Can you eat sweets on a diet? What foods can replace sweets, how to reduce cravings for sweets while losing weight?
To completely eliminate sweets from the diet is a difficult task that not everyone can do. What to do if you want something sweet and what to replace it with? Answers to questions below.
Can you eat sweets on a diet?
Adhering to a dietary diet, many have a problem - how to give up sweets. And the more limited the main diet during weight loss, the more you want sweets on the diet.
Researchers believe that consuming sweets is not a bad habit, but a biological need. First, sugar contains glucose, which in turn is indispensable for the whole body. Secondly, due to the consumption of such products, the body produces serotonin - a hormone that regulates mood, helps with the production of other hormones that are responsible for sleep, appetite, and activity.
Not many people know that completely eliminating sweets during a diet is not only unnecessary, but such a restriction can harm the body. The most pronounced harm is at the psychological level. This is natural, because the body is under stress and tries to compensate for the serious condition with a delicacy. It has been proven by medicine that people who do not get enough glucose are more likely to suffer from severe forms of depression.
If you are wondering if you can eat sweets on a diet, then remember that a small amount of sugar not only does not hurt, but will also be beneficial. Also, moderate consumption of the desired product will reduce the risk of breaking down and crossing out all the results.
What can you eat sweet on a diet
- Pastila, marshmallows - choose white, food coloring is not useful.
- Jelly - you can both fruit and dairy, better homemade.
- Chocolate - during the diet, only black is allowed, it must contain at least 72% cocoa.
- Ice cream is better if it is a quality sorbet.
- Dried fruits - you should be careful about the amount of their use. Without a doubt, dried fruits are very useful, and they contain fast-digesting carbohydrates, but the calorie content of the product is overestimated, so you need to control what you eat. The daily norm is 30 g.
- Fruit - anything except banana is allowed. There is no limit on their consumption, but you should not overeat. Saturation and psychological satisfaction comes later than from the usual sweets, so it is worth waiting a little.
How to replace sweets on a diet?
Any effective diet involves avoiding sweets. This rule, no doubt, works, but is not given to everyone. In fact, breaking the habit of drinking tea and coffee with sugar is not so easy. And giving up sweets and chocolate is even more difficult.
What foods to replace sweets on the diet:
- Sugar … The first to exclude pure sugar from the diet, but if tea and coffee have always been with it, refusal will be painful. Honey will be an alternative substitute. There are thousands of types of honey in nature, everyone can choose to their liking. It tastes sweeter than sugar, which means you need to add less. Honey has a number of medicinal properties that will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the body.
- Candies … This is the best alternative to sweets and another product that can replace sweets in the diet. For example, raisins have the same benefits as fresh grapes. Has a sedative effect. Helpful for osteoporosis. It is allowed to consume no more than 30 g per day. Prunes have a laxative, relieving constipation. Lowers blood pressure, improves vision. You can eat no more than 30 g per day. Dried apricots are rich in potassium, therefore they actively help in the work of the heart system and the prevention of cancer. The daily norm is 30 g. Dates increase the efficiency of the body. Help with colds and headaches. Eat no more than 30 g per day. The use of figs is the prevention of oncology. Expels parasites from the intestines and normalizes hormones and thyroid function. Increases immunity, is useful for the prevention of seasonal diseases. The daily norm is no more than 30 g.
- Chocolate … All nutritionists allow chocolate for any type of diet. But it is worth choosing high-quality dark chocolate, with a cocoa content of at least 72-80%. Regular consumption of a small amount of it helps to improve the functioning of the heart and the nervous system in general, and also normalizes blood pressure. It improves mood and stimulates the brain. The daily allowance is no more than 20 g.
- Cake and pastries … Jellies, marmalade, marshmallows, and marshmallows are considered alternatives. Jelly is a dessert containing gelatin, which has a positive effect on the work of muscles, ligaments and tendons. Regular consumption of jelly will help improve the condition of your hair, nails and skin. It can be made from fruit juices, purees, and low-fat dairy products. Jelly has a low calorie content, therefore it is suitable for a dietary diet. Fruit jelly does not contain fat, but it contains a lot of pectin. Some types of marmalade do not contain pectin, but agar is present here - a natural product obtained from algae. Agar agar has a detox effect on the body, removes toxins and toxins. Pastila and marshmallows are the most dietary delicacies that are recommended during a diet. They include apples, sugar and protein. These sweets are also rich in pectin. Protein is a building material necessary for muscle tissue, even despite its low content in treats, there is a benefit from it. It strengthens the immune system and improves brain function, lowers blood cholesterol and helps regulate bowel function. Marshmallow is also useful for hair, nails, blood vessels.
- Fruit juices … Store drinks are high in hidden sugars. Fruit and fruit smoothies and sugar-free compotes are considered the best substitutes. They have a low calorie content and a huge set of vitamins. It is allowed to eat everything except bananas. The latter have a high calorie content, so their amount should be controlled.
- Biscuits … Store baked goods contain a lot of sugar, as well as palm oil, the harm of which has long been proven by medicine. Oatmeal cookies and nuts are an alternative. It is better to bake cookies yourself, for example, oatmeal, so the composition without hidden additives will be known for sure. It contains a lot of fiber, which stimulates the digestion process and removes toxins from the intestines. Nuts are rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, and amino acids, which are essential for nourishing the brain and a healthy immune system. Eating nuts, you need to control their quantity, because the product has a very high calorie content and high fat content.
- Ice cream … There is no need to give it up, it contains protein, which is a building material for the body. But ice cream is high in calories. It is better if it is a high-quality sorbet - healthier and less nutritious, in contrast to milk-based ice cream. Sorbet is light, rich in vitamins and contains almost no calories.
What if you want sweets while losing weight?
It's hard to hold back if you want sweets. To determine what to do if you want something sweet on a diet, you need to study the reasons for this desire:
- Lots of free time … No matter how trite it may sound, but from excessive boredom, a person is inclined to seize his free time. That is, if you add variety to your life and constantly do what you love, the craving for sweets will fade away.
- Non-compliance with the water balance … The body tends to confuse thirst with hunger, so it is recommended to drink warm water and wait a little before eating a snack.
- Energy imbalance … If you eat only foods that carry little energy, there is a constant need to replenish it. This is how a craving for sweets appears, if you choose products with a longer saturation, you will want less sweets.
- Habit … For example, many people prefer desserts and pastries to tea, if this has been present in life for many years, then a habit is developed. In order to get rid of it, you need to hold out for 21 days.
- Lack of vitamins and minerals … If the body requires the same type of food all the time, for example, sweet or too salty, or smoked, this indicates a lack of certain vitamins or minerals, replenishing the supply of which will lose the craving for such food.
- Hormonal fluctuations … On certain days of the month, dieting becomes much more difficult, because of the unstable levels of testosterone and estrogen.
If you can't give up sweets and your desire does not diminish, you should choose the "right sweets" from the list of allowed foods on the diet. Alternatively, you can try classic ways to suppress sugar cravings:
- Focus on protein foods … Nutritionists advise to eat something protein first when you want something sweet. Protein foods include meat products, dairy, green vegetables. A sufficient amount of protein per day stabilizes blood sugar levels, and the need for sweets disappears after 15-20 minutes. It will not be possible to completely solve the problem with such a diet, but the desire will noticeably decrease.
- Change of taste preferences … It is necessary to develop a habit of eating right, for this it is important to know how to replace sweets on the diet, and to hold out for 21 days. Psychologists have proven that this period is enough to acquire a new habit.
- Mint tea or mint toothpaste … This method helps temporarily, but significantly mutes the consumption of sweet treats.
- Sweets for labor … For an hour's workout, a prize is awarded in the form of one candy or coffee with sugar. The disadvantage of this method is self-control, you can agree on a kilogram of sweets, which will not have a positive effect on the result.
Is it possible to eat sweets on a diet - look at the video:
When you go on a diet, there is no need to completely eliminate sweets, and even better not to. There should be a measure in everything, and this rule also applies to the consumption of sweets. Therefore, observing the framework and knowing what sweets are possible on a diet, you can not worry about the result achieved.
