Croissant, pain au chocolat/chocolatine, apple turnover… Pastries are an integral part of French heritage and we cannot ignore them. However, a certain quantity should not be exceeded, at the risk of harming your health.
Your colleague has done it again: he has brought pastries back to the office. The temptation is then immense… Of course, you have already had breakfast, but doesn’t this golden croissant catch your eye? While there is no harm in treating yourself from time to time, a maximum number of weekly breaks must be respected.
Pastries: what is the right frequency?
Certainly not the whole basket! Remember that pastries are harmful to your health – due to their high fat, sugar and calorie content.
Pastries are often made from puff pastry, an ingredient rich in butter or margarine, which increases their saturated fat content (i.e. bad fats).
Furthermore, their high sugar content can promote the appearance of weight problems, diabetes or even dental health.
Finally, pastries are low in nutrition – they are low in essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
For all these reasons, it is better to consume it occasionally.
“If we consume them occasionally, that is to say once or twice a week, pastries and pastries will have no impact on our nutritional balance, our health and our weight.“, confides Mégane Heudiard, dietitian nutritionist, to Madame Figaro.
The nutrition expert recalls, for example, that a pain au chocolat is equivalent to approximately 7.5 grams of sugar.
“Too much sugar increases the risk of dental caries, overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.“, warns Mégane Heudiard. Moreover”Consumed in excess, they tend to promote cholesterol deposits in the arteries and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.alerts the dietitian nutritionist.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
Sugar, fat… but also salt
No offense to pastries addicts, these morning delights are also… salty! A pain au chocolat contains between 0.50 grams and 0.60 grams of salt, or a tenth of the recommendations of the World Health Organization which are set at 5 grams per day.
“Excessive salt consumption is today recognized by the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) as one of the risk factors for high blood pressure and consequently of cardiovascular diseases“, warns Mégane Heudiard.
The right attitude to adopt, ultimately? Treat yourself in moderation, as usual, in order to avoid frustrations and compulsive breakdowns.
Slide: How much sugar is hidden in your food?
