How to replace sugar with proper nutrition?

Sugar is one of the most necessary human foods. They are directly involved in intracellular metabolic processes, as an energetic supplement for organs and tissues. They also take a direct part in the stable functioning of the brain, making nerve impulses fast and the connections between them strong. Such an influence undoubtedly affects the quality of attention, mental activity and memory.

However, recently people have been trying to significantly limit their sugar intake and the arguments they give towards the negation of this sweet product are obvious and not unfounded:

1. Sugar is capable of being intensively deposited in the form of adipose tissue, thereby contributing to weight gain.
2. By increasing the reactions associated with the intensive process of oxidation of intracellular structures, sugar, thereby, is involved in premature aging of cells and rapid wear of the whole organism.
3. As a result of increased oxidation, the structure of the skin, hair, and nails noticeably worsens.
4. As a result of the high consumption of sugars, the pancreas undergoes tremendous loads associated with the production of insulin, which is important for further transportation to the blood and to internal organs. As a result, iron wears out ahead of time and ceases to produce insulin. The disease "diabetes mellitus" develops, which subsequently leads to a chain of other diseases - renal failure, nonspecific hepatitis, polyps of the colon and rectum, trophic ulcers and oncology. All these diseases are provoked by an excess of sugar in the blood.
5. Glucose is an excellent breeding ground for the development of a large number of bacteria. An excellent example is the imbalance towards a sharp increase in a number of natural bacteria in the oral cavity. By the way, the vital products of which, together with the remnants of food, trigger a complex process of gradual destruction of dental tissues, called "caries" (from the Latin. Caries - decay).
6. A large amount of glucose in the blood leads to a decrease in the digestibility of certain groups of vitamins, such as A, B, C, F, K, PP and a number of others, leading the body to the stage of artificial vitamin deficiency and the accumulation of pathologies associated with it.
7. The result of an accelerated metabolism caused by a large accumulation of glucose in the blood is an increase in temperature and, as a consequence, in blood pressure. Irreparable sweet tooth suffers from trophic diseases of the vascular walls, hypertension and heart disease.
8. An excess of glucose-containing products leads to dysfunction of the conductivity of nerve fibers, which may result in: depression, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, or apathy and inability to concentrate on a particular case. A psychological dependence on sweets is formed.
9. In addition to psychological, an unstable chemical-biological dependence is formed.
10. An abnormal amount of glucose in the blood significantly delays the production of triiodothyronine - the thyroid immune hormone responsible for producing a protective reaction against allergic and fungal components. The consequence of this is reduced immune functions associated with herpetic manifestations and an increased risk of allergic reactions. At the same time, a reduced perception of vitamin C and, as a result, a high risk of frequent colds and the development of cancerous tumors should be taken into account.

Understanding all the possible health risks, a person poses a number of questions, which are not always easy to solve.

1. Sugar, despite its obvious harmfulness, at the same time remains a necessary product for most chemical reactions in the body.
2. Is it possible to replace sugar with a similar product with the same qualities, but fewer side effects?

How to replace sugar, observing the rules of proper nutrition

Proper nutrition is, first of all, a balanced selection of the necessary nutrients: amino acids, minerals, vitamins and trace elements. The results of recent studies suggest that consumers choose natural products, since it is in them that there are the most suitable chemical groups that are more fully absorbed by the human body.

To date, the optimal amount of daily sugar for a healthy lifestyle is found in:

• Fruits and dried fruits.
• Nuts.
• Honey.
• Bread
• Some vegetable crops (carrots, beets, turnips, zucchini, potatoes, etc.).
• Gourds (watermelons, melons, pumpkins).
• Berries.
• Grasses.

Sugar right and wrong

Pharmacy and trade stalls are full of various types of sugars and sweeteners, and each of them advertises itself as a useful indispensable product, and some - moreover, openly promise to convert the wrong sugar into the right one. Is it really? In order to understand this issue, you should disassemble each type of product separately.

Brown sugar
In fact, in its composition, it differs from classical white only in that in the final stage of production a certain amount of molasses is added to the already obtained classic look, which, in fact, gives the product a brown color.

Output: this product is unlikely to be suitable as a substitute for sugar, as, rather, is its fortified version.

How to replace brown sugar: maple syrup, Stevia and Xylene sweeteners, fruits, vegetables, berries, maple syrup, etc.

Unrefined Simple Sugar
The product obtained as a result of processing sugarcane unfinished until the end. The only advantage over regular sugar is a certain amount of vitamins that have been preserved due to incomplete processing. In fact, it is also fortified sugar.

How to replace unrefined sugar: sweeteners Stevia, Xylene, fresh honey, maple syrup, nuts, fruits, berries, vegetables.

Honey
In this case, much depends on the quality of honey. Candied, which stood unknown for how long on the counter, eventually becomes the same sugar, only in liquid form.

The honey that has been collected recently is considered the most useful - the smaller the age of the product, the more benefits it brings to a person. In the product just collected, the proportion of natural sugar is negligible, since most glucose is still included in enzymatic substances. Later, these substances are destroyed by air, glucose attaches additional molecules and turns into compounds harmful to the body, which ultimately provoke allergic reactions.

Maple syrup
Obtained from maple products. There are many different varieties, the composition of which depends on which product is selected for syrup.

1. It can be maple juice, which gives the liquid a noble brown color. Such a variety is considered the most useful.
2. The second option is maple nectar. This variety of wedge syrup, in addition to dietary properties, also has medicinal ones. It is often used to treat stagnant bronchitis.
3. And finally, the third, canned look - obtained from a decoction of maple components with some sugar.It is not necessary to say that this product will be less useful compared to the others, since many nutrients, having undergone heat treatment, have collapsed, and the addition of sugar adds one more minus. Such syrup is mainly produced for further culinary products.

Maple syrup contains a large amount of tannins and vitamin F, which play an important role in improving the structure of the skin, hair, nails, and also improves digestion in the body, preventing constipation.

Fructose
Essentially regular refined sugar. It consists of glucose and fructose, which means that this product is one of its components. However, many nutritionists are strongly advised to replace the usual product with fructose. Is it correct? If we turn to metabolic processes for the assimilation of sugar, then it looks like this: sugar, as mentioned earlier, is broken down into two components: glucose and fructose. Glucose penetrates the blood immediately and is absorbed by the cells fully if its amount is not too high. In order to assimilate fructose, a certain liver enzyme is needed, which is produced only if the liver is in a healthy state and is not overloaded. Part of fructose is absorbed by the body, and part is deposited by cells and tissues in the form of fat deposits. It is thanks to the same mechanism that bears accumulate subcutaneous fat for hibernation and feeding cubs. In humans, this fat is deposited for an indefinitely long period, and is very difficult to waste, because the body can hardly part with strategic reserves.

Nevertheless, fructose is necessary for the synthesis of the most important enzymes and hormones, and completely leaving the body without this product is inappropriate. It is important to understand that up to 1 kg of fresh fruit is used to produce 2 grams of fructose. A person uses fructose as a sweetener, at least in the amount of 5 - 10 grams, which equates to the simultaneous eating of about 5 kilograms of fruit. The level of glut in this case is obvious.

How to replace fructose: eating raw fruits, berries and vegetables, maple syrup, honey.

Stevia
Pharmacological sweetener, the composition of which is based on natural ingredients. The main source of raw materials is the plant of the same name, which grows in Latin America, where it was first discovered. The main feature of stevia is that it is a sweetener, which includes glucose molecules adapted for human assimilation - those that are fully absorbed by them without being deposited in the tissue.

Xylene
Low calorie sugar substitute. Its composition is synthesized based on the previously known Stevia and, in fact, is its analogue.

Vanilla sugar
A less-calorie type of product, which is based on uneven combinations of glucose and fructose in favor of the first, as well as useful aphrodisiacs of a vanilla plant. It is less caloric than regular sugar, and is used mainly in cookery products that are not subjected to heat treatment (creams, cold teas). It is not recommended to add to baking, as in the process of baking it loses its properties and releases a number of substances, which under the influence of free radicals easily turn into carcinogenic components. A large amount of vanilla sugar can ruin the dish, giving it a bitter taste.

Despite some of the advantages of vanilla sugar over regular sugar, it should be noted that it belongs to medium-calorie foods, since the level of fructose is higher than optimal for humans.

How to replace vanilla sugar: nuts, fresh honey, raw fruits, vegetables and berries, maple syrup, healthy sweeteners.

Coconut Sugar
The product is quite unconventional for the consumer, but it is worth noting that in its composition it is much more beneficial than any other sugar in that it contains the least amount of fructose and a large amount of vitamins of group C and PP, which play a role in the formation of immunity and inhibit the action of free radicals in the body. Among other things, coconut sugar is not destroyed during heat treatment and has no taste.

Birch syrup
A product based on birch sap. It has an average calorie content, which occurs mainly due to the high concentration of adapted fructose in its composition. This syrup in small doses has a good therapeutic effect, mainly due to the high concentration of B vitamins. A special place in the composition is occupied by B12, which has an effect on vascular tone. The composition is also rich in the presence of a number of rare trace elements: manganese, titanium, silver, barium. In a small dosage is indicated for people with diabetes, as it has a low glycemic index.

Should sugar be replaced in food

By and large, it is completely impossible to do this, since various sugars are part of most nutritious foods. However, to maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is important to limit excessive sugar intake:

1. Reduce the intake of carbohydrates: baking, confectionery, sweets, reducing the consumption of sugar-containing drinks.
2. Increasing the true calorie content of foods by increasing dairy, meat and some legume foods.
3. Reduce sugar in cooked foods and drinks.
4. Consume Kombucha drinks, as they contribute to the best absorption of fructose in the body.

Should sugar be replaced during pregnancy and lactation

1. Sugar is important not only for the nutrition of the mother, but also for the proper formation of organs and tissues in the fetus - any deficiency during pregnancy can significantly affect the health of the future person.
2. Some substitutes, including natural ones (maple and birch syrups, coconut sugar, honey), can cause adverse allergic reactions not only in the mother, but also in the child. Which, undoubtedly, will negatively affect his health. Therefore, it is important in this period, as in the subsequent period of lactation, to adhere to the classic familiar foods.

Not without reason since ancient times in Russia the proverb “Everything is good that in moderation” was popular. Excessive consumption of sugar and its deficiency are equally harmful to the human body, and it is important not to forget about it when making your daily diet.

Video: how to replace sweets?