Sugar detox now!

The human body is made with an innate desire for sweet foods. In fact, this characteristic of ours is not accidental at all, since it aims to protect us from poisonous plants with a bitter taste. On the other hand, we all know that sugar negatively affects our health in many ways.

It "hurts" our heart. Sugar negatively affects our lipid profile, especially if we are predisposed to cardiovascular disease. Large amounts of sugar can raise blood triglyceride levels, cause insulin resistance and thus increase the risk of heart disease.

It sabotages our smile, since the sugar in sweets, coffee, tea and in general in hot and cold drinks increases the risk of tooth decay.

It threatens our bottom line and loads us with empty calories. After all, the surest way to drop a size or two in our clothes is to drastically limit the amount of sugar we consume every day.

It weakens our memory. A diet rich in simple sugars is also burdensome for our memory. According to research from the Charité University in Berlin, very high glucose levels lead to a shrinking of the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with long-term memory.

It ages us. Excessive intake of simple sugars, such as sugar, damages the skin's proteins, collagen and elastin, leading to the appearance of premature wrinkles.

1. Zoom in on stevia. We don't have to drink our coffee plain if we don't like it, nor do we have to deprive ourselves of our sweets. We can choose an alternative, such as stevia. The leaves of this particular plant are extremely rich in sweetening substances, with the result that the final product is much sweeter than common sugar. Its great advantage, however, is that it does not contain caloric components, therefore it does not provide calories.

2. We love cinnamon. We put cinnamon in our yogurt, in our fruit salad and in our coffee, and apart from its special taste and aroma, we also get sweetness. In addition, with cinnamon we will have less desire for something sweet, say scientists. Their explanation is simple: This specific spice helps to keep blood sugar levels stable, thus reducing our desire for sweet foods.

3. We say yes to proteins. Proteins help to balance blood sugar levels, so it is good to combine them with sweet foods to avoid sudden fluctuations. If we eat e.g. an apple for a snack, we can additionally consume a handful of nuts.

4. Watch out for hidden sugar. Sugar is not only its crystalline form that we add to coffee or sweets. Sugar is present in a large number of ready-packaged products. That's why we need to read food labels to avoid those that contain sugar. Alternatively, we can choose products with stevia or choose unprocessed foods, to which we can add a sweetener with a natural sweetener such as stevia, thus controlling the amount of sugar we take in on a daily basis.

5. We want high nutritional value. From foods that contain simple sugars, we prefer those with high nutritional value, such as fresh fruits that also have beneficial plant fibers.

We don't need to feel remorse and guilt every time we consume something sweet. The secret is to be informed so that we make the right choices.