Sweetness is not a joy: which foods contain hidden sugar
It is quite possible to eat and not get fat if you choose foods without added sugar for nutrition. Sweeteners improve the taste, but they have the effect of a time bomb. People do not take into account the hidden danger and endanger their health and beauty. What products contain sugar in disguise, whether it is possible to live without glucose and how to replace buns and cheesecakes — in the Izvestia material.
Why do you need sugar?
Denis Prokofiev, a general practitioner with the status of "Moscow Doctor", emphasizes that glucose is necessary for our body — it is the main source of energy, the lack of which leads to the development of pathologies, such as muscle weakness, apathy, and impaired formation of blood cells (red blood cells).
— In tandem with oxygen, glucose provides nutrition to red blood cells, it is the body's immune support. But we are talking about natural, natural sugar," the expert clarifies. — You need the so—called good sugar, which is found in unprocessed foods. These are mainly vegetables and fruits, such as persimmons, watermelon, corn and other seasonal fruits.
In addition to sugar, vegetables contain useful minerals, vitamins and fiber, suggests Dr. Prokofiev. When interacting with the sugar contained in the product, they neutralize its negative effect.
"Bad", processed sugar behaves differently. It has a devastating effect on the entire body, in particular, it negatively affects the functioning of the brain and nervous system.
— The consumption of sweets leads to fluctuations in sugar levels in the body, and such fluctuations are negatively perceived by the central nervous system. As a result, the functioning of neurons is disrupted," the doctor explains.
In addition, excessive sugar consumption leads to the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, as well as dental caries, which, in turn, negatively affects the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
— Disorders associated with lipid metabolism and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques appear, and the body mass index increases. Obesity leads to the development of metabolic processes that increase the risk of developing diabetes and pancreatic damage," the expert comments.
Can I use sweeteners?
The danger is not always obvious. Food manufacturers sometimes hide information about sugar content, warns Denis Prokofiev. To understand if the product contains hidden sugars, the expert advises to look for not only the word "sugar" on the package, but also names such as sucrose, fructose and dextrose.
— A large number of alternatives, so-called sweeteners, have been created. Yes, they make it possible to reduce the risk of complications, and even people with diabetes are allowed to eat. But there should be no illusions here either. Any sweetener still increases the glucose level in the body, but just without sudden changes," the general practitioner comments.
Anastasia Lebedeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Dietetics at ROSBIOTECH University, Candidate of Medical Sciences, notes that hidden sugar is contained in tomato sauces, packaged juices, carbonated drinks, sweet sauces, coffee additives, chocolate bars, energy drinks, yogurts, milkshakes. All this not only harms the figure, but also increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure, the expert emphasizes.
— Sweetness makes products more attractive to consumers, it can mask an unpleasant taste. Canned food, sausages, and fermented dairy products often contain added sugar," explains Anastasia Lebedeva.
The nutritionist recommends carefully studying the composition of the product before deciding on a purchase. To minimize the inclusion of unplanned carbohydrates in the diet, Anastasia Lebedeva recommends purchasing fermented dairy products marked "sugar-free" and choosing unsweetened sauces. The harm of sweeteners is not only in the calorie content. Dietary supplements deceive the taste buds, dull the feeling of fullness, a person eats several times more food, the expert warns.
"With regular consumption of foods with flavor—enhancing food additives, weight gain is rapidly increasing, and with obesity, cardiovascular diseases develop three times faster: hypertension, coronary heart disease, and chronic heart failure," says Lebedeva.
It's easy to distinguish goods with "bad" sugar — you don't need to buy products in beautiful boxes, cans and bottles, summarizes Prokofiev.
Dates and calorie content
Anastasia Lebedeva also advises against adding sugar or jam to cottage cheese or porridge. These foods already contain a certain amount of carbohydrates. A person normally gets the necessary amount of sugar from healthy foods, Dr. Prokofiev emphasizes. In addition to fruits and vegetables, natural sources of sugar include cereals, milk, and nuts. And to improve the taste, you can add, for example, dried fruits and sweet berries and fruits to cottage cheese, kefir or porridge: bananas, mangoes, pears, grapes, strawberries, etc.
— It is better to add fruits and sugary vegetables to the diet as desserts, whole or mashed, which helps preserve fiber, which slows down the absorption of sugars into the blood and does not cause peak insulin emissions by the pancreas, advises Anastasia Lebedeva.
However, experts warn that everything must be done according to the norm. Dried fruits, for example, contain more sugar than fresh fruits. Therefore, their consumption should be controlled — eat no more than 30 grams per day.
— For example, dates are rich in fruit sugar — fructose. Moreover, carbohydrates make up more than 60% of the nutritional value of this product. Hence, the high calorie content is 270-290 kcal per 100 g of product," comments Anastasia Lebedeva.
According to the associate professor, all sweet fruits and berries have a high content of fruit sugar, which also promotes the release of insulin into the blood and participates in metabolism. Therefore, with excessive consumption of such products, there is a risk of excess carbohydrates being deposited in adipose tissue.
A sense of proportion does not hurt in those cases when they try to replace sugar with honey. Denis Prokofiev notes that this product should be dosed, especially for people with impaired carbohydrate metabolism. In addition, honey is a powerful allergen.
— Honey contains 75-80% carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrin, sucrose), — adds Lebedeva. — Honey is not inferior in caloric content to sugar, so the opinion about honey as a dietary product is erroneous.
The associate professor also advises to limit the use of honey not only to those who suffer from obesity and diabetes, but also to healthy people.
— It is also advisable to consume honey before 18 o'clock in order to exclude its effect on excessive insulin release in the evening and at night, — comments Anastasia Lebedeva.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
