. Most people who want to lose weight choose it. Fructose is harmless in limited quantities and does not cause caries. If you don't overdo it, it can even stabilize your blood sugar levels. But fructose often becomes a cause of obesity, because its calorie content is the same as that of regular sugar. It is unlikely that you will be able to lose weight by replacing sugar with fructose.

Natural substitutes Sahara. They are also not inferior to it in calorie content, like fructose. Sorbitol and xylitol are completely unsuitable for weight loss. But sorbitol is an excellent substitute for sugar in diabetes, and xylitol will prevent the formation of caries.

Another natural sweetener. He significantly sweeter than sugar, so a much smaller amount will satisfy your sweet tooth needs. Much has been written about the benefits of honey, but if you eat it with spoons several times a day, then, of course, weight loss is out of the question. Those wishing to lose weight are advised to drink this health cocktail on an empty stomach. Into a glass clean water put a teaspoon of honey and squeeze a tablespoon of lemon. This drink helps start the functioning of the whole body. In addition, it reduces appetite. But remember - if you want to lose weight, you should not abuse such a useful product as honey.

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Chemical sweeteners

They often have zero calorie content, but the sweetness of these substitutes is several times greater than both sugar and honey. These are what most people use for weight loss. By using such substitutes, we deceive the body. Scientists recently came to this conclusion.

Synthetic substitutes, scientists are sure, contribute not to a decrease, but to an increase in excess weight. After all, our body receives artificial food and takes it for real. Insulin begins to be produced to break down the glucose that enters the body. But it turns out that there is nothing to split. Therefore, the body will immediately require material for breakdown. A person develops a feeling of hunger and the need to satisfy it. In this state, you will not be able to lose weight.

There are many sugar substitutes, but the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences allows only four artificial substitutes. These are aspartame, cyclamate, sucralose, potassium acesulfime. Each of them has its own number of contraindications for use.

• Acesulfame potassium (E950)

This is a low-calorie sweetener that is not absorbed by our body. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so one tablet is usually enough for a cup of tea. Despite the fact that it is an officially approved additive in Russia and is included in many products, acesulfame potassium can be harmful to health. It leads to intestinal dysfunction and can cause allergic diseases. By the way, this additive is prohibited for use in Canada and Japan.

• Aspartame (E951)

It is a digestible sugar substitute that is 200 times sweeter than this product. This is the most common substitute. It is also one of the most harmful under certain conditions. On Russian market this sweetener is found under the brand name “Aspamix”, NutraSweet, Miwon ( South Korea), Ajinomoto (Japan), Enzimologa (Mexico). Aspartame accounts for 25% of the world's sugar substitutes.

• Cyclamate (E952)

30 times sweeter than sugar. This is a low-calorie sweetener that is approved only in 50 countries around the world. In the USA and Great Britain, cyclamate has been banned since 1969. Scientists have a suspicion that it provokes renal failure.

• Sucralose

About 600 times sweeter than sugar. This is a relatively new intensive sweetener. It is obtained from sugar that has undergone special processing. Therefore, its calorie content is significantly lower than that of sugar, but the effect on blood glucose remains the same. The familiar taste of sugar remains unchanged. Many nutritionists consider this sweetener to be the safest for health. But it's important to remember that an overdose of any product (especially one that is 600 times sweeter than sugar) can cause problems.

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Stevia sugar substitute

Scientists in many countries are conducting research trying to find natural low-calorie sweeteners. natural origin that do not cause harm to the human body. One of them has already been found - the herb stevia. There are no reports of harm or negative impact on the health of this product. It is believed that this natural sweetener has no contraindications.

Stevia – plant South America, it has been used by Indians as a sweetener for hundreds of years. The leaves of this bush are 15-30 times sweeter than sugar. Stevioside, an extract of stevia leaves, is 300 times sweeter. Valuable properties Stevia is that the body does not absorb sweet glycosides from the leaves and extracts of the plant. It turns out that sweet grass almost calorie-free. Stevia can be used by diabetics because it does not increase blood sugar levels.

The largest consumer of stevia is Japan. Residents of this country are wary of consuming sugar, because it is associated with tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes. The Japanese food industry actively uses stevia. Mainly, oddly enough, it is used in salty foods. Stevioside is used here to suppress the pungency of sodium chloride. The combination of stevia and sodium chloride is considered common in such dishes Japanese cuisine, such as dried seafood, marinated meat and vegetables, soy sauce, miso products. Stevia is also used in drinks, such as the Japanese version of Diet Coca-Cola. Stevia is used in candies and chewing gum, baked goods, ice cream, yogurt.

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Priorities for using stevia

Unfortunately, in our country stevia is Food Industry not used like in Japan. Our manufacturers use cheaper chemical sugar substitutes. But you can introduce stevia into your diet - it is sold in both powders and tablets, and you can also buy dried stevia leaves. Perhaps this product will help you partially or completely give up sweets, which will help you lose weight and improve your well-being.

By secret

Have you ever tried to lose excess weight? Judging by the fact that you are reading these lines, victory was not on your side.

When following a diet, the question naturally arises about what is the best way to replace sugar with proper nutrition, since it is quite harmful product, which not only leads to obesity, but also provokes many diseases. There are many different sweeteners, but not all of them are safe for health, and some even cause cancer. That is why you need to approach their choice with all responsibility.

What is sugar and why is it dangerous?

Sugar is used in the preparation of many foods and various dishes, in particular in semi-finished products, confectionery, preserves, jams, baked goods and much more. This product is quite dangerous, as it is quickly absorbed into the blood and leads to sharp increase, and then an immediate drop in glucose levels. This may threaten extra pounds and also increases the risk of diabetes. In addition, sugar particles remaining on the teeth promote the growth of bacteria, which causes caries. TO negative consequences its consumption can be attributed to:

• heart problems;
• high blood pressure;
• decreased immunity;
• fungal infections;
• nervousness.

That is why nutritionists recommend consuming no more than 10-12 teaspoons of this product daily. made from sugar cane, but due to heat treatment, as well as its bleaching, the beneficial substances are destroyed. If possible, you should try to completely eliminate it from your diet and switch to more healthy foods.

How can you replace sugar?

Sugar can cause very serious harm to the body, as this product contains many empty calories. That is why you need to limit its consumption. Knowing how to replace sugar with proper nutrition, you can choose healthier products. There are natural and synthetic sweeteners. The most famous natural sweeteners are sorbitol and xylitol.

Xylitol is made from birch bark, onion peel, corn cobs. Sorbitol was originally made from rowan berries, but is now made from starch. The calorie content of these sweeteners is the same as theirs, which is also approximately equal. However, you should not consume them large quantities, as this may cause stomach upset.

Many people are interested in how to replace sugar when healthy eating. The list of products is quite large. In particular, the most popular products are:

• Jerusalem artichoke syrup;
• stevia;
• maple syrup.

There are also synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate. They are much sweeter than sugar, so they are consumed in minimum quantities, they do not affect health in any way and do not lead to obesity. However, it is worth noting that they have low heat resistance and are therefore not suitable for baking.

The benefits of honey and a good substitute for sugar

How to replace sugar with proper nutrition is a very important question, since you need to consume a sufficient amount of carbohydrates per day, but not harm your health. It is quite possible to consume honey as it is a natural product that is good for health. However, it is worth remembering that you need to choose only a high-quality natural product, since otherwise You can only harm the body.

Honey contains useful microelements, most of which are found in human blood. This product is very sweet, so when adding it to different dishes or tea, proportions must be taken into account. The most important thing is not to add honey to hot tea and not to heat it when preparing dishes, as this contributes to the release of a carcinogen harmful to health, and all the beneficial substances will simply evaporate. At correct use This product can be called the most useful and valuable sugar substitute.

Replacing sugar with fructose

In addition to honey, those who are allergic to this product need to know how to replace sugar in a healthy diet. Fructose is considered one of the best natural sweeteners. It is not absorbed by the body direct form, and is converted into glucose during metabolism.

Fructose has a very pleasant taste and is found in berries and fruits. This remedy is recommended for diabetics, as it does not require insulin for its absorption. According to many nutritionists, this product is useful for many other diseases; it can also be used in sports, baby food, recommended for older people.

Fructose is ideal for dieters as it does not contribute to weight gain. It is worth remembering that this product is much sweeter than sugar, so you need to clearly calculate the proportions.

Benefits and features of maple syrup

If you are interested in how to replace sugar with a healthy diet, you can use maple syrup, which is made from maple sap. The juice is collected, evaporated and concentrated without adding any additional products. The sweetness of this product is obtained due to the fact that it contains natural sugars.

It is a concentrated, sticky, sweet mixture, so you need to limit your consumption of syrup, as it contributes to weight gain. It is worth noting that with moderate consumption of this product you can get health benefits, since the composition contains vitamins, organic acids and mineral salts. It has anti-inflammatory, antitumor properties and contains many valuable antioxidants. It should be noted that this drug helps in the fight against type 2 diabetes. It can also be used in baking, as a good alternative to regular sugar.

What other products can be used as a sweetener?

Nutritionists have prepared a list of “How to replace sugar in a healthy diet.” This natural products, which help not only to diversify dishes, but also to improve health due to the content of vitamins and microelements.

Jerusalem artichoke syrup is considered one of the best healthy sweeteners, which in its own way appearance resembles a thick viscous solution of an amber hue. This product owes its sweetness to the presence of valuable and very rare polymers - fructans, which are quite rare in nature.

Thanks to plant fibers, a person gets a feeling of fullness, since their decomposition contributes to the release of glucose required for good nutrition brain In addition, the syrup contains organic acids, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.

If you need to know how to replace sugar in a healthy diet, stevia is considered a very good option, since the leaves of this unusual shrub contain glycosides that give sweet taste. The uniqueness of this sweetener lies in the fact that it contains many useful substances. At the same time, the product is not characterized high calorie content.

With proper nutrition and provide the body with carbohydrates?” is a question of interest to many people who monitor their diet and health. Good product Agave syrup is considered to be made from an exotic Mexican plant. However, it is worth remembering that during the preparation of the sweetener, a lot of fructose is concentrated in it, excessive consumption of which can cause deterioration in well-being. On the one hand, it does not increase blood sugar levels, but at the same time it can provoke insulin resistance.

This remedy is natural prebiotic, which helps lower cholesterol levels and is also good for the functioning of the digestive system, as well as fiber content.

How to replace sugar in baking

For those who like different culinary products, it is important to know how to replace sugar with proper nutrition in baked goods in order to reduce its calorie content, as well as make the dish more healthy. To reduce the number of calories, you can use sweeteners when preparing sweets.

You can also replace sugar and other types of sweeteners with dried fruits. They help not only bring the required sweetness to dishes, but also add a unique taste. Dried fruits can be added to muffins, cookies, buns and many others. confectionery.

A good dessert can be one rich in pectins and vitamins. applesauce. You can add berries, cinnamon, and nuts to it to taste. By adding cinnamon to baked goods, you can make its taste more piquant and somewhat sweet. This seasoning also helps strengthen immune system. Banana puree is considered a good addition when preparing dough, which helps give the finished product an unusual exotic taste.

Knowing how to replace sugar with proper nutrition in baked goods, you can diversify the prepared dish and reduce its calorie content.

How to replace sugar when losing weight

For those who are on a diet, it is very important to choose ones that will help remove body fat and lose weight. Everyone knows that various sweets are very high in calories and therefore should be excluded from your diet. Those who cannot live without sweet foods need to know how to replace sugar in a healthy diet while losing weight.

Choice dietary products and sweeteners largely depends on the degree of obesity, the presence of concomitant diseases, as well as the level physical activity. The principles of nutrition, while observing the rules of active or passive weight loss, imply consumption various products containing sugar or its analogues.

The diet must be balanced and contain a lot of proteins, complex and simple carbohydrates. They are required to restore strength. Healthy sweetness Dried fruits are considered as they help restore strength and satisfy hunger. In addition, some dried fruits help get rid of the feeling of heaviness in the muscles. When following a diet, you can consume sweets such as:

• white and pink marshmallows;
• jelly;
• paste;
• dried fruits;
• baked and fresh sweet fruits.

People who are prone to overweight, you should not consume sugar, and allowed sweets are in limited quantities. You are allowed to eat only one product from the list per day.

How to replace sugar in a healthy diet? This is a question that worries many, especially if it is not possible to give up confectionery products. If you really want to treat yourself to sweets, there are special confectionery products for diabetics that contain artificial sweeteners.

How to replace sugar with proper nutrition according to Dukan

To stay in shape and improve your health, you need to carefully monitor your diet and choose only healthy foods. When answering the question of how to replace sugar with proper nutrition, we must say with confidence that this product can be completely excluded from your diet.

The Dukan diet means that in the process of losing weight you can use sugar substitutes, the calorie content of which is zero. Best options in this case there will be Sukrasit and "Milford". All food products containing natural sugar in the form of glucose, sorbitol or saccharide are strictly prohibited.

In addition to tablet sweeteners, you can also use liquid ones. For example, it not only has sweetness, it also contains valuable microelements and vitamins. This product helps lower cholesterol, has an analgesic, anti-inflammatory effect and is an antioxidant.

Since the syrup contains simple sugars, it is recommended to consume it after intense physical activity because it helps replenish the lack of energy.

Sugar replacement for diabetes

If you have diabetes, you must eat in moderation. Products for people suffering from diabetes can be divided into healthy, restricted and prohibited. One of these prohibited products is granulated sugar, so you need to know how to replace sugar in a healthy diet so as not to aggravate your condition.

You can use xylitol, fructose, saccharin, sorbitol, and aspartame as sweeteners. However, it is worth remembering that regular use synthetic sweeteners are undesirable, as they can cause allergies. Dishes for diabetics can be prepared very tasty and varied. Can be eaten natural juices and fresh juices, dried fruits.

Dairy products without sugar

Milk contains its own sugar - lactose, the presence of which gives a sweetish taste. Addition to dairy products granulated sugar increases their calorie content, therefore healthy yoghurts and cheese curds become high-calorie. To avoid this, it is advisable to consume dairy dishes without sweeteners or add fresh or dried fruits.

Sugar is present in many dishes, but it causes serious harm to the body, so you can use alternative healthy products that can fully replace granulated sugar.

Natural sugar substitutes are derived primarily from sugar cane, plants, fruits, and grains and are becoming increasingly rare in health food stores. They can be added to homemade desserts and drinks to avoid harmful effects synthetic sweeteners present in most industrial products.

Honey

The first thing that comes to mind is, of course, honey! It is natural, sweet, tasty, medicinal. Gives energy to muscles, mental clarity and regulates the digestive system. It can be added to dairy products, fruit drinks, and herbal infusions. You can sweeten your tea, cocoa, coffee with it.

But don’t forget that you can add honey to hot drinks only after the drink has cooled to 40 degrees. For those who like to drink piping hot tea or coffee, honey is not suitable as a sugar substitute. It is also not suitable for baking, since when heated to 50 degrees it turns into a carcinogen.

Stevia

This natural sweetener is obtained from the leaves of the Stevia plant. Today, this sugar substitute can be found in any supermarket in the form of powder, sticks, granules, pieces. Buying sweetener in powder form pay attention to the composition.

Sometimes unscrupulous manufacturers replace part of the Rebaudioside powder (a substance derived from stevia) with other fillers to reduce the cost and increase the volume of the bag. Sometimes it is maltodextrin, which is harmful and has a very high glycemic index.

Stevia can be added to fruit salads, dairy desserts, and hot drinks. Unlike honey, stevia is also suitable for baking.

What other properties does stevia have and how to use it, read the article:

Delicious and no calories Read more about What is more effective: exercise or switching to proper nutrition? Massage, running or fasting?

Agave syrup

Agave syrup is a natural sugar extracted from the sap of the Mexican cactus, which is also used in the production of blue agave tequila.

The glycemic index of the syrup is 20. Its ability to increase blood sugar levels after eating is much lower than, for example, honey (GI = 85) or sugar (GI = 70), and its high sweetness allows you to reduce the amount of fructose consumed.

Another important benefit of agave syrup is its antibacterial property. Consumed in reasonable quantities, the syrup does not cause insulin release and can be consumed by people with diabetes.

Glycemic index (GI) is an index of the effect of a product, after consumption, on blood sugar levels. The maximum threshold of this index is 100 and belongs to glucose. The lower the glycemic index of a product, the slower the sugar level rises. And accordingly, when using a product with high index wait sharp jump blood sugar levels. For comparison, I’ll give chocolate: dark chocolate has an index = 22, milk chocolate has an index = 70. So draw a conclusion which type of chocolate is preferable for you. For those who are especially curious, I wrote a whole article on dark chocolate. Read at your leisure.

Birch xylitol

This sweetener is sold in powder form and contains virtually no carbohydrates, and it also has a GI = 0, which means that it does not increase blood sugar.

Birch xylitol has antibacterial properties. The sweetener does not cause the growth and reproduction of bacteria in the oral cavity.

Spices

There are many spices and herbs that can replace sugar. As nutritionists say: “spices can open up new aspects of taste for you and you will forget about the true taste of sugar.” Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almonds can be added to hot drinks, cakes, dairy desserts, coffee, and tea. Zero calories, new flavor aspects and weight beneficial properties for the whole body.

Apple and pear juices

All over the world, the source of sugar is cane and beets, and in Canada it is the sap of the sugar maple. The juice syrup is very healthy and contains more than 50 antioxidants. It can be added to muesli, desserts, and yoghurts.

Ideal as a sugar substitute in tea, coffee and fruit juices. Due to the laboriousness of preparation, syrup cannot be cheap. To prepare 1 liter of syrup, 40 liters of sugar maple juice are used.

Molasses

A dark, viscous syrup with a rich, exotic sugarcane molasses flavor. It is an ideal sugar substitute for tomato sauces, recipes with meat, legumes, fruits, for cakes and jams.

No less important nutritional value as a source of iron, which helps strengthen the immune system and mental function. At the same time a source of calcium, magnesium and potassium. It is a good ally to a balanced diet.

Fructose

Sweet lovers often try to replace sugar with fructose. Fructose, although a natural component, also has its pros and cons.

The advantages include:

• low GI, fructose is absorbed by our body almost three times slower than regular sugar.
• high energy value. Despite the slow breakdown process, fructose supplies the body with energy much faster than sugar.

The disadvantages include:

• slow feeling of fullness. As a result, we consume more sweets than we need.
• risk of developing heart disease vascular diseases and accumulation of visceral fat.
• The blood sugar level, although slowly, rises to high level and remains at this level for a longer time than after consuming our favorite sugar.

Fructose is broken down slowly and almost all of it is absorbed by liver cells. There it is processed into fatty acid(fat). Due to the slow feeling of fullness, we lack sweetness and consume more fructose than normal. As a result, the liver becomes overgrown with dangerous visceral fat, increasing the risk of developing obesity.

So those who want to lose weight and people with diabetes need to be careful when replacing sugar with fructose. Or consume it in very small doses.

Harmful sugar substitutes

In the second part of the article, I want to warn you against using these sweeteners. If the question arises: “What to replace sugar with?”, and your hands reach out to products from this list, then throw this idea out of your head altogether. You will be healthier!

Corn xylitol

Initially, xylitol was made only from birch. But as you yourself understand, birch grows for a long time and there is not enough of it for the whole world, so they came up with the idea of ​​​​making xylitol from corn. I have nothing against corn, I love it and adore it.

But to make products cheaper, genetically modified corn is now being grown. There are many laboratories where this corn is grown, processed into xylitol and sent as a sugar substitute to poor countries.

Unfortunately, manufacturers of corn-based xylitol are not very concerned about the quality of their products and our health, they are worried about profits. Moreover, the GI of corn xylitol is 70, sugar is also 70, is it worth changing the awl for soap?

Aspartame

This sugar substitute provides 0 calories and does not affect sugar levels. That's it positive properties are ending. Aspartame causes cancer and increases the risk of diabetes. It changes the ratio of amino acids in the blood and causes blocking of adrenaline.

Adverse reactions from taking aspartame are: decreased vision, hearing loss, drowsiness, headaches, dizziness, aggression, anxiety, insomnia. Long-term use this drug causes irreversible brain damage, peptic ulcer, mental retardation, epilepsy.

Everyone who is losing weight knows: sugar is just calories and no benefit. So why are we so irresistibly drawn to sweets? And how to cope with sugar addiction?

1. How bad is sugar really?

Sugar does not harm the body only if we consume it in moderation. The norm for sugar consumption is no more than 50 g (for women) and 60 g (for men) per day, including sugar hidden in other products. In fact, we eat about 140 grams of sugar!

Excess sugar is harmful. It inhibits secretion gastric juice, has a bad effect on digestion. It disrupts metabolism and provokes a lot of troubles - from allergies and skin diseases before inflammatory processes and wrinkles. It is commonly said that sugar is needed for brain function. In fact, the brain needs glucose. Its sources are fruits, dried fruits, honey. Sugar should only be used when other sources of glucose are not available.

2. Why does sugar and sweets cause excess weight?

IN digestive system sugar breaks down into glucose, which is absorbed into the blood. Part of the glucose is deposited in the liver in the form of glycogen, and all of its excess is converted into fat. The entry of glucose into fat cells promotes the hormone insulin. It is released by the pancreas in response to the entry of glucose into the blood from the intestines. The more glucose, the more insulin and the more fat is synthesized. First it leads to obesity, then there are diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis. These diseases are connected in a ball: the mechanisms of their development are so interconnected that they help each other progress. Today doctors classify them into a single disease, the so-called metabolic syndrome.

3. Why are those who are losing weight so drawn to sweets?

There are many reasons:

* Lack of calories as a result of going on a strict diet. A strong desire to “refuel” with candy arises if the calorie content of our diet does not exceed 1500 kcal. A hungry brain, which works exclusively on glucose, will persistently demand “gasoline” - sweet tea, cakes;

* Little food in the first half of the day, skipping a full lunch or replacing it with a light snack. More than half of the daily calories should be eaten before 16.00-17.00 hours. If before this time you consume less than 700-800 kcal, then the brain will “turn on” the mode of urgent search for a quick “refueling”, that is, sweets;

* Unbalanced diet, in which there is little in the diet complex carbohydrates and squirrel. If our food contains few of these nutritional elements, then a feeling of hunger appears and a desire to quickly satisfy it, for example, with sweets;

* Strict prohibitions on sweets that a person is simply unable to withstand, which leads to a breakdown;

* Just bad habit, self-indulgence.

* Chromium deficiency. When there is little of this microelement in the body, we are more drawn to sweets. But the more sugar we eat, the more chromium reserves are depleted. Sources of chromium include yeast, liver and whole grains. Chromium deficiency can also be compensated with the help of dietary supplements.

4. How does addiction to sweets appear?

Addiction to sweets does happen, but it is not genetically determined. After we eat sweets, excess simple carbohydrates quickly raise blood sugar levels. And after one and a half to two hours it drops below the level that was before the meal, and the body requires “supplements”.

The glucose contained in sugar stimulates the pleasure center in the brain. After eating a portion of sweets, a person strives to repeat the pleasant sensations. At the same time, sugar partially suppresses the production of satiety hormones - ghrelin and leptin. As a result, people with a sweet tooth constantly overeat.

5. Why do people prefer the most harmful combination for their figure: fatty and sweet, for example, cake or condensed milk?

This instinct was formed in prehistoric times: sweets for humans are living energy, fatty foods are a reserve in case of an unsuccessful hunt. That’s why these kinds of dishes seem so attractive and appetizing to us. But the assortment of sweets also includes many low-fat ones. For example, jam, jelly, and marmalade do not contain any fat, not to mention dried fruits, and even the fruits and berries themselves. There is little fat in marshmallows, marshmallows, some sweets and gingerbreads. To choose the right sweets, don’t be lazy in the store to look at the label. If you prefer homemade sweet pastries, you can also reduce its fat content. Nice welcome- replacing butter with prune, banana, apple and pumpkin puree.

6. Do you need to completely give up sweets if you want to lose weight?

Dietitians are unanimous: if in 90% of cases the person losing weight chooses the right one, healthy food, then the remaining 10% can be spent on various delicacies, and there will be no harm to the figure. So, if a woman with normal weight needs 2000 kcal per day, 200 kcal of this amount can be “spent” on sweets, cakes, and chocolate. For those who want to lose weight, you can set aside about 150 kcal for sweets (10% of daily calorie content losing weight about 1500). It's ½ cupcake and sweet tea. Or sweetened porridge for breakfast and 1 piece of candy.

7. Is it true that if we completely give up sweets, we can assume that we do not consume sugar?

Sometimes we carefully study labels in search of a low-calorie cake, but forget to read them on seemingly exemplary dietary nutrition products. Meanwhile, low-fat yogurt may contain more sugar than cookies. A 200-gram package of fruit yoghurt contains 15 g of carbohydrates, of which 10 g are sucrose. It turns out that there are 4 teaspoons of sugar in yogurt. Other sources of hidden sugar are cottage cheese, ketchup, muesli, and all kinds of drinks. Even sausage contains hidden sugar!

8. It is believed that industrially produced sweets are more dangerous than homemade sweets. Is it really?

True, since so-called glucose-fructose syrup is increasingly used for their production. It is found in almost all sweets and drinks. This syrup is made from corn and is used as a sugar substitute for economic reasons. It also acts as a kind of preservative - it prevents baked goods from becoming stale and adds thickness to ice cream. The peculiarity of glucose-fructose syrup is that it does not cause a feeling of fullness and stimulates appetite, even if you have just eaten a heavy meal. The calories obtained from this syrup are stored exclusively in fat. In the composition of products, it can be designated as “high fructose grain syrup”, “glucose-fructose syrup”, “corn sugar”, “corn syrup”, and also abbreviated as: VFZS, GFS, etc.

9. Should those losing weight replace sugar with fructose, which is sold in health food departments?

No! In the 1980s, fructose was promoted as the best natural sweetener. In the Montignac diet it appears as a product with low glycemic index. But the benefits of fructose are greatly exaggerated. It is only twice as sweet as sugar, but has the same amount of calories. In addition, in our body it turns into fat much easier than sugar. Fructose can only be used instead of sugar healthy people without excess weight.

10. Are there natural sugar substitutes?

The most famous natural sweeteners are xylitol and sorbitol. Xylitol is obtained from cotton husks, corn cobs, and birch bark. Sorbitol was originally made from rowan berries, but is now made from starch. This is not for those losing weight the best choice! The sweetness of xylitol is about the same as that of sugar. And sorbitol is even less sweet! At the same time, the calorie content of xylitol and sorbitol is the same as that of regular sugar - 4 kcal/1 g. The consumption rate of xylitol and sorbitol is no more than 20-30 g per day. If you eat more of them, you may get an upset stomach. There are other natural sugar substitutes. For example, molasses, or blackstrap molasses. This by-product sugar production. Molasses contains a lot of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins. There are fewer calories in molasses than in sugar: 290 versus 400. And the most ideal natural sugar substitute is stevia. This plant is native to South America. It is 10 times sweeter than refined sugar, and its substitute is 200-300 times sweeter. Stevia has no calories and does not cause an increase in sugar levels. The only drawback is that the taste has a slight bitterness.

Sucralose, a sugar substitute popular in many countries, is made from... sugar. By using chemical reactions change the sucrose molecule, as a result, the sweetness of sucralose increases 600 times! The safe dose of sucralose for humans is 1.1 mg per kilogram of human weight. This is many times more than a sweet tooth can eat. The disadvantage of sucralose is its high price.

11. Are synthetic sweeteners dangerous?

Most Popular artificial substitutes sugars - saccharin, cyclamate and aspartame. At one time they were accused of carcinogenicity and toxicity. These charges have now been dropped. Saccharin is 500 times sweeter than sugar. It has no calorie content. Saccharin can be consumed in an amount of no more than 0.25 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. Cyclamate is 30-50 times sweeter than sugar and is typically used in blended sweeteners to enhance their sweetness and aftertaste. Its safe daily dose is 7 mg/kg. Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, and when mixed with it it becomes 350 times sweeter! The caloric content of aspartame is the same as that of sugar: 4 kcal per gram. However, these calories can not be taken into account at all: after all, we consume it in negligible quantities. The disadvantages of aspartame include its low heat resistance. You can't bake a pie with it.

12. Are there any techniques to help you get rid of your obsessive love for sweets?

Yes. If you always buy a chocolate bar while standing in line at the cash register or buy a bun at a kiosk on the way home from work, change your habits and look for a way to get away from them. Standing at the cash register, take a chocolate bar in your hand, hold it and put it back. Take a different route back home, avoiding the buns. Instead of 2 spoons of sugar, put one in your coffee today, in a week - one and a half, then half, and in a month, unsweetened coffee will become tasty for you. Or sweeten it with sugar in the morning, and sweetener in the afternoon and evening.

If you are baking a pie or cake, do not add all the sugar called for in the recipe at once. Put some in and try. It is quite possible that you can adjust the recipe without compromising its taste.

Do you love sweets and can’t limit yourself to just one candy? Choose this tactic. Eat sweets not every day, but once a week - for example, on weekends, but more. Or make an agreement with yourself: you will only eat sweets when visiting or in a restaurant. Then the single portion can also be increased. The main thing is to see the opportunity to behave in a new, different way.

The fact that the harm of white sugar outweighs its benefits is known to those far from dietetics. Therefore, preoccupied with questions healthy image life and those losing weight are occupied with the question of how to replace sugar with proper nutrition and various diets.

Why is sugar harmful?

Sugar or sucrose (it’s more correct to say this from a chemical point of view) – food product, obtained by processing sugar cane and sugar beets.

Eating sugar saturates the body and fast carbohydrates, necessary for obtaining a charge of energy and nourishing the brain.

KBJU sugar (398 kcal, 99.7 g of carbohydrates, no fat and protein) is proof that the benefits of the product are minimal.

Also, glucose, a breakdown product of sucrose, significantly reduces the liver’s susceptibility to toxic effects.

At the same time Excessive sugar consumption is harmful to health:

• promotes the accumulation of fat mass and excess weight gain;
• causes diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis;
• provokes sudden changes in blood glucose levels, worsening well-being;
• reduces the body's resistance to infections;
• worsens the condition of tooth enamel;
• weakens the heart muscle.

This product has become so familiar to the diet that it is added to tea, coffee, compotes, cereals, and other dishes with almost no restrictions. But nutritionists strongly recommend not only limiting sugar consumption, but also replacing it with something less harmful to the body, for example, compote with honey instead of sugar is much healthier and no less tasty.

Essentially, sucrose is “empty” calories, that is, food with a high calorie content and extremely low nutritional value.

Sugar doesn't provide anything other than a short-term boost of energy. beneficial to the body . In addition, it is addictive: the body “tunes” to a certain level of glucose and, when it decreases, sends signals about lack of nutrition. Strongly expressed sweetness dulls taste sensations, making lower sugar foods bland and tasteless.

Natural sugar substitutes: the best choice

Ideal substitutes for sucrose are honey, fructose, stevioside, and syrups. They can be added to drinks (tea, coffee, compote), baked goods, cereals and other main dishes. They not only sweeten food, but also improve it taste qualities, make it more useful.

Honey instead of sugar

Honey is one of the most valuable natural products.

He's sweet thanks high content glucose, maltose, fructose, sucrose and other natural sugars.

Dark varieties of honey have a high content of fructose and microelements (potassium, calcium, phosphorus).

Honey not only makes food sweeter, but also improves its taste: add honey to tea instead of sugar and the aroma and aftertaste of the drink will improve significantly!

The honey palette is very diverse, so You can slightly change the flavors with honey ready meals by choosing the right varieties:

• acacia honey is very sweet - to the point of cloying, with a floral aftertaste;
• sweet clover – vanilla-sweet with a long aftertaste;
• linden – moderately sweet with muted bitterness;
• rapeseed – tart with a soft mustard aftertaste;
• sunflower – cold-sweet with a resinous aroma;
• heather - bitter-sweet and tart smell;
• buckwheat – slightly sweet with pronounced bitterness;
• chestnut – with coffee bitterness and a subtle sweet note.

But it’s better not to use honey instead of sugar for weight loss; its calorie content is very high - about 330 kcal.

Fructose

Fruit sugar is a better choice for diabetics and those prone to high blood sugar levels because the body does not need insulin to process it. It has a mild taste and a light, subtle, characteristic aroma.

IN large quantities negatively affects the liver.

Stevia

Stevioside is a processing product of stevia, a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family. Stevia extract is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose; the effect of its use occurs later, but lasts much longer. This means that the body is not saturated with energy as quickly as after consuming sugar, but the desired level of glucose in the blood is maintained longer. Steviozoids were considered mutagens, but extensive research has refuted this assumption.

Stevia is ideal for weight loss instead of sugar - 0 kcal!

Products with stevia can be added to coffee, tea, as well as baked goods and desserts instead of sugar.. They even make jam with stevia instead of sugar. But it is important to know how to use this substitute, because if you overdo it, you can get a bitter taste instead of a sweet one. Usually the manufacturer indicates the proportions and recommended doses. For example, 1/4 tsp is enough for a cup of coffee. purified stevia powder.

Natural syrups

Syrups - maple, agave, Jerusalem artichoke - are the healthiest products.

Natural syrups are a very good choice of sugar substitute.

Maple syrup obtained by evaporating the tree sap of black, red and sugar maples.

Agave syrup obtained from the stems and leaves of the agave plant from the asparagus family. The sugary juice is squeezed out of the plant and thickened. It resembles liquid honey in taste and consistency.

Jerusalem artichoke syrup- moderately sweet and very healthy. It is used in in kind and is used in the production of molasses.

Unnatural substitutes

On the market food additives Artificial low-calorie sweeteners are widely represented: aspartame, acesulfame, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, sodium cyclamate. They are several tens of times sweeter than sugar. But most of them have a negative effect on the liver, nervous system, heart muscle, and some promote the division of tumor cells. Therefore, I personally do not recommend using these products in a healthy diet.

What to eat sweets?

Not everyone can do without sweets. It is quite understandable to want to eat something sweet and tasty. Proper nutrition- this is not a diet, so those with a sweet tooth can sometimes treat themselves to healthy sweets.

A very successful replacement for sweets is dried fruit. You can drink tea with them or take them as a snack on the road or to work.

Dried fruits retain almost all the benefits of fresh fruits and berries, are very tasty and are quite suitable for satisfying the desire to “eat something sweet.”

The most healthy dried fruits– dates, figs, dried apples, dried pears, dried apricots, raisins, prunes.

Some nuts– cashews, coconut, almonds – also taste sweet, can replace the usual sweets, and are also very healthy.

Fruits and berries rich in fructose, which gives them a sweetish taste, as well as vitamins, microelements, and acids. Their benefits are undeniable. The sweetest of them are grapes, bananas, mangoes, persimmons, raspberries, apricots, mulberries, and melon. A multi-ingredient fruit and berry smoothie is perfect as a sweet, low-calorie dessert.

Useful video for those with a sweet tooth

I advise you to prepare delicious food during the season. the healthiest jam with honey instead of sugar. Just don’t get carried away with the delicacy - its caloric content is not small!

This video uses strawberries, but you can use any other berries or fruits: