How to stop eating sweets and starchy foods forever – 5 steps from a psychologist

It is known that many women like sweets and baked goods, and some are ready to eat them even when they do not benefit, but harm. It is not always possible to cope with the desire to eat something tasty. Let's look at why it can be difficult to give up eating sweets and how to stop eating sweets and starchy foods forever.

Harm from eating sweets and starchy foods

Sugar is an easily processed carbohydrate that causes rapid weight gain. A love of sweets can lead to metabolic problems and provoke the development of diabetes. Flour works in a similar way. This is not only bread, but primarily buns, pastries, cakes, which contain a lot of starch and sugar. When a large amount of carbohydrates is received, the excess begins to be converted into fat, which is deposited in the tissues.

To understand how to stop eating sweets and starchy foods frequently, you need to remember that baked goods can cause allergies, as preservatives are added to the dough. Allergies do not develop immediately, but can be dangerous; consequences can include coughing, rashes, and shortness of breath. Baking uses modified fats that have carcinogenic properties. Baking powder contains phosphates, substances that can cause stomach ulcers. Yeast can cause fermentation, increase acidity, and disrupt the composition of intestinal microflora.

And most importantly, fine flour used for baking has practically no benefit, since most of the nutrients in it are destroyed.

Choosing a natural sweetener

You can, of course, run around the kitchen in a panic and throw out all the products that contain sugar. But you can do it more rationally. Why deny yourself a piece of treat if you can simply replace this product with a healthier sweetener?!

These include, for example, maple syrup and stevia. We will talk about each of them in more detail.

Maple syrup

Maple syrup is very popular overseas and is a natural sugar substitute. In its appearance and viscous consistency it resembles fresh bee honey. If you have made a conscious decision to completely give up sugar, you can add maple syrup to tea or coffee, or use it as a sweet addition to desserts. The ingredient can also be used in preparing vegetable side dishes and meat dishes to add a sweet note.

Benefits of the substitute:

• the natural sweet product is rich in B vitamins and phosphorus, calcium, zinc and potassium;
• maple syrup contains rarely found thiamine, which is vital for pregnant and lactating women, as well as people who work in physically demanding jobs;
• sweet syrup helps strengthen the heart muscle and immunity.

The only downside of maple syrup is that it is consumed relatively quickly and costs a lot.

Stevia

Honey grass powder is considered a safe and natural sugar substitute. The impressive fact is that the sweetness is 25 times sweeter than regular refined sugar. Therefore, despite the higher cost, the sweetener stevia is consumed very economically. In stores, the sweetener is sold not only in powder form, but also in dried honey grass leaves, which can be used to make homemade sweet pastries or added to refreshing cocktails.

Unlike other substitutes, stevia can be consumed by people who are obese, as well as by diabetics who cannot imagine their life without sweets. The natural product contains virtually no calories and, moreover, is highly resistant to heat. Therefore, you can safely add it to baked goods.

The benefit of honey herb lies in the fact that the sweet powder has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the pancreas and liver. And adding stevia instead of sugar to dishes intended for a baby can minimize the risk of developing an allergic reaction and diathesis.

Regular moderate consumption of this sugar substitute has a positive effect on a person’s mental and physical well-being.

Honey

Contrary to all the claims that honey is a safe sweet, this is not entirely true. The bee product, like regular sugar, can whet your appetite and increase blood glucose levels. In addition, do not forget that it belongs to the category of potential allergens, and the glycemic index of honey is the same as that of a regular refined product. Therefore, people with obesity and diabetes should avoid it.

Honey, beloved by many, should not be added to baked goods or hot tea, because during heat treatment it begins to release carcinogens.

Fructose

There is also a misconception that fructose is much healthier than sugar, both for your figure and overall health. This compound has a much lower glycemic index, so people with diabetes often replace their usual product with it. However, doctors have already sounded the alarm because it negatively affects the functioning of the pancreas.

An interesting fact is that fruit sugar is processed in the liver, so its excess quickly turns into fat deposits. So, if you decide to give up sugar and take fructose instead for weight loss, your idea is doomed to failure.

Synthetic sweeteners

Separately, it is necessary to say about artificial sweeteners. In addition to side effects such as dizziness and stomach pain, the white granules or tablets are very high in calories. So if you hope to get rid of 2-3 kilos with their help, then it is better to abandon this decision, instead go in for sports and follow the recommendations of nutritionists.

If you are comfortable using sugar substitutes in powder or tablet form, pay attention to FitParad.

Synthetic sweet compounds are not absorbed by the human body and, moreover, are toxic to it.

Why is it difficult to give up sweets and starchy foods?

Psychology will answer the question of how to stop eating sweets. Scientists have proven that sweets are addictive. After eating your favorite food, your body produces hormones that make you feel happy and satisfied. Gradually, an addiction develops, forcing you to consume more and more sweets.

The reason why it is difficult to give up tasty food is psychological. Awareness of this fact helps to understand how to stop eating sweets forever and it is easier to get rid of the habit, if only because the reason is known.

It would seem that if the reason is known, then the solution to the problem of how to wean off eating sweets and starchy foods suggests itself - just give them up for a while so that the body has time to readjust. But this is not always easy to do, because taste buds tuned to certain substances send signals to the brain about tasteless food. And the desire to eat sweets arises again.

What to do if you can't resist

If you can’t control yourself and have already decided to eat something forbidden:

• choose the product you want most;
• before this, it is better to eat your main diet (porridge, meat, salad, etc.)
• try not to let anything distract you from enjoying yourself;
• eat the sweetness slowly, feeling the full taste of the product.

Often, what we most want to eat is actually not so tasty, because in a hurry we simply do not have time to taste the food, it seems very tasty to us. But if you taste it well, the taste will not be so attractive.

How to give up sweets and starchy foods

Several ways to gradually quit sweets:

• Refuse junk food, but do not deny yourself pleasure. Attachment to sweets arises not only from carbohydrates, but also from tastes, to which an addiction is also developed. Vanilla, cream, and cocoa are found not only in chocolate and candies, but also in sports nutrition products and dietary products. It is enough to choose a product with your favorite taste and make sure that the period of giving up junk food has become easier to endure.
• An important condition for how to stop eating sweets and starchy foods is not a sudden, but a gradual rejection of them. Trying to quit right away will most likely end in irritation, bad mood and breakdown. After all, not everyone has enough willpower to break the habit forever. First you need to give up the easiest thing - sweet drinks. When, after a few days, the loss is no longer felt so sharply, you can move on to the next stage. You need to start drinking coffee and tea with a minimum amount of sugar, or even without it at all. Then you should gradually stop buying cakes and pastries, buns and muffins.
• If it’s really hard, then instead of sugar you can use honey; at least it’s natural and healthy; in addition to carbohydrates, which are not as harmful as sugar, it contains mineral elements and vitamins. Buy dark chocolate, the least sweet. Eat dried fruits and raisins.
• Healthy food and a properly composed diet are the solution to the question of how to completely stop loving sweets and starchy foods. If you eat foods in which the content of fat, carbohydrates and other nutrients is balanced, digestion, metabolism will improve and taste habits will change. The desire to please yourself with sweets will disappear by itself.
• You should include porridge, wholemeal or whole grain bread, nuts, legumes, herbs and vegetables in your menu. Products take a long time to process and will not cause a quick surge of energy, but will consistently maintain it at a high level. It is the normalization of energy production that will control the desire to eat something sweet. This is one of the most effective ways to stop loving sweets and starchy foods forever.
• It is known that such a desire can arise from excitement before an important event or from stress. Therefore, before going to a meeting or to relieve stress after an unpleasant event, you need to eat not something tasty, but healthy.

It takes at least 3 weeks to develop and consolidate a new habit. During this time, the body will have time to adapt to a healthy way of functioning.

Psychological ways to reduce cravings for flour

• Motivate yourself first. Understand why you need it. It’s better not to come up with motivation for yourself, but to come to it, grow to it.
• A hobby can help you overcome yourself and reduce the amount you eat. Sometimes we eat bread or sweets just to fill the void in our lives. To prevent this from happening, make your life brighter and more interesting.
• Don't keep sweets at home. You will simply be too lazy to go specifically to the store for sweets.
• When you want something sweet, do something very pleasant: take a bath, do your hair, body wrap or self-massage, drink herbal tea and watch an interesting movie.

Here's how to eat less sweets. By following these recommendations, you can forever limit yourself to fast carbohydrates.

Examples of nutrition for weight loss

Approximate distribution of food during the day:

Sample menu for the week: