That impulse could seem to have control over you when you suddenly sense the need for a sugar fix. A registered dietitian advises that you may only require more of this nutritious staple in your diet to help manage sugar cravings.
A 2018 study suggested that the average intake of added sugars was around 17 teaspoons for those aged 20 or older. And if you’re suffering from health conditions like diabetes, you would want to cut down on it significantly.
Do you worry that you consume too much sugar?
Your concern might be justified. Clinical experts including dietitians and doctors are aware that when blood sugar levels abruptly rise, your blood actually thickens. This can eventually cause major health problems and raise your risk of developing chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and obesity.
Many nutritionists say that processed food sugar is a drug, in contrast to healthy carbohydrates like sweet potatoes or brown rice. As a result, routinely consuming refined sugar usually simply results in increased desires.
Hearing the advice to “just be happy” can make you feel the same way someone with clinical depression might when they hear it. (If only it were that easy, right?)
One nutritionist may have the solution if you’ve tried every strategy you can think of to control your sugar cravings but are still having trouble. Her recommendation? Instead of focusing just on eliminating sweets from your diet, you may actually need to add more of anything. We know the details. Oh, and if you’ve ever pondered the reason behind your premenstrual craving for fatty, sugary foods, you could have just discovered it.
Protein’s impact on blood sugar
One of the three macronutrients that gives our bodies the calories it needs to provide us energy is protein. The other two are lipids and carbs (often referred to as sugars), and each of these three has a unique impact on your blood sugar levels.
Following a meal, carbs raise your blood sugar levels, which prompts the pancreas to release insulin to carry the sugar to your blood cells. Contrarily, fats don’t immediately affect blood sugar levels. However, consuming a high-fat meal can impede insulin’s capacity to transport glucose into your cells and slow down digestion. By slowing down digestion, boosting satiety (the feeling of being full after eating), and lowering the pace at which your cells absorb sugar, protein helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
So, can protein reduce the need for sugar?
The Healthy quotes registered dietitian Brittany Lubeck, MS, RD, who also writes on nutrition, as saying that when you eat protein, your body releases blood sugar from the food you eat more gradually than when you eat carbohydrates alone or in a lot of them. According to Lubeck, eating protein can help balance your blood sugar and prevent the unpleasant spikes and drops that can lead to problems, such as sugar cravings.
Nevertheless, consuming a healthy protein at meals in addition to carbs will help prevent a blood sugar collapse that makes you crave sweets. This is due to the fact that fibre and protein take longer for your body to digest. You may experience prolonged satiety as a result.
How much protein can help control the need for sugar?
Do you want to know how much protein you need to avoid sugar cravings? According to Lubeck, the daily requirement varies depending on factors including age, gender, weight, and degree of activity. Nevertheless, a general recommendation is to consume 0.36 to 0.45 grams of protein for every pound of body weight.
Protein cookies
Due to their ability to maintain satiety and aid in muscle growth and repair, protein cookies are an excellent post-workout snack. But just because a snack is described as “high protein” doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good for you or is “clean eating.” It offers a lot of protein and nutrients.
Cookies are the ideal light breakfast food, especially if you create them yourself because it gives you a sense of accomplishment. Because whole grain flour, a nourishing source of protein, vitamins, fibre, and minerals that support a healthy metabolism, is an ingredient in cookies, eating them can help you feel more energized.
Helps in weight loss
Is all of this real? Yes! Numerous health advantages of dietary fiber include weight loss, decreased blood cholesterol, and prevention of constipation.
However, only if you eat enough cookies to get the proper balance of calories for daily metabolic activity. If you have diabetes or are on a diet, this is the ideal snack for you.
Getting Your Sweet Cravings Met Just Right
Yes, you can still indulge in the mouthwatering flavour of cookies while taking care of your health. If you’re on a diet, a word of advice: study the cookie’s contents and nutrition information before buying them, or try making a nutritious cookie at home on your own or with the assistance of your friends and family.
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