Scientists increasingly compare sugar dependence with drug addiction. In an excessive amount of sweets, you feel euphoric and give extra energy. Check if sugar has turned into dope for you.
When sugar enters the bloodstream, the central nervous system transmits impulses to the part of the brain responsible for satisfaction and affection. It would seem that this is bad? We really often want to treat ourselves to sweets when we are tired or upset about something. Who did not jam a bad mood or an unsuccessful romance with chocolate?
However, in February 2015, experts from the French National Center for Scientific Research in Bordeaux published experimental data that prove that sugar, when consumed regularly in large doses, causes addiction akin to narcotic. And the more sweet we absorb, the more you want and the more difficult it is to stop.
We are talking, of course, only about refined sugar and fast carbohydrates, which are found in carbonated drinks, packaged juices, sweets, cookies, shop desserts and pastries. Natural sugar (honey, fruits, stevia) and slow carbohydrates (from whole grains and vegetables) are processed by the body into energy and bring benefits to it.
Regular sugar, due to industrial processing, loses its nutritional value, and abuse of it leads to addiction, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.
Like many obsessive states, sugar addiction, if not combated, progresses over time. Nutritionist Laurent Chevalier summarizes this phenomenon with the phrase: “Sugar requires sugar.” Sometimes we start to eat more and more sweets without even realizing ourselves in this report. Just submit to the requirement of the body.
Check yourself. Here are four signs of sugar addiction. If you have at least one, you should seriously consider and begin to control the consumption of sweets.
1. SWEET YOU RELAX
Ice cream to cheer up at the end of a difficult day, eclair to cool off after a quarrel with a loved one. Familiar situations? Often, first a psychological or emotional dependence on sweets arises, which can lead to a physiological one. We justify ourselves when we reach for the 20th candy: “Today was a bad day. It’s necessary to somehow relieve stress, and tomorrow I’ll go on a diet. ”
But the matter is not even in the extra pounds. If you eat fatigue or a bad mood in a dessert, chew chocolate when you are nervous or afraid, this is an alarming symptom.
Try not to jam emotions or at least do it in a more useful way. Set the cake aside, take a carrot or an apple. Does the replacement seem uneven? The cake is calming, but the carrot is not, which means you are one step away from sugar addiction.
2. YOU FEEL A NEED FOR A SWEET
Although the line is thin, do not confuse love to eat and food dependence. “It is important to distinguish desire from need,” says Laurent Chevalier. Desire can be left unsatisfied, while the need, by definition, is unstoppable, it subordinates us to its will.
It’s okay if you like, for example, cheesecake and occasionally order it in a restaurant. Or sometimes go to your favorite pastry shop for delicate eclairs.
First, there is a psychological or emotional dependence on sweets, which can lead to physiological
Another story, when you don’t know the measure and cannot stop or refuse sweets, be sure to buy a cake when you go to the store and don’t think about dinner without dessert. For a specialist, the fundamental marker of addiction is the compulsive consumption of sugary foods.
3. WITHOUT SWEET YOU FEEL ANXIETY
This behavior is typical for different types of addiction. When the next dose is not available, you feel a slight nervousness, which gradually develops into anxiety and irritation. But it is worth satisfying the need, as a good mood returns.
4. YOU WILL COMPENSATE THE LACK OF SUGAR
Having reduced the consumption of sweets, many pounce on junk food – pizza, burgers, chips, etc. The body is trying to enjoy in other ways. This is similar to when people who quit smoking eat a lot of sweets or nuts. As a result, one dependence is replaced by another.
HOW TO CONTACT SUGAR DEPENDENCE?
The mechanism of sugar addiction is no different from the drug. You eat candy – your brain enjoys – you reach for the next. There is only one way to break out of this circle: radically revise your diet.
Stop drinking sweet drinks and buying sweets, cakes, cookies, etc. from the store. There is no need to completely abandon desserts. It doesn’t matter if you treat yourself to a delicious cake during a Saturday dinner or at a friend’s birthday.
Any nutritionist will confirm that the body can synthesize glucose from proteins and other substances, so that a person has no vital need for sugar or starch
You can cook healthy desserts at home based on honey and dried fruits (in moderation). But on industrial products with chemical sweeteners should not sit down. They do more harm than good. Replacing faster carbohydrates with slower ones, you can rebuild your diet in a couple of weeks.
Any nutritionist will confirm that the body can synthesize glucose from proteins and other substances, so that a person has no vital need for sugar or starch. If during the day you feel a breakdown, just allow yourself a healthy snack. Sugarless.