Are sugar and beauty compatible?

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

In the last column we identified five dangerous daily habits and today we decided to raise one of the most pressing topics – the effects of sugar on the body.

Inessa Tsarkova

For those who love charming desserts and want to prolong their youth and beauty, this article is for you! Sugar, or rather its excess (it is almost impossible to keep track today), is the main enemy of our beauty and youth.
The problem is not even in the sugar itself, but that it is artificially obtained in concentrated form and added in large quantities to almost all products (as a flavor enhancer and preservative). And it’s not just chocolate, cakes and cookies, but also all sauces (including soy sauce, mayonnaise and ketchup), sausages, cutlets, dairy products, processed foods, vegan products, “healthy” protein bars for snacks, sports drinks and sports valid. beverages, fast food, alcohol and even baby food.

The surprising thing is that even products labeled “sugar-free” contain sugar substitutes that are no better (and often even more harmful) than sugar itself. Additionally, modern foods contain few vitamins and enzymes necessary to use sugar (it is broken down in the body into glucose and fructose and needs to be used as fuel to produce energy in cells). And almost always products are subjected to aggressive cooking, which also destroys vitamins and enzymes. The most harmful cooking method is frying in a pan, where the temperature rises to 250-300 degrees Celsius. This leads to the formation of an appetizing but very unhealthy crust. It consists of glycated proteins (an indigestible mixture of protein and sugar that kills our digestive organs).

In addition, modern humans often consume much more potential energy than they expend. Excess sugar cannot float in the blood for long (where it damages the walls of blood vessels). If the cells do not need it or cannot use it, it is converted into fat cells with the help of insulin (which the pancreas is constantly forced to synthesize in large quantities). Also, excess sugar can combine with proteins (for example, with skin proteins – collagen and elastin), which leads to their dysfunction and rapid aging of the skin. And this process of protein glycation is similar to the process that occurs with the formation of a fried crust in a pan.

What else is harmful about sugar?

— Physical addiction can occur because sugar is the most powerful drug in the world.

— The number of fat cells increases, which can lead to weight gain, obesity and hormonal disorders.

— Due to the protein glycation process, not only the skin but the entire body ages faster.

— The pancreas becomes overloaded and begins to work poorly.

— Cell receptors become insensitive to insulin, leading to the development of diabetes.

— The walls of blood vessels become damaged and atherosclerosis begins to develop, leading to strokes and heart attacks.

— Fungi and parasites begin to feed intensively on excess and unused sugar, and allergies and dermatitis develop.

— The immune system weakens, frequent colds begin, herpes becomes active and the risk of cancer increases.

Now it becomes clear how the love of sweets leads to excess weight, rapid aging, diseased blood vessels and the development of serious diseases. Sugar “desired” in this way can not only harm beauty and youth, but also destroy health.

Where did this “harmful” love of sweets for humanity come from?

The fact is that nature wanted to help our ancestors choose the right high-energy food, and when people found it, it created a system of incentives for the production of joy hormones. It turns out that the same energy (and therefore hormones of joy) can be obtained most quickly from sugar. Everything will be fine if their source is natural natural products (honey, berries, sweet fruits and root vegetables) containing fiber, vitamins and enzymes, and if you move a lot every day. But unfortunately, in the modern world, everything is far from being like that. The most important reason for sweet cravings is lack of energy (little produced or spent too much).

This could be due to many factors.

Malnutrition

This type of nutrition leads to a deficiency of vitamins, microelements, enzymes, polyunsaturated fatty acids (especially omega-3), proteins (or their poor absorption and faulty synthesis).

Lack of joy and happiness hormones

Then, the nerve connections formed in childhood begin to function. For example, with increased anxiety, lack of love or melancholy, you really want to eat the same “grandma’s birthday cake” from childhood, when a person was happy, calm, full of joy, surrounded by the care and love of loved ones.

Increased number and activity of sugar-feeding parasites, opportunistic and pathogenic microbes and fungi

These little residents of ours “order” their favorite foods to our brain: sweets and refined carbohydrates (acting via the gut-brain axis).

lack of chromium

This mineral is necessary for the functioning of insulin and the absorption of glucose, as well as the activation of enzymes.

lack of oxygen

The fact is that the energy stations of cells (mitochondria) produce energy using not only glucose but also oxygen. Such a deficiency can occur if a person’s blood is thick, dehydrated, has low hemoglobin levels, a blocked diaphragm, physical inactivity, or low indoor oxygen levels.

Increased toxic load on the body

This occurs when a large number of toxic metabolic products and toxins accumulate in the body and the detoxification organs (especially the liver, gallbladder and intestines) do not work well. Toxins can enter the body from the outside (for example, from poor-quality food, in the form of chemical additives, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, non-ecological cosmetics, household chemicals) or are formed inside (for example, the action of parasites and other endoaggressors, metabolic disorders of substances, the lymphatic system, the liver and as a result of poor functioning of the gallbladder.

Frequent and prolonged stress

During stress, muscles tense, blood vessels go into spasm, and stress and tension hormones, especially cortisol, are constantly synthesized. All this consumes a lot of energy, glucose and vitamins.

How can you help your body not suffer from excess “hidden” sugar and not become a “sugar addict”?

— Read labels carefully and choose products that do not contain sugar or sweeteners (such as fructose, xylitol, sorbitol, sucralose, saccharin, aspartame, cyclamate, stevioside).

As a last resort, when getting rid of sugar addiction, you can use erythritol (this is an artificially isolated sweet alcohol, which our friendly microflora also gladly uses).

— Write yourself a list of eco-friendly ways to get the joy hormone and use it if you have a sweet tooth. For example, exercising and ultraviolet radiation lead to the production of endorphins; more dopamine is created when goals are achieved; Caring for loved ones and showing affection contributes to the production of oxytocin, and sunbathing, contrast showers, laughter, as well as aromatherapy with natural essential oils (especially citrus) help increase serotonin levels. This can also be your favorite music or book, walks in nature (this will also increase the amount of oxygen), creativity and your hobbies. Even shopping or watching an interesting show are great alternatives to cake or pastries!

— Learn to work with stress (breathing practices, swimming, massage and spa, yoga, meditation). And from point 2, all these actions that increase the level of joy hormones.

– Instead of products containing artificial sugar, you can use healthy natural products containing the joy hormone serotonin itself or its precursor, the amino acid tryptophan, as well as many vitamins and enzymes. These are foods such as bananas, strawberries, oranges, pineapples, dates, plums, figs, black currants, walnuts, ground sesame seeds, green vegetables and lentils.

— You can determine the level of chromium in the blood or simply increase the amount of foods containing it: whole grain cereals, legumes, beets, radishes, liver, eggs with runny yolks (preferably quail), mackerel, shrimp.

— Get into the habit of enjoying physical activity with the release of endorphins, serotonin and oxytocin, rather than high glycemic index foods (including sugar and refined carbohydrates) that cause “sweet happiness”.

To do this, you can use the method of Yakov Marshak (famous scientist, biochemist, founder of several clinics for the treatment of drug addiction)..

1. Eat food slowly and chew thoroughly.

2. Immediately after the onset of satiety (it is important to closely monitor your appearance and prevent overeating) get up from the table.

3. Go to another room, turn on upbeat music and dance actively for five minutes (until healthy shortness of breath occurs).

— It is important to increase the amount of energy not only with food, but also with other energy practices: breathing, movement, thermal and solar procedures, walks in nature, as well as inspiration and satisfaction from favorite activities, live communication with like-minded people, friends and loved ones.

Friends, develop awareness in yourself and move away from unconscious stereotyped automatism in your daily actions and habits! Learn how to listen to your body and understand what it really needs. To preserve beauty and youth, it is important to learn to enjoy life (without using sugar for this), feel it here and now, enjoy every moment of it!