Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman, Nutrition and Diet Specialist of Acıbadem Kozyatağı Hospital, said: “When fasting is not done with the right foods after a long period of hunger, or when foods that will keep blood sugar in balance are not consumed, the craving for sweets is inevitable.
Did you know that the desire to consume sweets in Ramadan mostly lies in not consuming the right foods in iftar and sahur? Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman, Nutrition and Diet Specialist at Acıbadem Kozyatağı Hospital, said: “When fasting is not done with the right foods after a long period of hunger, or when foods that will keep blood sugar in balance are not consumed, the craving for sweets becomes inevitable. Moreover, most of the desserts preferred in iftar are those that contain empty calories, such as sherbet and pastry desserts, that are, those that have no nutritional value. However, it is a very serious danger to turn to sweets with syrup in Ramadan; because they contain much more sugar and calories,” he says. Nutrition and Diet Specialist Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman, who stated that according to researches, excessive sugar consumption paves the way for many diseases from obesity to diabetes, from heart to cancer, explained the 8 rules of consuming sweets in Ramadan and made important warnings and suggestions.
Pay attention to the amount and frequency of consumption
You can increase your blood sugar, which is already rising, with a dessert that you will consume at the iftar meal. This can cause you to gain weight during Ramadan and cause your sugar to rise quickly or fall quickly afterward. Since iftar time is late, even if you wait for a while after iftar, sweet consumption can cause a tiring effect on metabolism, since it can be too late. For this reason, pay attention to the amount and frequency of sweet consumption not more than one or two servings a week.
Eat dessert with protein
Protein-containing foods such as walnuts, hazelnuts, and milk that you add to desserts or consume together will help the sugar in the dessert mix into your blood much more slowly and thus keep your blood sugar in balance. Keeping your blood sugar in balance also contributes to preventing both weight gain and sugar problems during Ramadan.
Instead of sherbet desserts, choose milk or fruit desserts.
Sweets with sorbet raise your blood sugar much faster, which can lead to imbalances in your blood sugar both that day and the next day, and you may feel hungry quickly. Milky desserts, on the other hand, do not adversely affect your blood sugar thanks to the protein content. If you consume your milk desserts with pulpy foods such as walnuts or pomegranates, the rate of mixing of the dessert into the blood decreases and keeps your blood sugar in balance.
Consume dessert with awareness
Nutrition and Diet Specialist Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman, who says, "When you consume a dessert or food quickly, you consume more of that sweet or food to reach a certain point of pleasure," says that when you consume dessert slowly and deliberately, the amount you consume will decrease.
For at least two liters of water
Nutrition and Diet Specialist Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman “Below your desire to consume sweets; Inadequate water consumption may also lie in the fact that you are stressed, you do not eat healthy at iftar and sahur, and therefore the balance in your blood sugar is disturbed. From time to time, the feeling of thirst and hunger are mixed together. So make sure you drink enough water so that thirst doesn't mix with hunger or sweet cravings. Make sure to consume at least two liters of water between iftar and sahur.
Pay attention to these foods when you eat dessert!
Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman, who stated that you should not consume simple carbohydrates such as sugar or floury foods and sugar-containing compotes, etc. on the day you consume sweets, said, “Remember that you often unwittingly consume sugar not only from dessert, but also from ready-made sauces and ready-made foods. Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman emphasizes that if you want to consume dessert at iftar, you should definitely consume vegetables, as vegetable dishes and salads can help the foods eaten with them mix into the blood more slowly, thanks to their pulp content.
If you have diabetes!
If you are a person who uses drugs or insulin under the control of a doctor and pays attention to his nutrition in general, you can consume sweets like healthy individuals. Both diabetics and healthy people will have no problem when they consume low-sugar sweets in small amounts and in infrequent patterns. For people who do not know that they have diabetes, or for people with uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled consumption of sweets can have more devastating effects, resulting in hyperglycemia coma.
Lower your taste threshold
Nur Ecem Baydı Ozman, Nutrition and Dietetic Specialist, stated that sweets containing sugar can create an addiction to that taste thanks to the pleasure they give, and said, “When you have a sweet craving, you can start enjoying a taste with a lower intensity by consuming one or two portions of fruit. Consuming fruit regularly but in moderation can reduce your sweet cravings over time,” she says.