A pleasure food, sugar should be consumed in moderation. If you want to reduce your consumption, here is what will happen in your body, according to Dr Réginald Allouche, general practitioner and bio-medical engineer, specialist in nutrition and type 2 diabetes.
Whether it is consumed as is – added to coffee for example – or through foods that one would not necessarily suspect as containing it, like industrial sauces or prepared meals, sugar is everywhere. Faced with the harms linked to it, many people seek to limit their consumption. But concretely, what happens in our body when we reduce our sugar intake?
Sugar is a “friend that must be kept at bay”
When we consume sugar, our body triggers the production of insulin, a hormone that allows excess sugar to be consumed and eliminated from the blood, either by being used by our cells or by being stored in the form of fat. . “L“Excess insulin production can over time lead to insulin resistance in our cells.” explains Dr Réginald Allouche, general practitioner and author of “Sugar: public enemy number 1” which has just been published by Albin Michel.
“Excess insulin is also partly responsible for a disorder that more and more women are experiencing today: polycystic ovary syndrome (or PCOS) because the hormone will over-stimulate the ovaries, which end up producing testosterone, which promotes painful periods and causes weight gain. adds the doctor. However, the health professional does not advocate abstinence, he rather believes that sugar is a “friend from whom you must keep your distance”.
How does our body react to stopping sugar?
Over the years, the doctor therefore recommends reducing your sugar intake. “I am not talking about completely stopping sugar because that is illusory. On the other hand, we must reduce our intake, gradually, over time because our metabolism is not the same at 20 and at 50.”
To do this, you must learn to trick your brain, which will tend to demand its daily sugar intake. How to do ? “The brain is both the regulator of our sugar intake but it is also completely subject to this substance.” states the expert.
And this ambiguous relationship is quickly put in place: “It starts with the taste buds, which when they sense the sweet taste activate the nucleus accumbens, the brain's reward center. This is followed by a release of dopamine, the so-called pleasure hormone. This is why our brain will demand sugar.”.
To deceive him, the specialist gives a tip: “If you have a craving for sugar, you should drink a glass of not very cold water and take a handful of almonds that you will gnaw, taking your time, to make this moment pass.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
To reduce sugar, limit your intake of starchy foods!
When we want to reduce our sugar consumption, we usually think of fast sugars. But for Dr Allouche, reducing your consumption of starchy foods is also essential, particularly in the evening.
“What you need to remember is that what you eat in the morning and during the day will be eliminated, while what you eat in the evening will be stored“. If you want to reduce your sugar intake, Réginald Allouche advises to “replace starchy foods every other day with legumeswhich have the advantage of containing fibers”.
And for days when you consume starchy foods, choose basmati or long grain rice, which have the lowest glycemic index, or pasta cooked al dente. “For rice, limit the quantity to a Chinese bowl and for pasta, a dessert plate..
Ultimately, you will lose weight, assures the doctor, and eliminate the risks of pre-diabetes and diabetes. “Health and the fight against diabetes are an individual matter and I invite everyone, especially those predisposed to developing the disease, to adopt these rules” he concludes.
Slide: How much sugar is hidden in your food?
