Why do you crave sweet things in winter? And how to make sure that this craving does not harm our health and figure? Says nutritionist Olga Perevalova.
Both boring and sad
In winter, our body spends a lot of energy on keeping warm. In addition, in our latitudes, for almost six months a year, there is a short daylight hours, little sun. We do not receive the required amount of ultraviolet radiation, we are less able to produce vitamin D, which is needed for the production of the hormone of happiness – serotonin. Let’s add to this off-season factors: the intense rhythm of life in a big city, the eternal rush, the strict requirements of society.
We spend a lot of energy trying to do everything, to cope with everything. We do not have enough “energy supply”, and especially in winter. Accordingly, our mood is often at zero. Therefore, we are all drawn to quickly get “light calories” at the expense of sweets. Three spoons of sugar in tea, a bar of chocolate, a bag of sweets, rolls, buns – this is what we always have at hand, available to everyone, you can buy at any corner. Eat and you’re fine.
This immediately solves the problem of energy replenishment, because sugar and glucose are quickly absorbed. And in this way we cheer up, which directly depends on the content of sugar in the blood.
Sweet extra pounds
As a rule, young people do not care about nutritional errors – of course, provided that they lead an active lifestyle. But after 35 years, the metabolism begins to slow down a little, and then it is imperative to control the consumption of carbohydrates. Otherwise, both men and women face obesity. And for women, there is another misfortune: all these sweet calories are transformed into downy fats, that is, cellulite.
If we give in to our weaknesses and gain weight, then we have to spend a lot of time, energy and money fighting it. And it is better to do without these painful efforts.
Proper goodies
If you really want sweets, you need to eat something that, at least, does not give weight gain. In the first place here are dried berries, apples, kiwi, and dried fruits in general. Marshmallows, marshmallows are suitable: this is protein plus a small amount of sugar, but there is no fat there. Unsweetened fruits are good: apples, pears, kiwi, plums, oranges, tangerines, limes, lemons, pomelo, followed by bananas and grapes. Suitable soufflé, marmalade (pectin plus agar-agar is a seafood, it is useful in itself).
Do not buy ready-made yogurt with fruit additives, it is better to make a smoothie – mix natural yogurt with fruit or soaked dried fruits with a blender. You can also use frozen berries.
It is better to buy these delicacies in advance, just do not store them in a conspicuous place, so as not to be tempted once again. And when you really want something sweet – get it and eat it. This is not the main food, but only an addition to it! They are used once or twice a day as a snack between breakfast and lunch, after lunch and between lunch and dinner.
Two or three nuts, dried apricots or one candy like prunes in chocolate plus hot green tea – this is the right snack at the workplace.
Separately, I will say about honey. It is a complete food, but with a high glycemic index. What does it mean? The higher the index, the more often a person has a need for sweets. Therefore, the norm for those who do not need to control their weight is two teaspoons a day, and if a person has a tendency to be overweight, then one.
Dress for the weather
So many of us ignore warm clothes even in cold weather. Every now and then you see girls in miniskirts and thin tights, men running through the snow in boots with thin soles. We will not talk now about what dangerous chronic diseases such frivolity can lead to. But clothes are directly related to our topic.
The warmer we dress, the less excess energy we spend in the cold. So, we will be less drawn to sweets.
More light!
The easiest way to make up for the lack of light is to regularly travel to warmer climes. Ideally, we need such a rhythm: we work for 3 months – then we go to the sea for ultraviolet for a week. Being in the sun for 20 minutes without clothes is the norm that is necessary for the production of vitamin D, and it will already put the nervous system in order and strengthen the immune system. This is especially important in November and December.
But it is clear that not everyone has the financial means for this, and work or family circumstances often do not allow someone to travel. In addition, now our opportunities to arrange vacations by the sea are extremely limited due to the coronavirus pandemic. But you can go to the solarium, to spa centers. And regardless of age, you need to take vitamins and mineral complexes, where there is vitamin D and B vitamins.
In addition, you need to take care of the lighting. The more light in the house, the better we will endure the winter time. But at night, the light must be turned off, because the hormones of happiness, as well as melatonin, serotonin, dopamine, on which our well-being and mood depend, are all produced in complete darkness and silence. And at a very specific time – from 23 to 3 hours. And residents of big cities do not always sleep at this time, some sit online until morning. It turns out that we “play” the time of production of hormones of happiness on the Internet, instead of getting enough sleep, getting up cheerful and running about our business in a good mood. So it is worth thinking about your daily routine.
About the author: Olga Perevalova is a nutritionist at the Rimmarita Center for Aesthetics and Health.