Sanyukta Baijal
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Not only can sugar add extra kilos to your body but may also lead to tooth decay. It may also be harmful for your brain power.
Are you spending most of your afternoons and free time battling with the temptation to raid the fridge for chocolates and ice creams? Well, in that case you are not alone. Lockdown has become synonymous with over-eating for many people. According to researchers for the Atkins Diet, mid-afternoon is the most dangerous time for cravings, with 62 per cent of people breaking their diets at this time. In fact, 3.23 pm is the time when you are most likely to give into your cravings. Researchers also discovered that stress and boredom were the most common reasons for breaking diets at this time. Since there's hardly much to do, your brain tempts you to eat more unhealthy and sweet snacks at odd timings. This may lead to over-eating and can cause several health issues also because there are no such movements or workouts happening during this time. Therefore, here we are to tame your sweet tooth and control your cravings for sugar intake with these 5 ways. Take a look:
Not just boredom but sugar cravings can also be a sign that your blood sugar levels are not balanced. Therefore, to help maintain normal blood sugar levels, try to snack on little things all through the day in a gap of a few hours. But don't forget to opt for low GI (glycemic index) foods which will release energy slowly throughout the day and won't result in energy peaks and crashes. Some types of low-GI foods include non-starchy vegetables, nuts, legumes and complex carbs such as oats and brown rice.
As mentioned above, the cravings to have something sweet may also be directly proportional to low blood sugar levels. If you find yourself experiencing intense cravings for sweet treats regularly then it could be a sign that you have low levels of chromium in your diet. Therefore, try chromium-rich diet such as apples, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, whole grains and grape juice.
Not only can sugar add extra kilos to your body but may also lead to tooth decay. Sugar may also be harmful for your brainpower. As per some researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, sugar could alter your ability to learn and remember information. Apart from it, high blood sugar levels can cause glycation which is a process that damages the collagen in the skin, leading to saggy skin and wrinkles. Therefore, try cutting down on the usage of sugar or try one of the best alternatives for it which is sugar-free.
Many people think that aerated diet drinks are sugar-free and hence an easy solution for your sweet tooth cravings. But it isn't true. While drinks may be low in calories, a study by the Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio found that consuming diet drinks can actually increase your waist inches and lead to weight gain. This is believed to be because of the artificial sweeteners that trigger appetite and can actually increase your sugar cravings.