©Alva Carpenter
Had a busy day? Feeling bored, tired, stressed?
What better than a nice hot drink and a sweet snack? It can make you feel comforted and so much better. It tastes sweet and releases chemicals that provide us with an instant energy boost. The problem is that it can lead us to become dependent on this sugary fix to get us through the day or to make us feel comforted at the end of a busy day.
We often think we need sugar, or that our bodies are asking for sugar to give us energy, but in reality we can get all the energy we need from the other food we eat in a healthy balanced diet. Advertising tries to convince us that we need sugar for energy.
John Hoebel, a professor of psychology at Princeton University tells us that eating sweet food triggers the release of the feel-good chemical dopamine. He also found that rats given a sugary diet had withdrawal symptoms when the sugar was taken away from them: proving that sweet cravings are very real. The more you have the more you want.
If you are over indulging in sugary foods such as biscuits, cakes, and sweets, you can be sending your sugar levels up so that the body must produce more of insulin to help turn the sugar into energy. Constantly eating sugary food can lead to high levels of blood sugar and insulin. If you have a sweet tooth and you want to lose weight, it would seem a good idea to cut down on sugary snacks. This is best done gradually as you have probably got into the routine of biscuits with morning coffee, cake with afternoon tea etc. If you cut down too suddenly you can set up a craving that is difficult to resist and you will feel deprived.
Eating too much sugar is also a major cause of tooth decay; the bacteria in the plaque on your teeth uses sugar to produce acid that attacks the enamel of the tooth surface. It is always a good idea to have a glass of water after eating something sweet as this will help to prevent cavities.
If you are in the habit of having a few biscuits with tea, limit yourself to only one biscuit. Eat this biscuit first. Eat it slowly and really enjoy it. After you have finished the biscuit you will probably feel like another one, but drink your tea and the feeling will go after a few minutes. Try telling yourself that eating only one slowly is just as good as three eaten quickly!
A sweet tooth is just a habit like any other. You do not need sweet snacks. Sugar raises the glucose levels in the body which puts pressure on your circulation and can eventually cause aging and weight gain. As obesity levels are on the rise and there have been attempts to tackle the amount of salt in our diet, sugar will be next in line.
Establish your own rules about sweet treats
Try and cut down on fizzy drinks that contain sugar a can of fizzy drink can contains about 130 kcal as well as additives and colorings. Again, lots of calories from sugar but no real nutrients.
Try to think before adding sugar to drinks and cereals.
For example only have dessert after dinner, never lunch.
Or only eat dessert on Thursday and Friday.
Or only eat deserts in restaurants.
Only have one sweet snack per day. Save cakes for celebrations
Weight Watch:
Tomato Benefits
Don't ignore the appetiser – especially if it's a tomato-based soup. It's a great way to begin a meal, since soup is filling and nutritious and will make you less inclined to eat more than you need in the main course. In addition, tomatoes are both tasty and healthy. They contain beta-carotene and a powerful antioxidant called lycopine – known to reduce the risk for prostate cancer and heart disease. You should definitely include cooked or processed tomatoes in your diet several times a week.
Recipe of the Week
Falafel
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 can (425 g) garbanzo beans or 1½ cups cooked dry-packaged garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
¼ cup packed parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp ground cumin
¾ tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp lemon juice (2-3 tsp)
2 dashes each of salt and black pepper, to taste, divided
1 cup dry plain wholegrain bread crumbs, divided
¼ cup chopped raisins (optional)
1 egg yolk
1 olive oil cooking spray
½ cup chopped tomato
½ cup chopped cucumber
⅓ cup nonfat plain yogurt
½ tsp dried mint leaves (optional)
Method
Falafel: Process garbanzo beans, onion, parsley, garlic, cumin, and oregano in food processor until smooth; season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in ½ cup bread crumbs, raisins, and egg yolk. Form bean mixture into 16 patties, using about 1½ tablespoons for each. Coat patties with remaining ½ cup bread crumbs. Spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Cook falafel over medium heat until browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Spray tops of falafel with cooking spray and turn; cook until browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Tomato-Cucumber Relish: Combine tomato, cucumber, yogurt, and mint leaves in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ask Alva
Q:
How soon after ones pregnancy can one start exercise and the process of losing weight i.e. dieting etc? Maryam
A:
You sound very keen to recover your figure and reclaim your body, but you do have to have your postnatal check up first. If you have had a caesarean delivery it is advisable to wait 8 - 10 weeks before exercising. Once you have the all clear from your doctor you can gradually start to exercise, but it is difficult because your energy levels can be low due to breast-feeding and broken nights. Have you seen the mini-morning workout? If not, email me at miniwg@naturalhealthlines.com for a free copy. Alva