Such delicious and tempting candies, desserts, cakes and pastries are not at all compatible with the diet. The composition of sweets leaves much to be desired - a lot of carbohydrates, fats and all sorts of chemicals. They lead to excess weight gain and the appearance of cellulite.
Some people find it incredibly difficult to give up their favorite sweets and pies. And you can’t completely eliminate all sweet foods from your diet, as this is stressful for the body and leads to breakdowns. In addition, glucose is needed for normal brain function and metabolic processes in the body.
Therefore, it is important to find a low-calorie and healthy replacement for your favorite sweets. Consumption should be kept to a minimum so that the weight loss process does not stop.
Causes of cravings for sweets
A craving for sweets is comparable to an addiction, but unlike alcohol or gambling, it does not cause condemnation from others. Those with a sweet tooth are ready to give up salty, smoked, fried and any other foods in favor of sweets. There may be several reasons for this attraction:
- genetic inheritance;
- habit of eating stress;
- lack of chromium, magnesium in the body;
- baking, baking, and sweets are perceived as a source of joy and happiness.
To maintain weight, it is enough to observe moderation - no more than 1 serving per day, which should be eaten in the first half of the day.
Buckwheat buns
If you can’t give up baking, prepare buckwheat buns; when you lose weight, they, like rye bread, will become the basis for sandwiches. At the same time, you cannot abuse them; 100 g of buckwheat buns contain 230 kcal. Buckwheat products are very beneficial for the body; they contain a vitamin-mineral complex, proteins and healthy fats, and maintain energy balance.
Ingredients:
- Water: 200 g;
- Whey: 100 g;
- Sunflower oil: 1 tbsp. spoon;
- Honey: 2 tbsp. spoons;
- A little salt;
- Wheat flour: 300 g;
- Buckwheat flour: 100 g;
- Rye flour: 70 g;
- Dry yeast: 1.5 teaspoons.
Mix all types of flour, add yeast, stir. Mix salt, honey, water, whey, vegetable oil, gradually add the flour mixture and knead the dough, cover and leave to rise. After the dough has risen, you should form buns out of it. To do this, divide the dough into portions, roll each into a flat cake, then roll it into a small roll, leave for an hour until the dough rises. It is advisable to immediately place these buns on a baking sheet covered with parchment, and once they have risen, grease them with warm water and send them to bake. The ideal option would be to prepare these buns in a bread machine.
Instead of sweets - fruits and dried fruits
Fresh and dried fruits are the easiest and healthiest option to replace sweets with.
Fruits contain natural sugars that are beneficial to health, as well as minerals and vitamins. Peaches, kiwis, green apples and oranges are rich in sugars. They can replace sweets even while losing weight. It’s great if you add pineapples or grapefruits to your diet, they speed up the fat burning process. Grapes contain a lot of sugar, but it should be eaten in small portions. But a banana will not only replace sweets, but also help you feel full. Pears and apples are ideal for baking, becoming even tastier.
Nutritionists advise eating sweet fruits in the morning. But if you want to eat something tasty in the evening, then an apple or even a banana will be much healthier and less caloric compared to a piece of cake.
You can prepare a wide variety of salads, homemade yoghurts, jelly-like cakes, fresh juices from fruits, or simply enjoy their pristine taste.
Dried fruits contain even more sugar, so you need to eat them in small quantities. They contain useful substances and keep you full for a long time. They have the ability to cleanse the intestines of old foods. It is recommended to eat up to 30 g of dried fruits per day.
Dried fruits are sources of nutrients and help fight various problems. Dried apricots, for example, strengthen the cardiovascular system and help burn excess fat, and raisins strengthen the nervous system. Prunes relieve fatigue, help intestinal function, improve skin condition, and dates charge you with energy and increase performance.
How to replace flour on a diet
You shouldn’t completely give up baking on a diet; you can treat yourself to buns, pancakes or cookies, but only with the right ingredients, namely:
- Bran;
- Cellulose;
- Cereals.
These products consist of complex carbohydrates, and therefore do not increase blood sugar, maintain a feeling of fullness for a long time, saturate the body with useful substances and do not cause excess weight. Bran and fiber normalize metabolism and help get rid of constipation.
The rate of consumption of low-calorie baked goods on a diet should not exceed 150 g.
When baking, use the following rules:
- Don't use oil.
- If the recipe calls for a fermented milk product, then use low fat content.
- For eggs, use only the whites.
- Replace sugar with sakhzam or diet syrup.
- Instead of nuts, take rolled oats.
- Bake in silicone molds; they do not need to be greased with vegetable fat.
In addition, the most dietary baked goods are made from cottage cheese - these are casseroles, cheesecakes, and cottage cheese muffins. By adding fruit or sweetener to the casserole, you will get a great alternative to a sweet pie.
Often, low-calorie desserts are in no way inferior to desserts with sugar. Various additions of vanillin, sakhzam, poppy seeds, and cinnamon give them a refined taste. And dietary baking gives lightness to the body and does not add extra centimeters to the waist.
Instead of milk chocolate - dark chocolate
Dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 70 percent will not harm your figure in any way. The product contains flavonoids that reduce insulin resistance and regulate the body's consumption of glucose. It has been scientifically proven that insulin resistance provokes weight gain, even obesity.
Eat 50 g of dark chocolate a day to improve your mood, stimulate mental activity and harmonize the nervous system. In addition, it improves intestinal microflora, contains beneficial plant fiber and has anti-anxiety activity, thereby preventing the occurrence of stress.
Motivation to replace buns when losing weight
Set a goal for yourself, write rules that you will adhere to. You shouldn’t immediately raise the bar, do everything gradually, having achieved one point, formulate another, and so on. Motivate yourself with the fact that you will look much better, slimmer, and that giving up buns and sweets will have a positive effect on your health.
In case of excessive consumption of sweets and starchy foods:
- Tooth enamel deteriorates;
- The skin is subject to rashes;
- The intestinal microflora is disrupted;
- Metabolism slows down;
- The development of diabetes mellitus is provoked;
- Life expectancy is reduced;
- Hormone production decreases;
- Infertility may occur.
Don't think that sweets bring only positive emotions. Their excessive consumption reduces the production of estrogen and testosterone, which can cause infertility. When eating such foods, more insulin is produced, which often causes diabetes, and can even cause intestinal cancer.
Instead of cake - marmalade, jelly and marshmallows
These sweets contain no fat and are rich in healthy carbohydrates if prepared correctly. Such delicacies strengthen the immune system and lower cholesterol, and also provide calcium and iodine. You can eat up to 10-20 g of dessert per day, but not more than 3 times a week. In the store, choose the most natural product without chocolate.
Marshmallow
Few people know that marshmallows contain absolutely no fat. It consists of fruit puree, egg white and thickeners: gelatin, pectin, agar-agar. These components help strengthen the immune system, cleanse and improve the functioning of the liver and brain, have a beneficial effect on the structure of nails, hair and joints, and also help improve digestion.
When replacing sweets on a diet with marshmallows, one must not forget about a sense of proportion, since its calorie content is 320 kcal. But it is worth highlighting one undoubted advantage - the airiness and relative lightness of the product. The weight of one piece is approximately 35 g, which corresponds to 100 kcal.
Marmalade, jelly
You can also replace flour products with jelly and marmalade. In addition to berry and fruit purees, these products contain high amounts of gelatin and pectin. There are no fats in the composition. Useful properties are the same as marshmallows.
The caloric content of jelly is 80 kcal per 100 grams of product. Pectin in the jelly cleanses the intestines of stones and toxins, and glycine is effective against damage to cartilage and bones. Marmalade is of natural origin (extracted from apples and other fruits). In addition, it helps normalize liver function and remove accumulated toxins and waste from the body. The marmalade contains vitamin PP, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium and potassium.
Daily norm
The norm for sugar consumption was determined by the English Nutrition Committee SACN. According to studies, women need to consume 25 grams of sugar per day, with a maximum of 50 grams. The male norm is 30 grams, maximum 60.
Sugar should make up no more than 5% of a person’s daily diet on a balanced diet. In any case, its share should not exceed 10%. Otherwise, glucose turns from a useful component into a substance that harms the body.
An average person who does not watch their diet consumes approximately 70 grams of sugar per day. One teaspoon is 12 grams. One cup of tea with two spoons of sugar is already 24 grams (daily requirement). A person drinks several cups of tea or coffee a day. In addition, he consumes foods high in sugar:
· confectionery;
· carbonated drinks;
· candies, chocolate;
· marshmallows, marmalade;
· jams;
· sauces.
This is not the entire list of sugar-containing foods that are included in the average person’s diet. It is present in vegetables, fruits, juices, bread, and cereals. When calculating menus for weight loss, the composition of all products is taken into account.
Instead of cookies - oatmeal cookies or nuts
The cookies we buy at the store contain large amounts of sugar. The only healthy cookie substitute is oatmeal cookies and nuts. Of course, it is better to bake it yourself. Made from oatmeal, oatmeal cookies contain a lot of fiber, which stimulates the digestion process and removes toxins from the intestines.
Nuts are rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, and amino acids, which are essential for brain nutrition and a healthy immune system. But remember that nuts
are very high in calories, and their consumption should be limited to a few kernels per day.
It is recommended to mix dry fruits and nuts to make a vitamin mix. You can also make homemade sweets. To do this, you need to chop different dried fruits, roll them into small balls and roll them in cocoa or coconut. Such a healthy and tasty dessert will not leave anyone indifferent.
Homemade dried fruit bars
To prepare this delicacy, you should take equal proportions of dried fruits and nuts:
- Raisin;
- Dried apricots;
- Prunes;
- Figs;
- Walnuts;
You can vary the ingredients, add cashews, peanuts or almonds instead of walnuts, and make a batch of different types of nuts. All ingredients should be processed in a blender, honey added for viscosity, and rolled into long strips and balls. This delicacy is not only tasty, but also healthy; even children will like it. However, you should know that such a replacement is quite high in calories, so you should not get carried away with the prepared delicacy.
The lowest calorie sweets
The sweet taste of products in most cases is given by carbohydrates, less often by amino acids, proteins, polyhydric alcohols or glycosides. Carbohydrates themselves are very high-calorie compounds, so sweet treats cannot even theoretically be low-calorie.
However, there are products that can replace sweets. They have lower calorie content than traditional sweets, but still contain substances that are beneficial for people on a diet. The list of the most dietary desserts may include:
- nuts;
- fruit sorbets;
- fresh fruits and berries;
- dried fruits;
- honey;
- low-calorie baked goods and cookies;
- marshmallows and marmalade;
- black chocolate.
These sweet foods can be included in the diet for those losing weight, but only in strictly limited quantities. Otherwise, the diet may turn from a way to lose weight into a way to gain weight quickly.
Dessert recipes for weight loss
If you decide to exclude unhealthy sweets from your diet, look for something to replace buns when losing weight, then use recipes that will diversify and add zest to your menu.
Baked apples with dried fruits
To prepare this delicacy, simply remove the middle from the apples, and put raisins, dried apricots, nuts in the resulting holes, add cinnamon and half a teaspoon of honey. Place the apples in a tall baking dish, fill one third with water, and bake for 35 minutes. You should periodically water them with water from the mold.
Fruit salad
To make this lard, take two oranges, cut them in half and remove the pulp to form cups. The pulp is cut into pieces, placed in a bowl, chopped kiwi and grapefruit are added to it, then everything is seasoned with yogurt or maple syrup and returned to the prepared cups. The composition can be decorated with pomegranate, mint leaf, and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Berries
A handful of fresh berries will replace a sweet, high-calorie dessert and enrich your diet with vitamins and healthy fiber.
Of course, the best berries are sold in season, ideally if they are collected from your own garden, and you know for sure that no harmful chemicals were used. It’s great if in the summer you make yourself a supply of berries for the winter - mix different berries and place such mixes in the freezer. Then all year round you can prepare low-calorie desserts - add berries to yogurt, make them into homemade ice cream or smoothies.
The content of vitamins in frozen berries is certainly lower than in freshly picked ones, but not so much as to neglect the opportunity to strengthen your body all year round and satisfy your cravings for sweets.
For example:
100 grams of fresh strawberries – 32 kcal 100 grams of Napoleon cake – 370 kcal
