Sweet tooths know that sugar is harmful, but they often do not know what can effectively replace sugar, except for sugar substitutes. Indeed, sweet drinks with zero calories are a good way out at the first stage. Many can get used to unsweetened tea and coffee, because without sweetness, the taste and aroma of the drink is better felt. This saves several permitted spoons of sugar, which can be legally turned into sweets and other goodies. Next, we will consider how to enjoy fast carbohydrates with health benefits.
Today, the average person consumes too much starch and sugar, including hidden sugar. The harm of consuming excessive amounts of refined carbohydrates is obvious, and this is reliably known. WHO recommends consuming up to 5% of the total energy consumed, which for most people is about 20-50 grams of sugar per day. However, sugar should not be demonized excessively, and the benefits of fast carbohydrates should not be forgotten. To take the first step in the issue of proper balanced nutrition, we recommend https://antiage.click/en/downloads download FatSecret to your Android tablet or smartphone, iPhone, iPad, or other mobile devices.
The most important advantages of fast carbohydrates are:
- high energy capacity,
- easy digestibility,
- quick hunger relief,
- acceleration of metabolism,
- activation of hormone and enzyme synthesis,
- converted into glycogen – a source of strength,
- anabolic effect in the form of a powerful release of insulin,
- participation in the recovery of the body after exercise.
Among the disadvantages of refined fast carbohydrates, first of all, the following should be listed:
- low nutrient saturation,
- hunger is satisfied for a short time,
- sugar that enters the blood is converted into fat if it does not go into glycogen due to physical loads.
In other words: refined fast carbohydrates are empty calories. They contain a minimum of vitamins, microelements and other substances useful for the body. For the most part, this also applies to fatty foods, although some may contain healthy fatty acids.
Products called fast carbohydrates can be divided into two groups:
1. Simple carbohydrates with a maximum of empty calories:
- sweet carbonated drinks, juices, compotes,
- any alcohol,
- candies, chocolates, ice cream, marmalade, marshmallows,
- canned fruits, preserves, jams,
- fried potatoes or French fries,
- fast food (almost all dishes contain a lot of starch and sugar),
- white flour products with excess salt, sugar and/or fat,
- popcorn, crackers, croutons, chips.
2. Healthy fast carbohydrates with vitamins, microelements and other substances necessary for the body:
- honey,
- dried fruits,
- kozinaki, halva, sherbet, grillage, nougat, Turkish delight, candied fruits,
- high-quality condensed milk,
- unsweetened muesli and cornflakes,
- flour products without sugar, fat, salt,
- rice,
- semolina porridge,
- boiled potatoes in their skins,
- heat-treated vegetables,
- zucchini caviar, sauces, ketchups.
The products of the first group should be gradually completely excluded from the diet, and healthy fast carbohydrates in moderate quantities 1-2 hours before intense physical activity can make training more productive. Considering that an hour-long intense fitness workout with weights or a workout session on horizontal bars can burn 500 kcal, and a 20-minute walk will burn about 100 kcal, a small amount of tasty treats can be effectively burned. You should not eat fast carbohydrates before bed, since in the absence of physical activity, all the extra calories will be deposited in fat reserves.