How to replace sweets and starchy foods when losing weight: recommendations from nutritionists and dessert options

The main reason for the appearance of extra pounds is indiscriminate eating: an excess of smoked, fatty, fried and, of course, sweet foods leads to weight gain. Due to an incorrect diet, the body’s metabolism changes and the production of hormones is disrupted. As a result of these processes, fat reserves are replenished, but not from overeating, but due to internal changes. You can break out of the vicious circle by giving up all harmful foods, including the most desirable thing - sweets.

The best ingredient recommended for any weight loss diet is meat. Food containing animal proteins will replace any food. It takes a long time to digest, causes a feeling of satiety and replenishes the supply of vital components. By eating lean meat, you can quickly satisfy your hunger without depriving your body while losing weight. However, the need for sweets does not always go away on its own with proper nutrition. In this case, it must be replaced with other, more useful products.

Causes of cravings for sweets and starchy foods

Therapists and nutritionists name several main reasons why a person is drawn to eat candy, a piece of cake or pizza. All factors can be divided into two groups:

Physiological reasons	Psychological reasons
Food addiction inherited from parents. Hormonal imbalance (menstruation, menopause, pregnancy and endocrine system disorders). Deficiency of magnesium and chromium in the body. Lack of sleep. Chronic fatigue	A way to “eat up” your problems and stress, to lift your spirits when there are no other sources of positive emotions in life. The habit of drinking tea with a sweet treat, instilled since childhood

If the cause of an irresistible craving for sweets lies in a disruption in the functioning of internal organs, it is worth being examined by an endocrinologist and gynecologist, undergoing a course of treatment with drugs containing magnesium and chromium, changing your diet and including foods containing increased quantities of these important microelements.

It is important to review your daily routine and rearrange it so that a full night’s sleep takes 7-9 hours. It would be a good idea to consult a doctor about taking B vitamins - they have a beneficial effect on the nervous system and help resist irritants and stress.

But, most importantly, you need to reconsider your eating habits and try to completely eliminate sugar, white flour and all dishes, desserts and treats that contain fast carbohydrates from your diet.

Products that can replace sweets and baked goods

The list of products that will help overcome sweet cravings is very large, so everyone can choose the most suitable option for themselves and create a varied menu.

Fruits

Any fruit is great for snacking; they contain complex, or slow, carbohydrates that are absorbed by the body gradually, without provoking a sharp release of insulin and without causing an attack of carbohydrate hunger. Ripe fruits contain various vitamins, microelements, pectin, organic and amino acids necessary to speed up metabolism and coordinated functioning of all organs and systems.

Pineapple, kiwi, green apples and other fruits with a sour taste and low glucose and fructose content will be very useful. But it is advisable to consume grapes, persimmons and bananas to a minimum during the diet - they are high in calories, as they contain a lot of natural sugars and starchy substances.

It’s very easy to make light, low-calorie salads from fruits, which you won’t get tired of for a long time if you change the composition of the dish every time. Pieces of peeled fruits can be used as ingredients:

• apricot;
• orange;
• grapefruit;
• pears;
• kiwi;
• mango;
• tangerine;
• nectarine;
• peach;
• apple

Low-fat yogurt or maple syrup is suitable for dressing a dietary dessert, and pomegranate seeds, grated nuts or fresh mint leaves are suitable for decoration.

Dried fruits

Dried or dried fruits are no less healthy than fresh fruits. Dried fruits have a complex effect on the human body:

• dulls cravings for sweets and starchy foods;
• saturate the body with beneficial vitamins and minerals;
• accelerate the removal of excess fluid and harmful compounds;
• normalize the functioning of the digestive system;
• reduce irritability;
• strengthen the cardiovascular system;
• improve skin condition;
• relieve fatigue;
• increase performance.

Healthy dried fruits include:

• raisin;
• figs;
• dried apricots;
• dried apricots;
• prunes;
• dates.

Dried bananas and candied fruits are not worth buying when losing weight: bananas are the record holder among dried fruits in terms of calorie content (390 kcal per 100 g), and a large amount of sugar is used to prepare any candied fruits.

Candied pumpkin and ginger, on the contrary, are considered harmless to the figure, since their energy value does not exceed 105-135 kilocalories per 100 g of product. You can safely eat such a delicacy instead of sweets, without fear of harming your figure.

Dried fruits are a fairly high-calorie product. Therefore, the daily portion should not exceed 30-50 g per day. If there are no kitchen scales at home, then nutritionists advise eating as much dried fruit per day as can fit in the palm of your hand.

Melon and watermelon

These berries contain a lot of water, fiber, folic acid, iron, calcium and magnesium. Melon fruits perfectly quench hunger and thirst, satisfy the body's requirements for sweets and do not allow you to gain extra pounds.

Many nutritionists even advise spending fasting days on watermelons or melons. But with a normal diet, you should not abuse sweet and aromatic fruits. You are allowed to eat no more than 1.5 kg of melon and 2-2.5 kg of watermelon pulp per day.

Smoothie

Another option to treat yourself to a delicious and healthy dessert is a smoothie. It is easy to prepare at home using fruits, berries, low-fat dairy products and spices. If you have a mixer or blender at home, it will take just a few minutes to prepare the treat.

The main thing is to choose a low-calorie combination of ingredients that, after mixing, will acquire a pleasant taste and dull your cravings for sweets. There are a lot of smoothie recipes, so everyone who is losing weight will find the most suitable option for themselves. Several popular recipes are given in the table:

Ingredients	Energy value, kcal
1 green apple. 100 g spinach. 100 g cabbage (white or savoy). 1 tbsp. l. freshly squeezed lemon juice	120
100 g fresh or frozen blueberries. 50 g dark grapes. 100 ml yogurt or kefir with minimal fat content	151
100 g blackberries. 50 g low-fat cottage cheese. 100 ml yogurt. 2 tsp. liquid honey. A pinch of cardamom	172
Half a peeled mango. 1 tbsp. l. oat flakes "Hercules". 100 ml mango or pineapple juice	230
50 ml instant or natural brewed coffee. 20 g dark chocolate. Half a fresh banana. 100 ml milk (1.5% fat). Cinnamon or nutmeg to taste	235

Smoothies are quite simple to prepare: grind all the ingredients in a blender, add spices to taste and garnish with mint leaves, fruit slices or berries, and coconut flakes.

Despite the fact that the caloric content of coconut flakes is almost 600 kcal per 100 g, it is allowed to be consumed when losing weight. To decorate a dessert or baked goods, you will need no more than 1-2 teaspoons, and this is only 40-80 kilocalories.

Marmalade and jelly

Marmalade and jelly are prepared according to a similar principle: they are based on fruit juices or syrups and gelling substances of natural origin - gelatin and agar-agar.

The treats contain pectin, vitamins and minerals: magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. Regular consumption of marmalade and jelly in reasonable quantities helps strengthen hair and nails, normalize kidney function, remove toxins and heavy metals from the body, and activate metabolic processes.

The benefits of jelly and marmalade for health in general and the figure in particular will be undeniable if only natural products are used in the preparation process. This, unfortunately, cannot be said about products purchased in a store. It often contains dyes, thickeners and preservatives. But a healthy dessert is easy to make yourself. You can prepare, for example, milk-cherry jelly.

To create a treat you will need:

• 1.5 liters of low-fat kefir;
• 200 g low-fat yogurt;
• 4 tbsp. l. cherry syrup;
• 1 tbsp. l. lemon zest;
• sweetener;
• agar-agar or gelatin;
• flavoring (optional).

Cooking method:

1. Pour gelatin or agar-agar into a heat-resistant container, pour a glass of cold boiled water and leave for 15-20 minutes.
2. When using flavoring, add it to the mixture of yogurt and kefir and mix thoroughly.
3. Place the bowl with the swollen gelatin on low heat and heat until the crystals are completely dissolved. Make sure that the liquid does not boil, otherwise the product will lose its gelling properties.
4. Remove the melted gelatin from the heat, cool, pour into the mixture of yogurt and kefir, mix well.
5. Pour 1/3 of the total volume of the milk mixture into a separate container and add cherry syrup there.
6. Start forming the dessert: alternately pour layers of white and pink, keeping each of them for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator.
7. After pouring the last layer, put the jelly in the refrigerator for 2 hours to completely harden.

The finished dessert can be cut into small portions, consumed as an independent dish or along with tea or coffee.

Honey

Another natural sweetener is honey. 1-2 teaspoons of this product will quickly satisfy your “sugar” appetite and will not deposit extra pounds in your body.

Honey is also useful because it saturates the body with many useful substances, is a source of energy, normalizes metabolic processes, suppresses cravings for sweets, and strengthens the immune system.

Honey can be added to warm (38-40°C) tea or desserts, dissolved in the mouth or eaten as a snack with a drink. To enhance the taste and give the product fat-burning properties, you can add a spoonful of cinnamon powder to honey.

Marshmallows and marshmallows

The composition of white marshmallows, made according to the classic recipe, includes fruit or berry puree, egg whites, pectin and natural thickeners (gelatin and agar-agar). Marshmallows are allowed to be consumed during a diet.

Pastila has a similar composition. You can safely eat these two delicacies during your weight loss period. They will not only help maintain a slim figure, but also improve the functioning of the digestive system, increase immunity, and normalize cholesterol levels in the blood.

Nutritionists advise eating marshmallows and marshmallows in the first half of the day so that the carbohydrates entering the body have time to be converted into energy. The maximum permissible daily intake of these sweets is 50 g.

Chocolate

It is not necessary to give up chocolate while on a diet. In this case, we are talking about dark chocolate bars, the wrapper of which indicates a cocoa content percentage of 70% or higher. This product contains virtually no sugar or milk fats.

A few pieces of dark chocolate a day will dull the feeling of hunger, reduce cravings for sweets, give you energy for the whole day, improve the functioning of the nervous system and lift your mood.

Dairy desserts

Dairy desserts are an excellent substitute for sweets, confectionery and baked goods. The traditional dish is cottage cheese mixed with sweetener, yogurt, berries, pieces of dried or fresh fruit, cinnamon or vanilla.

It is best to prepare the cottage cheese dessert yourself. To create a dietary dish, you need to use low-fat dairy products. If you constantly change the composition of the treat and alternate fillings, the dessert will have different tastes.

Another option for a dairy dessert is Greek yogurt with berries, cinnamon, honey or sweetener. It has a high protein content, satisfies hunger and neutralizes cravings for sweets. This treat can be enjoyed throughout the day as a snack or even eaten at night.

This relatively new product will not only be a suitable replacement for high-calorie sweets and cakes, but will also help improve the functioning of the entire body:

• strengthens bones;
• will speed up metabolic processes;
• normalizes digestion.

Greek yogurt is safe to eat both for those losing weight and for diabetics who are especially sensitive to the high carbohydrate content in food. The dairy product can replace not only sweet desserts, but also the usual sauces - mayonnaise and sour cream.

If you can't find a jar of Greek yogurt at your local grocery store, you can make it at home. The basis of the product is cow's or goat's milk. The second necessary component is a starter culture with lactic bacteria, which is usually sold in pharmacies.

Another option for a light snack that blocks cravings for flour and sweet products is a glass of low-calorie kefir with a teaspoon of sugar or a sweetener. A sweetened fermented milk product can be drunk during the day between main meals, instead of an afternoon snack or at night.

Muesli and diet bars

Muesli is a mixture of oat, rye and wheat flakes, pieces of dried or dried fruits and berries. Muesli, filled with milk or kefir with a minimum percentage of fat content, perfectly saturates and curbs the craving for sweets. This snack option is used by athletes and supporters of proper nutrition.

Store-bought muesli may contain added calories, such as sugar or dried bananas. Therefore, before purchasing, you should carefully read the contents of the package. An alternative to loose mixtures are dietary muesli bars - these are the same cereals with pieces of fruit, only pressed and baked.

It is worth remembering that despite the useful composition, diet bars have a high calorie content - from 100 to 150 kcal in one piece. In addition, many manufacturers, in order to save money, use synthetic additives that are harmful to both the figure and health. Getting acquainted with the composition of a product before purchasing it should become a habit for everyone losing weight.

A dietary and guaranteed healthy bar is easy to prepare at home. For this you will need:

• 300 g ripe bananas (3-4 pieces);
• 300 g oatmeal;
• 120-150 g apples (1 piece);
• 50 g crushed pitted dates;
• 50 g dried apricots, cut into pieces;
• 100 g chopped almonds, peanuts or walnuts;
• 5 g cinnamon;
• 7 g vanilla powder.

The ratio of ingredients is indicated as a guide, so you can change it to your taste by adding or reducing the amount of fruits and nuts. Method for making homemade bars:

1. Grate the apple on a coarse grater.
2. Cut dried fruits into small pieces.
3. Grind the nuts in any convenient way.
4. Mash the banana with a fork.
5. For aroma, add a few drops of fruit essence, vanillin or cinnamon powder.
6. Mix all the ingredients, place on a parchment sheet, compact and place in an oven preheated to 170°C.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the surface of the muesli is golden brown.

The cooled cake should be cut into small portions and stored in a dry, dark place. The calorie content of such a dessert is 280-300 kcal per 100 g.

Jams and preserves

It would seem that these classic sweet preparations from fruits, vegetables and berries should be prohibited during a diet. However, experts allow limited consumption of jams or jams with low calorie content. The best option is canned cherries or vegetables.

But it is best to cook the berries in their own juice, using the minimum allowable amount of granulated sugar in the recipe. Berries and fruits preserved in this way retain some of the nutrients, so they can be considered healthy.

Ice cream and sorbet

While on a diet, you shouldn’t give up ice cream: you can treat yourself to creamy or fruity ice cream, with the latter option being preferable as it has the least amount of calories.

You are allowed to consume no more than one refreshing dessert per day, but you should not eat a waffle cone or a cone, so as not to violate the rules of the diet and not to “tease” the body with fast carbohydrates.

You can prepare a homemade tasty and harmless delicacy called “sorbet” with your own hands. To create this frozen dessert you will need:

• half a ripe melon;
• 2 tbsp. l. stevia powder;
• a handful of raspberries;
• mixer.

Method for preparing melon sorbet:

1. Remove the seeds from half the melon.
2. Using a spoon, scoop out all the melon pulp, leaving only the skin.
3. Place the pieces of fruit in a separate container and add stevia there.
4. Beat the pulp with a mixer until smooth.
5. Place the dish with the preparation in the freezer for 3 hours.
6. Remove the melon sorbet from the refrigerator, transfer the frozen pieces to a common dish or bowl and garnish with berries.

Similarly, you can prepare sorbet from different berries and fruits, and use lime or lemon juice to adjust the taste.

Instead of cake - marmalade, jelly and marshmallows

Few people know that marshmallows contain absolutely no fat (neither vegetable nor animal). It consists of proteins, fruit and berry puree, sugar, agar-agar and pectin, which have a beneficial effect on the structure of nails, hair and joints, and also helps improve digestion.

You can also replace flour products with jelly and marmalade. 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.

Stevia is a harmless sweetener

To prepare homemade sweets, nutritionists recommend using natural sweeteners, for example, stevioside. It is obtained from the herb stevia, which is often called sugar or honey. Of all the known sweeteners, stevioside is considered the safest. Despite the fact that it is several times sweeter than sugar, even diabetics can use the sweetener.

A natural sugar substitute does not disrupt metabolism and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the body:

• regulates blood sugar levels;
• helps remove harmful cholesterol and radionuclides;
• calms and restores strength after heavy physical and psycho-emotional stress;
• slows down the aging process;
• reduces rather than blocks the feeling of hunger;
• has antiseptic properties.

Nutritionists recommend using stevioside for making homemade desserts, sweets and other delicacies. If it is not possible to buy a sweetener or filter bags with dried stevia, you can grow the herb in the country and use its leaves and stems in cooking.

A concentrated infusion, which can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, is best suited for these purposes. To prepare it, you will need 20 g of herb, a glass of boiling water and a thermos:

1. Pour boiling water over stevia and place in a steam bath.
2. After 10 minutes, pour the tea into a thermos and leave for 10-12 hours.
3. Pour the infusion into a clean glass jar, straining through a fine strainer, several layers of gauze or a wide bandage.

The sweet concentrate can be added to tea, coffee and compotes to taste, and can be used to sweeten fruit salads, cereals and other dishes.

Synthetic sweeteners should not be eaten. They are harmful to health, since during heat treatment they break down into dangerous compounds, which, when consumed for a long time, provoke a number of serious diseases: allergies, migraines, depression, heart problems and cancer.

Lollipops

Stevia is used in the production of sweets for diabetics and those wishing to lose weight. Almost every supermarket has a confectionery section for this category of people. On store shelves you can see candies with chocolate glaze and lollipops that are completely free of sucrose and fructose.

These sweets will be a great addition to a cup of coffee or tea. Stevia extract gives them the necessary sweetness, and provitamin A (beta-carotene) helps improve immunity and normalize metabolism in the body, which is extremely important when losing weight and eating right.

Fruits

They contain natural fructose - an incredibly healthy substance. In addition, the fiber contained in the structure of the fruit inhibits the absorption of sugar. However, this is not a reason to abuse them by eating kilograms. Everything should be in moderation: a few fruits are a great substitute for a piece of cake for dessert. Keep in mind that grapes are considered the most high-calorie, and pears or apples are the most dietary. You can make your own nutritious sweet salads, yogurts, smoothies, add pieces of fruit to cottage cheese or porridge.

Drinks for weight loss

Even simple tea can muffle the “call” of the stomach and prevent unwanted absorption of sweets. Any black or green tea with natural additives in the form of dried berries or pieces of fruit, jasmine or bergamot flowers can be drunk plain, without sugar or treats.

Herbal teas from mint, lemon balm, thyme, and oregano perfectly suppress appetite, strengthen the immune system, and calm the nervous system. Tea made from Sudanese rose petals can be drunk both hot and cold. Using different amounts of raw materials, it is easy to adjust the taste of the drink, making it more or less rich.

To speed up the natural fat burning process, you can add a little cinnamon or ginger to a cup of tea.

The so-called mint water also has properties beneficial for weight loss. It tones and refreshes, gives strength and helps you survive a diet without sugar and flour.

It is very simple to prepare such a drink: pour fresh mint with water heated to 60°C and place in a dark place for 24 hours. The prepared mint water should be filtered and drunk as needed. You can add different flavors to a mint drink by adding your favorite berries, cucumber, lemon or any citrus juice.

Cocoa drink brewed with milk is also beneficial. A cup of cocoa drunk in the first half of the day will not harm your figure, but will invigorate you and satisfy your hunger for a long time. You need to drink the drink without sugar, and if this is difficult, then use harmless stevia or stevioside to sweeten it.

But nutritionists still cannot come to a consensus about the benefits or harms of coffee for weight loss. An invigorating drink provokes fluid retention in the body and attacks of increased appetite, but it energizes you. The best option is 1 cup of coffee (without sugar) for breakfast or lunch.

The harm of sugar in all its glory

Besides, I knew everything about the dangers of sugar. And this is neither more nor less:

• premature aging (skin, blood vessels, and the entire body as a whole - on vision, on bones, on the formation of edema, and many things are affected by sugar consumption);
• disruption of the normal production of hormones, especially for female hormones estrogen (the same ones that are abundant in youth, and with the onset of menopause - minimal, and hence problems with bones, blood vessels, skin, hair, mood, etc.) - it turns out that the predominance carbohydrate metabolism suppresses the production of estrogen, in other words, when we eat sweets, we give ourselves a kind of vaccination of old age;

• increased risk of diabetes, atherosclerosis, fatty liver disease, heart disease and oncology;

• low energy level (yes, sugar means surges in energy, small spikes and deep drops, even abysses when you feel completely exhausted), frequent fatigue and even irritability, which may seem causeless;

• fat deposits (especially on the stomach; fast carbohydrates love the stomach as their subsequent place of residence);

• increased appetite (your appetite is much higher than it could be just because you eat sweets).

And this list can be continued for a very long time.

By the way, information for mothers. We all spoil our children with sweets (at least sometimes). And for grandmothers, feeding them sweets is generally sacred. So, don’t be surprised if your sweet tooth is capricious and poorly managed. He ate sweets, his glucose level rose, insulin regulated it and brought it to a low level - a “sugar hole” arose. And at this moment, mom, get whims and strange mood changes. The child does not understand what is wrong with him. Mom sighs: “Wow, I seem to be raising him the right way, but he’s so spoiled.” He's not spoiled, he just needs a new dose of sugar!

I’ll say right away: having a sweet tooth is not a death sentence. It's not a gene that is given to you at birth, it's not the circumstances that force you to eat tons of sweets, it's just a bad habit.

You can stop eating sugar. And you will need no more than 60 days for this.

Now I will share my experience with you. I hope it inspires you?

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Features of nutrition of children and pregnant women

Almost all of the listed products can be consumed by babies and women who are preparing to become mothers. The only limitation may be an allergy to certain types of fruits or lactose intolerance.

Healthy substitutes for sweets and flour, included in a child’s diet from early childhood, will help develop correct eating habits. But they should not be abused, otherwise it will lead to metabolic disorders and excessive stress on the digestive organs.

This recommendation is also relevant for expectant mothers: a day you can eat a couple of marshmallows or marmalades, a handful of dates, a portion of berry smoothie or sorbet. In addition, pregnant women should add foods containing large amounts of magnesium to their diet.

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.

How to switch from harmful to healthy treats?

Replacing sweets and starchy foods when losing weight is not so difficult, especially since the choice of alternative products is quite large. The following advice from a nutritionist will help ease the transition to proper nutrition:

• prepare a menu for the week in advance;
• eat more protein foods, vegetables, fruits and cereals;
• develop the habit of drinking tea and coffee without sugar;
• prepare harmless desserts at home;
• eat permitted sweets in the morning;
• study the composition of products, do not purchase products containing sugar, synthetic sweeteners and wheat flour;
• if you want to eat something forbidden, drink mint or lemon water;
• buy electronic scales, weigh portions and count calories.

And the main advice: do not buy store-bought sweets. If there are no sweets, cookies or cakes in the house, it will be easier to resist the temptation to eat them.

Berries

Eat more wild and domestic berries. In summer, when they are in abundance, try to get as many nutrients and vitamins from berries as possible. Having a low calorie content, they will help replace sweets when losing weight. The main advantage of small life-giving products is their low calorie content. Unlike dried fruits, berries can be eaten with spoons.

Here you need to give up honey. It is high in calories, contains large amounts of carbohydrates and sugars, and also has a high glycemic index.

Do you want to lose weight and eat delicious food? Swap sugary foods for healthy and nutritious foods, and your figure will thank you.

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