What do we have for sweet?

“Dessert?” – “No, thanks”. Colleagues, girlfriends, advertising and the media have taught us that dessert is unnecessary, something not even completely edible. We give up dessert after office business lunches, deprive ourselves of pleasure at home and while traveling. Meanwhile, according to nutritionists, sweets after the main meal are not harmful, but even useful. This is the path to being slim and well-being.

An important condition: the dessert must be right.

What this means in practice – we find out from a psychologist and nutritionist, a member of the International Association for the Study of Obesity Vyacheslav Zakharov.

The root of the trouble – eating dessert food instead of the usual

Our grandmothers also taught us: eat soup – get candy. Over the years, the common truth has somehow lost its categoricality. We are increasingly replacing a full lunch with snacks, rolls, yoghurts and chocolates. We have no time. We are in a hurry all the time. And besides, we think that this way we eat less. A chocolate bar is objectively lower in calories than a full two course meal.

But we hardly experience any pleasure from such a replacement. More precisely, it is enough for a few minutes – as well as satiety, by the way. Fast carbohydrates are fast enough so that, having instantly reached the center of saturation in the brain, provoke a new attack of hunger in just half an hour. But most importantly, by eating “fast”, we create in the body a situation of deficiency of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. What’s useful in the aforementioned chocolate bar? Almost nothing. As a result, metabolic processes slow down in the body, and it begins to store resources “for a rainy day”, that is, to store fat, even if you eat only fruits.

Another serious risk associated with desserts is that they provoke a state of zhora. “Coming home in the evening after a whole day on sweets and cakes, a person breaks down on the zhor, which provoked the hunger accumulated during the day,” says Vyacheslav Zakharov. – Zhor is a state when a person eats more and faster than he really needs. As a result, the stomach stretches, and the stretched stomach, in turn, requires more food. It turns out to be a vicious circle. “

Therefore, the first rule of proper nutrition is not to replace ordinary food with dessert. The standard scheme of a competent menu looks like this: two large meals (breakfast and lunch), a light dinner and a couple of snacks between main meals. The number of calories eaten in this case should be 1500-1800 kilocalories per day. Dessert is possible or even needed if followed at the end of the meal.

3 yes to desserts!

If the main meal consists of slow carbohydrates, protein and fiber, and dessert follows it, then a correct and long-lasting feeling of fullness is created. “The sweet immediately sends a signal to the center of satiety, we feel full and stop. Then the food that we ate before dessert begins to be processed. It is she who keeps the feeling of satiety not for 20 minutes, but for 3–3,5 hours, and this is a very comfortable state, ”says Vyacheslav Zakharov.

That is, it turns out that sweet, if you eat it on time and together with the main meal, helps us not to overeat and stay in good shape.

Dessert is a source of pleasure, and depriving yourself of it is not only wrong, but even dangerous. It is no coincidence that girls on carbohydrate-free mono-diets so often face depression and subsequent breakdowns. Sweet is necessary to relieve dietary stress.

If we eat desserts correctly, then we can include them in the diet not once, but even 2-3 times a day, without risking gaining excess weight.

By the way

A person who monitors their diet should have holidays when they can relax. There may be 2-3 of them per month, no more. On such “holidays” any desserts are allowed. It helps relieve fear of eating. People who live in stress “here I’m eating a bun, and that’s all,” in fact, greatly reduce the quality of their lives and eventually break down, ”notes Vyacheslav Zakharov.

Desserts are correct and not very good

The right dessert is a dessert that contains a minimum of harmful substances and a maximum of useful ones. At the same time, it should be large enough in size, but not too high in calories. That is, marshmallow or marmalade for sweets is better than a piece of halva or chocolate, for example. “It is also important that the dessert can be chewed, that is, that it requires minimal labor to be consumed,” notes Vyacheslav Zakharov. And of course, the dessert must be delicious. “The first function of a dessert is to give satisfaction from food,” notes Vyacheslav Zakharov. – Because people who eat unpalatable food, then eat more, they want to make up for something lack of satisfaction and taste. So the dessert should be really tasty. “

Most importantly, it should not include trans fats. “Most often, trans fats are found in baked goods, pies, wherever margarine is present, so it is better to replace them with some other natural desserts,” the expert notes.

A functional or smart dessert is ideal. “This delicacy, which, in addition to carbohydrates, contains vital protein and essential micronutrients, will relieve you of guilt,” notes Vyacheslav Zakharov.

An example of such a dessert is Herbalife Nutrition’s Mini Protein Bars. They are created for those who cannot imagine their life without sweets, while at the same time would like to reduce or maintain their weight. One mini-bar contains 4 g of protein and only 60 kcal *, i.e. 4 times more protein and 30% fewer calories than classic candies. It is a great choice for afternoon tea or afternoon tea or dinner. Due to their small size (like candy) and individual packaging, you can always have them at hand and not be tempted by buns and chocolates.

3 rules for the “right” dessert

1. Dessert should be balanced, that is, contain the optimal ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
2. Dessert should be considered as part of a meal, and not as an independent meal, and should be at the end of the meal, that is, it should be just a dessert. 
3. Dessert should be large enough to be chewed.

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* Depending on the taste, the calorie content of the product varies:

Protein mini bars with vanilla flavor in crispy caramel – 60 kcal per bar.