Aaah ice creams, darlings, cocktails ... During the summer, with its long vacations conducive to relaxation, the temptation to eat sweet is certainly higher than the rest of the year. But be careful not to become addict! Invited Sunday of the health magazine, on Europe 1, the nutritionist doctor Raphael Gruman warns against the risks of too much sugar consumption. And we propose a radical reconversion.
"We could live only on fat reserves"
Sugar can be "considered as a drug, in the sense that it will act on certain receptors in the brain, which are roughly similar to those of a drug." That is to say, the more we go into consume and more we will want to consume.Therefore it is this addiction that will make that we will have a hard time without it.When we do not have one, we will go systematically look for a sweet taste ", decrypts the author of The Gruman Method: 3 months to lose weight with the integrative dietetics , which deplores in passing that" the entire universe of the food industry will push us to this addition to sugar " .
However, an overconsumption of sugar directly threatens our health. According to a recent Inserm study, drinking even one can of soda a day can lead to poisoning of the liver. And it's all the more regrettable that sugar is not totally essential to our body.
"We can do without it, unlike proteins or certain fats that are essential nutrients for the constitution of muscles, the hormonal functioning of the body, the brain, the joints," says Dr. Raphael Gruman. And to add: "Sugar is a reserve of energy.The second energy that one has at the level of the body, it is the reserves of fat and one could live only on the reserves of fat".
"It takes effort, it will take time for the organization"
To fight against sugar addiction, the nutritionist advises to try a period without consuming any. "When you stop the carbohydrates, the body will naturally go dig into the fat reserve and we will also lose water that is surplus", he says, ensuring that we can easily lose "two or three pounds in a week ".
"It takes effort, we develop taste buds in the tongue that will be receptive to this sweet taste.When we will do without, the taste buds will eventually disappear and the appetite will become less important", details doctor. And to continue: "It's going to take a lot of time for the body, it's often said it takes three weeks, but it can be longer or shorter depending on the people. to spend enough time, when touching a sweet product, it will be horribly sweet.
There is sugar and sugar
All sugars, of course, are not equal. Fructose, which is found in fruits, will not disrupt blood sugar - the blood sugar level - like a biscuit in which we will have refined sugars, which will pass much faster in the blood and the liver and will promote weight gain. To avoid as much as possible: alcohol. For Raphael Gruman, a simple glass of rosé represents the equivalent of three or four squares of sugar. And that can go up to eight for a glass of mojito.
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All this strategy against sugar addiction must be built with a doctor and / or a nutritionist. At the end of the total weaning period, it is then advisable to consume sugars "interesting for the body," adds Raphael Gruman. And to mention fruits, slow sugar (pulses, pasta and rice ...). "We will not have a quick weight recovery," says the nutritionist.
And for children?
Raphael Gruman recommends starting "taste education" from an early age. Thus, from the age of food diversification, from 4 to 6 months, it is advisable to avoid giving too much sugar to your child. Otherwise, it risks "developing a stronger craving for sugar and asking for it permanently", warns the nutritionist.
Throughout childhood and adolescence, education to taste must be done, says the specialist. "Sugar is a pleasure but a pleasure that must be punctual.If you say, 'Here, once a week, we take cakes, a sweet drink from time to time', it will prevent the pleasure becomes daily. is that after the pleasure is lost and we will tend to consume even more to find it ".