Everyone knows that it is extremely harmful to abuse cakes, pastries and sweets: both teeth deteriorate from this, and excess weight appears. However, very, very many people are familiar with the problem firsthand sweet tooth... They cannot live a day without a cake, or even two, they cannot deny themselves the pleasure of eating a piece of cake, and it is better to have more, and when they see sweets they simply forget about everything in the world. Is this eating behavior really as harmful as doctors say it is? And if so, what are the reasons for this phenomenon, and how can you get rid of it? Let's try to figure it out.
Let's talk about the reasons first
The first thing that comes to mind when you see a sweet tooth is that excessive consumption of sweets is just a bad habit. In fact, this is absolutely not the case, and it is not a matter of habits. The reasons for the irrepressible craving for sweets lie in something completely different, and, moreover, are divided into biochemical and psychological.
Not so long ago, Canadian scientists from the University of Toronto found that addiction to sweets may be due to human genetic characteristics. According to researchers, carriers of a particular gene consume more sugar and sweeteners.
Do you want a sweet life?
But psychologists say that with sweets, people compensate for the lack of happiness, positivity and positive emotions in their lives. The fact is that during the absorption of food in general, and during consumption a large number glucose, that is, sugar, especially in the brain hormone-like substances are released in large quantities - endorphins, in particular serotonin, which are called "pleasure hormones". It is thanks to these chemical substances that our mood improves. And that is why many people especially want something sweet during stressful periods of life, during stress and overload. British nutritionists, for example, found that 52% of people over the age of 24 eat bad luck with chocolate.
Therefore, the first thing to do if you feel a pathological craving for sweets is to try to track down under what life circumstances you want sweets especially strongly.
Scientists at Princeton University conducted a number of interesting experiments, which resulted in the conclusion that ordinary sugar can be regarded as a narcotic substance. During the study, it was found that sugar can cause addiction, similar to alcohol, drug and tobacco. Scientists have studied the effects of sugar on laboratory rats for several years. In previous studies, researchers found that rats fed sweets tended to increase their sugar intake over time and were uncomfortable if sugar suddenly disappeared from their diet. As it turned out, sweet-tooth rodents are able to experience a passionate desire for sugar and are able to survive periods of remission. All these phenomena are signs of acquired dependence. Sugar can have a long-term effect on the brain, increasing the release of the pleasure hormone, that is, actually acting like a soft drug. It is logical to assume that some people are capable of developing a similar sugar dependence.
So if you suspect that you are suffering from sugar addiction, get rid of it as soon as possible, before you are classified as a drug addict.
What's bad about it?
Sugar in its pure form - in the form of refined sugar - is completely unnecessary for our body. It does not contain anything useful - these are just carbohydrates, moreover, easily digestible (fast, as they are also called). There is practically no benefit from them, because as quickly as they are absorbed, they turn into excess fat. The excess adipose tissue accumulated in the body has its own hormone-like activity that resists the action of insulin. Decreased insulin sensitivity is a precursor diabetes mellitus and a whole bunch of diseases that tend to develop against its background. In addition, the work of the intestines is disrupted, since pathogens also "love" sweets. Due to violation acid-base balance mucous membranes, fungal diseases of the oral cavity, genitals, intestines occur. Hormonal metabolism and metabolism are disrupted: the body gets used to readily available energy sources, and then it can be very difficult to “retrain” it. And in a healthy person with a normal metabolism, the body does not feel any need to facilitate its work and is completely satisfied with those carbohydrates that are contained in food.
How to get rid of your sweet tooth
Since, as indicated above, sweet tooth associated with the need to increase serotonin levels, it is reasonable to replenish your diet with foods that contain it.
Serotonin is produced in our country from its precursors, in particular, from tryptophan - one of the essential amino acids obtained from food. A person needs at least 1 gram (1000 mg) of tryptophan per day, and naturally more when stressed. French nutritionists consider 1-2 grams of tryptophan a day to be the norm.
Here's how many milligrams tryptophan is in 100 g of various foods:
- legumes: peas, beans - 260 mg, soy - 714 mg, lentils - 284 mg
- cereals, potatoes: buckwheat - 180 mg, pasta - 130 mg, wheat flour (i grade) - 120 mg, oatmeal - 160 mg, millet - 180 mg, rice - 80 mg, rye bread - 70 mg, wheat bread - 100 mg, potatoes - 30 mg
- dairy: milk, kefir - 40-50 mg, Dutch cheese - 790 mg, processed cheese - 500 mg, low-fat cottage cheese - 180 mg, fat cottage cheese - 210 mg
- meat: beef, turkey - 200 mg and even higher
- vegetables, mushrooms, fruits: white cabbage - 10 mg, carrots - 10 mg, beets - 10 mg, mushrooms, oyster mushrooms - 210-230 mg, apples - 3 mg
- eggs: 200 mg per 100 g (one and a half to two eggs).
After analyzing these data, it is easy to see that cheese is the record holder for tryptophan content. Agree that this is a worthy substitute for cakes and pastries, especially since a huge variety of cheese varieties can satisfy almost any taste.
Bananas are another champion of serotonin-containing foods.
It is also possible to facilitate the fight against sugar addiction and improve metabolism with the help of dietary supplements. For example, the well-known Robert Atkins used glutamine to rid patients of sugar cravings. When cravings for sweets appear, take 1-2 grams of an amino acid, preferably with heavy cream, and the intolerable desire will pass. The American National Institute of Mental Health recognizes the importance of glutamine in the treatment of sugar addiction.
Another possible helper in the fight against addicted to sweets- dietary supplement chromium picolinate. It has a beneficial effect on glucose metabolism in the body, reduces sugar cravings, reduces appetite and promotes weight loss.
But do not forget that you need to start the fight against sugar addiction with the improvement of the regime and diet in general. It is important not to wait until you are overwhelmed by an uncontrollable feeling of hunger, but to eat in small portions, but more often. Fruits and vegetables are high in carbohydrates that provide a feeling of fullness. Try to substitute them (but not grapes!) For candy or cake.
And finally, if nothing really helps, and life without candy is not sweet for you, give preference to confectionery for diabetics. They do not contain glucose, but they have a rather sweet taste. They are inexpensive, and you can buy them now in almost any store.
We are publishing an excerpt from the book, in which the authors tell how sugar addicts are more effective in losing weight. We remind you that these tips are information for thought, and not a guide to action and will not replace the advice of a specialist who diagnoses your problem.
Sleep eight hours a night to curb your appetite
The opinion that the first hours of sleep are the sweetest is not without reason. If you don't get enough sleep, your body won't rest and your body weight may increase. Poor sleep causes changes in the levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, which control appetite, which means that the person will feel more hungry, especially the desire to eat something sweet. Not getting enough sleep also lowers growth hormone levels. Growth hormone stimulates an increase in muscle mass (and muscle burns fat), and also improves insulin sensitivity, which reduces the tendency to store fat. If you don't get enough sleep, your risk of obesity increases by 30 percent and an average weight gain of 2.3 kilograms can be expected.<...>
Support your adrenal glands to reduce sugar cravings
Type 2 sugar addicts can gain weight in two ways: during stress and high cortisol levels, and during sugar cravings during low cortisol and adrenaline depletion phases. If you have hypoglycemia, consider taking adrenal medications, which include licorice<...>
Treat hypothyroidism to prevent weight gain
More than 26 million Americans suffer from hypothyroidism (a condition caused by inadequate hormone levels in the body). thyroid gland- Marie Claire), but less than a third of them receive the correct diagnosis and treatment. This is due to the fact that in most cases routine blood tests do not show insufficient thyroid function. In the meantime, the function of the thyroid gland is insufficient, it is almost impossible to keep the body weight in the norm. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, low body temperature (below 37 ° C), pain, and mental disturbances. Even a few of these symptoms are enough to justify a trial course of natural thyroid hormones. If you have hypothyroidism, taking thyroid hormones can dramatically improve your well-being and help you lose unnecessary pounds.
Correct nutritional deficiencies to speed up metabolism
With vitamin deficiency and a lack of minerals, the body, trying to get what it needs, requires more food than usual, and the metabolism is inhibited. Many types of nutritional deficiencies can cause these food cravings, so overall body support works best. Receive the necessary nutrients conveniently with a good vitamin powder.
Stop Yeast Overgrowth to Facilitate Weight Loss
As we discussed in Chapters 3 and 8, overgrowth of fungi (yeast, Candida) contributes significantly to sugar cravings and weight gain. Although we do not know the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, once the treatment stops the proliferation of excess yeast, excess weight is often reduced. The main causes of a yeast infection are excessive sugar intake and antibiotics.
Common problems caused by a yeast infection include chronic sinusitis and spastic colitis (gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation). If you have any of these symptoms, you are probably suffering from overgrowth of yeast.<...>
Cure insulin resistance to regulate blood sugar
The hormone insulin is used by the body to regulate blood sugar levels. It is the key that opens the doors from blood to cells so that fuel - sugar - gets into them. Through this we receive energy. Insulin helps you burn more calories by speeding up your metabolism and reducing body weight.
Unfortunately, many factors of modern life lead to the so-called insulin resistance. However, very high insulin levels are required to move sugar from the blood to the cell furnaces. One of the main causes of insulin resistance is excessive consumption of sugar, especially fructose, which is found in sodas and fruit drinks. High insulin levels cause the body to convert carbohydrates into fat, and this is one of the main reasons for reversible weight gain. Other factors are lack of physical activity and hormonal imbalances, which we discussed above.
Insulin resistance requires a simple fasting blood insulin test. Normal (that is, anything but the two highest and lowest percentages) is considered to be between 2 and 25 units / ml, but if the blood insulin level is above 10-14 in the morning on an empty stomach, I consider it elevated and indicative of insulin resistance.
If sugar-dependent women have abnormal facial hair growth, insulin resistance may be associated with elevated levels of the male hormone testosterone. This is indicated by high or simply elevated blood levels of testosterone, or DEAS. This situation can cause not only weight gain, but also another problem: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This can be followed by fatigue bad dream, infertility and a host of other complications. PCOS is made worse by excess sugar intake, but often responds well to treatment with metformin (this is a prescription drug)<...>
Take Acetyl-L-Carnitine to Burn Fat
Another important cause of weight gain is carnitine deficiency. If you don't get enough of this substance, your body will convert calories into fat, which is almost impossible to remove. But the usual intake of supplements does not give the desired effect, because in this case, carnitine does not enter the cells in sufficient quantities. You should take 1000 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine (it penetrates the cells better) daily for four months. This will give you a burst of energy and make it possible to reduce body weight.
Photo: Getty Images, Press Services Archive
In my opinion, the best way to get rid of sugar addiction is through an argument. I will make a reservation in advance that this method is effective only for people who are characterized by passion and self-respect. And also, for those who like to flaunt their achievements, and it doesn't matter whether he does it in front of all the people around him or just scrolls thoughts about victory in his head without divulging details.
Term - from 30 calendar days. Better - all 60.
I'm not sure if you can give up sweets in 21 days. During this time, you can not eat Him, but at the same time, any breakdown will be a commemoration of the failure of the idea itself, as well as the inability to return to it again, since this is perceived as a loss in the fight against bad habits, which means faith in your strengths and capabilities very much weakening.
As I did: we concluded a dispute with a friend for a period of one month, a strict restriction was introduced on any desserts. Let me explain, it was allowed to eat 2 pieces of sweets per day, And these are: two sweets, two cookies, two tablespoons of sugar, a portion of honey, a portion of jam, half a piece of cake or cake, one scoop of ice cream, a piece of marshmallow, etc.
We made sure to indulge ourselves. Our main goal was to refuse chocolate, as well as cakes, pastries, sweets and desserts that are produced in factories, factories or in pastry shops and cafes.
Naturally, we chose and compiled a list of indulgences, because if we limit ourselves in absolutely everything and leave no alternative options, then life will turn into hell, and refusal of sweets will be associated with stress, rather than with a conscious and desired choice.
It was possible to consume alcohol, coffee drinks, such as cappuccino or latte with various syrups (by the way, I used to order myself a dessert with a bite to these drinks, but it turned out that they were quite self-sufficient).
We did not limit ourselves in the use of sauces, and shake are allowed, and nuts and dried fruits in any quantity.
I did not indicate the terms of the dispute: if one of us loses, that is, exaggerates the possible daily dose, then he pays 100 euros to another party to the dispute.
You say: “it cannot be verified”, “anyone can lie or cheat in this situation”, “it cannot be controlled”.
But, at the very beginning of the conversation, I said that this option is possible only for self-respecting people, for whom the prerogative and obligation is honesty towards another person. Perhaps it is useless to argue if this amount is impossible for you, or you are not ready to part with it. But it should be at least not a grain of sand in your budget.
My friend and I honestly held out in this dispute. Both she and I are insanely prone to sweet cravings, especially chocolate and confectionery. The madness was expressed in the fact that I could eat one or two bars of chocolate without thinking about how much it is for my body.
What I felt during the period when I actively consumed sweets (by the word active, I mean one or two bars of milk chocolate a day or an alternative amount of desserts, for example: cookies, sweets, cakes, etc.):
1. Bloating and seething in the abdomen, visual enlargement of the lower abdomen, its frank bulging in relation to the chest.
2. Constant appetite, desire to drink tea with something sweet, not indifference to food.
3. Absolutely any meal had to be finished with dessert. Without this, breakfast, lunch or dinner seemed incomplete, there was a complete feeling that something had not been given to me in this life.
4. Drowsiness, loss of energy that arose after eating and dessert, in connection with overeating, since after 5-10 minutes I understood something from the amount of food that I ate was too much for me. But at that moment I could not do anything about it. No matter how I persuade myself, no matter how consciously I relate to this problem, decide to eliminate it and I could not.
5. Half an hour or 40 minutes after eating, I had a breakdown and mood, point there was some moral itching: I thought that I had not relaxed enough during lunchtime, and that I could use another cup of coffee with something sweet, so that now, in fact, to really get away from any problems.
5. I constantly had pimples on my forehead.
6. I could never stop, having eaten, for example, not a whole chocolate bar, but only half, left the other half for tomorrow. Psychologically, I really enjoyed finishing the process of eating sweets. When I saw an empty chocolate box, you did not mix up two feelings of a colon of satisfaction from the completion of the process, and a sharp, all-consuming feeling of guilt, for the fact that I again, once again, did what I so swore to myself not to do “from now on and in forever and ever ”.
The first five days of the argument, I climbed the wall. It was beneficial that I was on vacation, and everyone around me knew that I had entered into this dispute. Of course, it was impossible to screw up in front of friends.
After that, it seemed to be easier, but in any case I had to concentrate all the time on the fact that I deliberately refused sweets, I had a dispute, the consequences of this dispute would be significant for me.
What prevented me from just taking and getting drunk on my own, without telling anyone about it, was my conceit. No matter how pretentious it may sound, the moment of excitement and desire for superiority over the enemy, even for a woman, is far from the last motivator.
What happened after 30 days?
We happily celebrated the end of the dispute! The next day I went and ate 5 different desserts. I'm not kidding! On this day, there was a bar of chocolate, and a cake, and a handful of sweets, and 2 desserts at McDonald's and so on. However, I noticed that all these actions seem to me long forgotten, strange, and, in some way, forced.
Yes, I used all this assortment of desserts, but they did not bring me the satisfaction that I got every time I used them every day. But once again I frankly felt everything side effects colon bloating, loss of strength and mood, acne, swelling.
At that moment, I clearly appreciated what exactly in my life is more dear and necessary for me: a second vivid sensation, or long-term pleasure from my appearance, mood, emotional stability.
A dispute with a friend We decided to re-enter. I do not know personally those same "English scientists, conducted research and proved" that a habit is formed in 21 days. From my own experience, I was convinced that this is not enough for me. This period is just right to get to know your possible new habit of refusing sweets. Certainly, in my opinion, there will be a breakdown. And if you consider this breakdown as the end of your successful struggle with addiction, then all your efforts will go down the drain. Many girls who are constantly losing weight are familiar with the concept of "cheat mil", when you stay on a strict diet for a certain amount of time, and in one of them you do not arrange for yourself to be loaded with absolutely any products of your choice. However, in my opinion, this is an effective option for those who really understand how it works on their own body. In most cases, it happens that losing weight people manage to spend 1-2 days on a diet, followed by a series of similar cheat meals. And this does not at all look like a reward for hard work and adherence to the regime, but rather like a disregard for the next promise to myself, from the series "I will never again ...".
What did I get from getting rid of sweets?
* It should be noted that we have successfully held out for the indicated period with a friend, prolonged the dispute, and as gratitude for the award promised ourselves to go and ride horses - a mutual desire, expensive, unusual, satisfying, something that you can boast about.
1. I got rid of acne.
During this period, my face really became clean, for the first time in 26 years.
2. I understood: dessert is not a dogma. You can really sit in a cafe only with a cup of coffee. If you madly want something sweet, then let this coffee turn out to be a fragrant cappuccino with almond chips and caramel syrup. In any case, it will turn out to be less high-calorie than the same cappuccino, but with an appetizing cheesecake. If you are hungry, then order yourself some savory food, since a snack in the form of a cake will not save you, but only whet your appetite and worsen your mood.
3. You will have another topic for conversation with colleagues and friends. Not everyone will support you, many people will make fun of and laugh at your efforts and desires. But it will become clear who really sympathizes with your achievement, and who secretly envies your success.
Feel free to share your dispute with others. This does not need to be booked, but if you move the plate of cake away from you, then you can quite calmly explain the reason why you are doing this. After all, the option I decided so, always meets external resistance, excuses, conditions, and so on. And if you say: “I can lose 100 euros on this,” then people are almost always sympathetic to the unwillingness to part with their hard-earned money. And although it may still seem quite funny to them, no one will convince you: “Come on! Eat this piece, it's only 100 euros. " Because those around them understand that, under such conditions, they themselves would hardly agree to do it.
4. You will stop wanting and eating often. More precisely, you will learn to distinguish hunger, from the desire to be distracted and in between times to chew something high-calorie and tasty, in order to escape from problems. The downside, of course, is: you have to look for new ways to relax and let go of the situation. The options I can offer are breath, alcohol, phone calls to friends, a short walk. Probably, for smokers, a cigarette can also become such an option, but I cannot promote this, since I myself do not smoke. Of course, at this moment you can shout that such behavior of a dash is a kind of sublimation of bad habits, but in my opinion, this is a matter of the choice of each person.
No need to throw stones at me, I wanted to get rid of my addiction to sweets and I did it!
5. I have lost weight! Moreover, I understand that the volumes have gone: fat, and edema caused by the constant large amount of sugar consumed. The stomach became almost flat, I forgot what bloating and bubbling are.
7. I feel thirsty much less often! Previously, I actively believed in stories about 2 liters of liquid a day and safely exceeded this norm. I didn’t leave the house without a bottle of water, as I understood that I might need it at any moment. Now you want to drink much less often. This is convenient because I can function and live without constantly thinking about the need for water.
8. What did I replace chocolate and cakes with?
Bananas, honey, nuts, dried apricots, alcohol, grapes, side dishes (which, by the way, I practically ignored before)
9. I finally really felt what sweet Was my addiction!
I in no way refuse I refuse that sooner or later the possibility of breakdowns, sooner or later possible periodic Return to the previous way of life and eating sweets, Since this has been typical of me for many, many years. But I finally understand, from my own experience, what results the rejection of sweets brings for my body, and I have the opportunity to choose.
We often play, We argue, we compete in childhood. But with age, the relevance of such games, especially for female representatives, drops sharply. Excitement and anthology become uninteresting to us, we forget about them.
But if you feel that such a method can help you, be sure to Find a person with a comma in front of whom it will be difficult and dumb to screw up. And argue with him / her, finding out what he would like to do, but for some reason is still afraid.
The method is more than effective, tested on myself!
One and a half to two times). Sugar - food supplement number one: Found in drinks (often in the form of syrups), breads, sauces, seasonings, and all convenience foods, including low-fat foods.
One of the best steps you can take to improve your health and lose weight is to cut back on your intake. This does not require tremendous willpower or the decision to abruptly tie up with sweets (unless, of course, you yourself want to).
Nutritionist, specialist in healthy eating... Develops individual weight loss programs using diets based on traditional recipes from different countries. Creator of the blog AnnesHealthyKitchen.com.
Ann Richie offers just four steps to free your diet from sugar. Do it in order (only the fourth tip can be applied at any time).
1. Make a plan for a month (or more)
There is mounting evidence that sugar is addictive. But even if you cannot live without sweets and are used to sugar, then do not despair.
Many will try to convince you that getting rid of addiction is very difficult because of the influence of hormones and neurotransmitters on the brain. But this position does not give confidence. In fact, with the right approach, you can get rid of your sugar cravings. I have helped many women with great success.
The best plan is to try to transition to the new diet smoothly, step by step, giving your body and taste time to adapt.
In deciding to give up sugar, people make the mistake of wanting to be perfect right away, and from day one they completely eliminate sugar from the menu. This method may work for people with overly strong addictions, but experience with moderate addictions has shown that a humane, gentle approach works much better.
Trust that you can handle it, and promise yourself to give your best in a period of time that you think is realistic.
2. Find the number one sugar source in your diet.
Think about what you eat and drink and find the main source of sugar. Prime Suspects: Soda and beverages you add sugar to, baked goods.
Maybe you drink a lot of ready-made fruit juices, buy liters of lemonade, maybe put four tablespoons of sugar in each cup of tea, or snack on sweet yoghurts and desserts all the time. Or maybe you eat cookies or muffins all day.
When it's clear what needs to be checked off the menu, make a plan. If you drink tea with three tablespoons of sugar, reduce the amount gradually, so that after a week you can drink with two. A week later - with one.
If you drink 4 liters of soda a week, skip two glasses for the first seven days, then again and again. The gradual withdrawal will not cause you any discomfort.
To be successful, you need to maintain an enthusiasm for the sugar-free drive, not worrying about your deprivations, or dwelling on your own imperfections.
3. Choose natural products
Of course, the selection of convenience foods and ready meals is huge. And sugar hides in cakes, cookies, ice cream, popcorn, dryers, muesli, bars, condiments, sauces and spices.
Gradually replace prepared food and convenience foods with organic products... Preparing your own meals will help you significantly reduce your sugar intake in the long run. Proceed in this direction for 30 days using the same phased transition as before.
4. Fight addiction with sleep
Every time sugar addicted people say they need to eat six times a day, I ask how many hours a day they sleep. And it often turns out that no more than six.
Have you ever had an overwhelming desire to eat something sweet, literally turning into an obsession? If you rarely encounter such a change in consciousness, it's okay, you can pamper yourself. If obsessive thoughts about sweets bother you with persistent regularity, it is quite possible that you have developed a sugar addiction, from which you need to try to get rid of as soon as possible.
After reading the information below, you will find out what are the reasons for the development and the main manifestations of sugar addiction, what symptoms characterize such a condition, how dangerous it is, and how you can get rid of the destructive craving for sweets.
Why is sugar addiction dangerous?
Every person hears about the dangers of excessive consumption of sweets since childhood - such a diet leads to rapid tooth decay. The risk of such occurrence is directly related to how much sugar the human body receives.
But the danger of the sweet does not end there. Easily digestible sugar is converted very quickly into fat by the body. In the presence of a large amount of body fat, the body suppresses the production of insulin, the key function of which is to utilize glucose. Under these circumstances, excessive consumption of sweets can lead to the development of a very serious disease called diabetes mellitus.
An equally unpleasant consequence of sugar addiction is obesity, as well as the following factors:
- an increase in the likelihood of developing fungal diseases;
- increasing the risk of contracting infections, the causative agents of which show increased activity in relation to sweets. These include, first of all, infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
How does sugar addiction develop?
Sucrose is a simple carbohydrate. When it enters the body, it is very quickly broken down into fructose and glucose, followed by their release into the bloodstream.
Surely you are familiar with this state: no mood - ate candy - almost immediately cheered up and began to feel better. The secret is simple: glucose is an important source of energy for the human body. He can get it from almost any product, but it is from the use of sweet that the release of the described substances is carried out as quickly as possible.
First of all, glucose enters the brain, after which its "journey" continues to the muscles, kidneys and other organs. In the brain, glucose is consumed almost instantly. The response of other organs may differ: they either process glucose into glycogen, or they break it down into substances that cells currently need most of all. If glucose stops unclaimed, the body simply processes it into body fat.
Dependence on sweets also develops against the background of the rapid assimilation of sucrose by the body. With a rapid increase in sugar levels and the release of insulin, an erroneous reaction of the body occurs, which is reduced to "carbohydrate starvation": the food is absorbed too quickly, you need to eat more! Along with this, the human body is not able to adequately take too much simple carbohydrates... The intake of additional doses of sweets causes a new series of "sugar hunger", which leads to the formation of a vicious circle and provokes addiction.
It would seem that the brain should settle the situation. But he also suffers from excessive consumption of sugar: processes of activation of beta-endorphin receptors occur, i.e. a person simply gets pleasure, which is what the brain testifies to.
Dependence on sweets can develop at the psychological and biochemical levels.
Principles of Psychological Sugar Addiction
The development of such takes place in conditions of a lack of human body endorphins - hormones of good mood, happiness and joy. A person is starving "emotionally", "mentally", and in an attempt to satisfy this hunger begins to eat various sweets. Because of them, the level of endorphins increases, a person becomes more joyful, but for a short time.
After the concentration of endorphins decreases, the bad mood becomes even more pronounced, due to which the need for sugar increases significantly. By this mechanism addiction develops.
If it's all about the lack of endorphins, you need to include in the diet foods that contribute to its production. These include:
- buckwheat and oatmeal;
- turkey meat;
- diluted lime juice;
- mushrooms.
If everything is in order with the mood, but you still want something sweet, the problem with a high degree of probability lies at the biochemical level.
Principles of biochemical dependence on sugar
In this case, the craving for sweets arises from a chromium deficiency.
When a person eats any sweetness, in his body, as already noted, the sugar content increases. The pancreas reacts to this and produces insulin. One of its key tasks is to deliver glucose to organs and tissues in order to meet their energy needs. Further, the concentration of sugar decreases to a level that is inferior to the previous one - the body always produces insulin "with a reserve". The brain reacts to this by generating signals of glucose deficiency. On a subjective level, this is perceived by a person as hunger.
Frequent production of excessive amounts of insulin can lead to very serious problems: tissues and organs simply stop responding to its effects, as a result of which the mechanisms of glucose absorption, delivered by the forces of this very insulin, are turned off. Tissues do not accept sugar, insulin cannot transport it back and simply processes it into fat deposits. This is how one of the characteristic adverse effects of sugar addiction develops - obesity. In parallel with this, there is a manifold increase in the risks of developing diabetes mellitus.
It would seem, where is chrome? The bottom line is as follows. Thanks to chromium, among other things, the glucose concentration in the body is normalized.
This is due to a decrease in the amount of insulin produced and a simultaneous increase in the sensitivity of tissues and organs to its effects. At the same time, the body receives the required amount of energy not only thanks to glucose, but also through the use of fat deposits. It is thanks to these properties of chromium that there is a decrease in cravings for sweets.
The human body is able to produce chromium, but this ability is inhibited with age. Excessive consumption of sugar only aggravates the situation: because of it, a significant leaching of an important trace element from the body occurs.
How to get rid of sugar addiction, it is enough to pull yourself together and give up it for at least 2-3 weeks - it will become much easier. If all else fails, you should include foods high in chromium in your diet:
- broccoli;
- meat;
- bran;
- Brewer's yeast;
- liver;
- whole grains.
In mild cases, it is enough to eat a little broccoli at least once a week to get rid of the obsessive craving for sweets. You just need to remember that intense heat treatment impairs the assimilation of chromium by the body.
If you cannot overcome sugar addiction with the help of the above methods, consult a doctor - a qualified specialist will perform a comprehensive assessment of your condition and give the most effective recommendations for normalizing the situation.
Do not overuse sweets, react in a timely manner to adverse changes in your condition and be healthy!
Documentary: "Sugar addiction. White death"