How to eat sweets safely? Can cheese really normalize blood insulin levels?

Many people love sweets: it helps to lift your mood when you are sad, and in general, who would refuse a delicious dessert? However, sugar is far from being the healthiest product and should not be abused. Among other things, it quickly raises the level of insulin in the blood, which also falls quickly – because of this, a person may feel tired, and hunger comes faster. Is it possible to protect yourself from insulin spikes and eat sweets without danger to health? Let’s find out together with nutriciologist Andrei Semeshov.

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Experiment with gummy bears

In his new book “One apple makes you healthy, three apples lead to liver obesity”, the famous German nutriciologist Carsten Lekutat shared the results of an unusual experiment.

Specializing in diabetes, Lekutat decided to test how marmalade affects blood sugar levels. Usually the consumption of marmalade bears provokes a sharp spike in insulin, and hunger after such a snack comes faster. Then the nutriciologist decided to give the participants of the experiment some cheese before sweets. As a result, the blood sugar level changed only slightly, and there was no feeling of hunger, which appears soon after a sweet.

Andrei: In my opinion, everything here is logical. In the stomach there are not only “bears” (sugar), but also cheese (protein and fats). The body digests everything in a complex, i.e. all nutrients are mixed in the bloodstream – proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Of course, after processing by enzymes. But the specific proportion of conventional sugar (glucose from the “bears”) is lower than if the “bears” were eaten alone.

That is, the potential danger of sugar is if you eat it on an empty stomach. And many people, not having time to have a full lunch, prefer to snack on a sweet bar. This should not be done.

Is it worth giving up sugar completely?

To begin with, it is worth realizing that sugar itself is not harmful, explains nutriciologist. It is the amount that turns it into a poison for the body.

Andrei: Indeed, we eat a lot of sugar, which leads to health problems. And, of course, it is better to reduce its consumption.

However, do not rush to replace your favorite morning coffee with a bitter espresso without sugar – it is not necessary at all. After all, sugar enters the stomach in different ways – it is also called “hidden”. For example, if you scrutinize the composition of the same black bread, you can see that it also has this ingredient.

Whether to give up sugar or not is a personal decision for everyone. If possible, try to choose products without added sugar, advises nutritionist. But don’t demonize it, because everything is good in moderation.