Chocolate, candy, and even a piece of your favorite cake — you don’t have to give up all of this, even if you’re on a diet. But the main thing is not to overindulge and follow a few simple rules.
1. Don’t give up sweets
Even if you stick to a very strict diet, one serving of your favorite dessert a week will not only not interfere with your fitness, but will also help. When you know for sure that you can go and eat that piece of cake or that portion of ice cream, paradoxically the cravings decrease: the forbidden fruit always has a particularly attractive aroma of prohibition.
In addition, constant confrontation with yourself will only increase stress and anxiety – and they, in turn, will increase cravings for forbidden foods. A vicious circle!
- Reduce the portion size
No matter how much we eat, we almost always eat more than we actually need – and this also applies to desserts. The next time you decide to pay tribute to your favorite delicacy, put two-thirds of the usual portion on your plate – you’ll see, it will be quite enough for you.
- Eat slowly
Savor your dessert without distraction. Try to appreciate not only the taste, but also the aroma, texture, and even appearance: the more consciously you engage in the process, the easier it will be for you to catch the signal of satiety – and the less you will ultimately eat.
- Drink a glass of water before dessert
Very often, cravings for sweets are a signal that the body lacks fluid. But even if everything is fine with hydration, drinking a glass of water before dessert will make you eat less – there simply won’t be enough space.
- Give preference to chocolate or dried fruits
Chocolate, especially with a high cocoa content and a small amount of sugar, is good for health and metabolism: nutritionists recommend two or three pieces of dark chocolate to speed up metabolism. As for dried fruits, they are definitely healthier than desserts oversaturated with sugar and fast carbohydrates.
And a couple more rules:
- The daily share of sweets should not exceed 10% of the daily diet. So, if you try to eat no more than 2000 calories a day, then candy or chocolate “falls” no more than 200. Not so little, by the way.
- It is better to choose desserts with a high cocoa content and a small amount of sugar.
- It is better to eat dessert in the first half of the day, when our metabolism is especially active.
- In no case should you replace a meal or snack with dessert – it is best to eat it after breakfast or lunch.