How to replace chocolate in baking. Why we crave sweets and how to replace them - ideas for healthy sweets
Greetings, my dear subscribers! In this article, we will talk about why we crave sweets.
Once upon a time, cakes, sweets, pastries and chocolate were considered an attribute of the holiday, it was not customary to feast on them every day.
But now you won’t surprise anyone with these sweets: the variety in stores is so huge that these desserts have long been part of the daily diet of most people.
Among the sweet tooth are both adults and children.
There is nothing surprising in this, sweet, getting into the body, sharply raise the level of sugar in the blood, the level of insulin, there is a so-called "rush of energy and joy."
Thanks to the production of the hormone serotonin, we become really happy for a while!
You can't refuse sweets!
Where do you put a comma? After the word "eat", or after "refuse"?
I won't put it anywhere.
We need sweet taste for physical and psychological health. Sweets can and should be eaten! Hooray?
Or how?..
From this article you will learn:
Why we crave sweets - the main reasons
Everything would be fine if it weren't so sad...
How such “progress” in the sweets industry affects health, we all know: diabetes, excess weight, increasing every year diseases of the digestive system.
At best, it is constant weakness, fatigue, apathy… Adults, children, teenagers…
Doctors are sounding the alarm: a large amount of sweets can lead to serious consequences!
How to be?
I think that in such a situation, you just need to learn how to indulge yourself with such sweets that will not have such a deplorable effect on our health and appearance, provoking cellulite and the appearance of extra kilos.
What do I suggest?
Let's replace the sweet in our diet with something that will not be so harmful. We immediately throw something out of use and replace it with completely healthy sweets.
Let's try to exclude white sugar from the diet, or at least replace it with less harmful analogues.
Let's learn how to cook "sweets" on our own, and not be afraid that they will harm us.
I have a huge number of recipes in stock for you, having tried them once, you yourself simply do not want to return to store-bought sweets stuffed with various chemical additives and white sugar!
But everything is in order: I am going to devote several of my articles to this topic.
And in today's article, I want to offer you ideas of how you can replace sweets in your diet without harming your figure and health.
So why do you want sweets?
Nutritionists identify three main reasons why we often want to eat sweets:
- The nutritional factor of sweet addiction
There is often talk about the genetic predisposition from the sweet.
Like, “it’s inherited”: my mom had a sweet tooth, dad had a sweet tooth, grandfather ate a lot of sweets all his life, uncle, brother, matchmaker ... He had diabetes and was overweight - that’s what was inherited to me, here I am the same …
In fact, this is nothing more than just a HABITS, “carefully” (without any malicious intent, but out of ignorance of the basics healthy eating) handed down to us by the so-called "inheritance" by our parents. And they are their parents. Are you making a connection?
We were just raised that way. And we just got used to it.
Get used to the fact that this is normal. Fate, like, such is mine, and nothing can be done about it ...
In fact, it's just a way to avoid responsibility. I just don’t want to take my life into my own hands and start changing YOURSELF.
Habit - that's all our "heredity" and "genetic predisposition."
Many will be surprised: but my parents forbade me to eat a lot of sweets, why then do I love it so much?
Because forbidden fruit is sweet.
And this is also another trap: having matured, the child “comes off” in full on what was so coveted and so inaccessible before.
And then, oh, how difficult it is to jump off this “needle”! Insulin addiction is terrible not only for its consequences, but also because it is very difficult to give it up.
“Add fuel to the fire” are those chemical additives that are found in abundance in store-bought sweets: flavors, flavors, etc. They form a strong attachment to such things.
- The psychological factor of sweet addiction
A frequent desire to eat something sweet can be just emotional: for example, you experienced some kind of psycho-emotional stress (failures on a personal front, force majeure at work, a quarrel with a colleague) ...
Or you are just very physically tired.
So much so that you don’t want to, and there’s no time to bother much and cook something healthy and nutritious. And something sweet and floury is always at hand. And if not at hand, then in the nearest store. You can eat - and the order.
It often happens in such situations that we even seem to be in the mood to cook something right and healthy, and we even went to the store and chose the products.
But there are so many alluring things around!
Bright, colorful boxes and packages beckon: “Eat me!”, And the smell of freshly baked croissants and buns just drives you crazy ...
It’s hard to resist here and not satisfy your hunger at all NOT with what you planned at the beginning, it’s not just some kind of awareness and self-discipline that is needed here, there’s no other way!
Part of this point is also such a moment when a person is drawn to a sweet solely for the purpose of raising his mood, having fun, and there is no special joy in life ...
There is no “massage of emotions” (in a positive way), there is no feeling of own need and value in the world of this world, there is no feeling of self-fulfillment, there is no joy, because you want close and loving relationships, but they are absent ... There is no understanding of how to change your life for the better ... Always something "no" ...
You have probably heard the result: this is called “jamming your problems”, moreover, both sweet and non-sweet foods are used.
For those who are overweight, the situation is even more deplorable, and it is called “since everything is so bad, then I’ll go at least eat a pie, I’m still fat, there’s nothing to lose ...” ...
The problem is that such jamming only exacerbates any problem both on the physical and psychological levels: the problems do not become less, they become more.
More excess weight, more dissatisfaction with yourself, more state dislike and hopelessness...
- Internal problems in the body
Diseases of the internal organs, malnutrition, unbalanced in proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and depleted in vitamins and minerals, provoke a "sweet meal".
With nutrition, everything seems to be clear: an unhealthy diet does not give the body enough strength and energy, we constantly feel drowsy and lethargic, and therefore we try to once again cheer ourselves up in this way.
On a physical level, the influx of sugar into the blood causes a sharp jump in insulin in the blood, and for a while we feel more or less viable. But not for long. Thirty minutes.
And then - a sharp decline in energy and a "rollback" back, which forces us to reach for candy, sweet tea, coffee, chocolate again. It turns out a vicious circle ...
Diseases of internal organs, metabolic disorders, hormonal disorders (which are one thing) also provoke an acute need for sweets.
Doctors have noticed that among those who have chronic diseases, there are much more sweet teeth than among those who are "practically healthy"!
And where did these diseases and disorders come from? From the wrong way of life, in which nutrition plays an important role, you must agree!
That is, at first we “kill” our health, eating immoderately and unhealthy, eating a lot of sweet, fatty and starchy foods, we start to get sick and feel bad, and then the state of our health just provokes us to taste the same thing again ...
And again a vicious circle ...
All of the above, in theory, can be defined in one category called “dependence”. As sad as it sounds, it's true...
How to break this vicious circle and get rid of sweet addiction is a very extensive and important topic.
Here you need to work on yourself psychologically, change your attitude to life and lifestyle in general.
And to begin with, I propose to learn how to replace frankly harmful sweets with their healthier alternative...
If we connect at least a little self-discipline and awareness to all this, then I assure you that diseases, problems with being overweight and a bad emotional background will gradually but surely leave you!
How many sweets can you eat without harm?
I want to warn you right away, my dears: if sweet is “healthy”, then this absolutely does not mean that you can eat it in kilograms, not get fat and not get sick.
Especially often those who, trying to lose weight, lose weight, get rid of cellulite or improve their health, fall into this trap, learn that sweets are “healthy”.
Headlong, they rush to master the previously unknown "sweet cooking", with great inspiration then eating the fruits of their labor in unmeasured quantities.
And what's next?
Then disappointment: it doesn't work. This is at best.
And at worst - the situation gets even worse, I know many who fell for the fable of "healthy sweets", cooked and ate them in huge quantities, and ruined their health thoroughly. You can not do it this way.
Let's be really "adults" in this matter.
“Eat as much as you want” is not about us, agreed? Moderation is the key to health, beauty, harmony and an active joyful life.
Why we crave sweets so often: we discover the “sweet addiction”!
What is it for?
Knowing the "enemy in the face", that is, understanding the very CAUSE of the problem, we will already be able to more consciously approach this issue and understand what is happening to us.
This means that it will be much easier to solve the problem. It will be easier to control yourself.
Consciousness is everything!
What to eat when you crave sweets?
I have always loved sweets, but, having made a choice in favor of a healthy lifestyle, I replaced all store-bought sweets from my diet with sweets made from natural and healthy products.
By the way, after a while I noticed that I was MUCH less drawn to sweets.
And now, passing by the departments with sweets, chocolate and other sweets in the supermarket, and hearing this smell, it seems to me just disgusting, but before everything was exactly the opposite.
Attention! If you decide to stop eating store-bought sweets stuffed with white sugar and all sorts of chemical additives, then remember that when switching from “bad” sweets to “healthy” sweets, it’s better not to have illusions and be objective: healthy sweets also contain sugar and calories. Let the sugar and natural, let the calories and less. But they exist, and there are many of them, so no one has canceled MODERATION!
- So, in the first place we have HONEY
If you are allergic to bee products, then just skip this paragraph, it does not suit you.
Honey is not only useful, but also truly medicinal product, which has unique healing properties. It contains minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and many other substances necessary for our health.
It is quite easily and quickly absorbed by our body.
If you want not only to feel the sweet taste, but also to get all the benefits of bee honey, then remember the main rule in the use of honey: it must be real. Beware of fakes, buy honey only from trusted beekeepers.
Shop honey is not honey, it is money thrown to the wind. It's better not to take it.
Do not abuse honey. One or two teaspoons a day in order to “interrupt” and satisfy the sudden desire to eat sweets will be enough.
- Next - FRUITS and BERRIES.
All fruits and berries contain a large amount of vitamins, minerals, healthy fiber, they are able to perfectly satisfy hunger, thirst and reduce cravings for unnecessary
sweets. They are useful for digestion, cleansing the blood of toxins and toxins, for weight loss (remember the measure!).
Fresh fruits and berries are important and needed in the diet every day!
If berries or fruits are sour, this does not mean that they do not contain sugar at all. It’s just that there is less of it, and more fruit acids, that’s the whole difference.
A great and very healthy alternative to store-bought sweets!
A lot of people are afraid of fruits due to the fact that you can get even more fat from them, and try not to eat them.
This is a big misconception and mistake: they are necessary and useful, but you can get better from anything if you eat in excess. Absolutely ANY product can become harmful, even the most useful in the whole world, if it is in large quantities.
It is very sad to often hear that a girl who is losing weight is like fire, afraid of, say, the same grapes, but there is some kind of store-bought halva. And he explains this by the fact that “they get fat from grapes” ... And from halvah with a ton of white sugar and it’s still not clear what is in the composition - no? ..
In addition, now we are talking about REPLACING unhealthy store-bought sweets with more useful, healthy and natural ones.
This is where our choice lies.
And, of course, everything has calories - both natural honey and store-bought cookies. But we're not going to choose cookies just because they have fewer calories than honey, right? This is absurd.
Therefore, calories are not all that is needed for a healthy and proper nutrition. By the way, this is a very big mistake of many - focusing only on calories.
I love fruits and berries, I eat them, and I heartily advise you to enjoy these delicious, juicy, wonderful gifts of nature!
Let me remind you a couple of simple tips when eating fruits and berries. This is very important in order not to harm your digestion:
- Fruits and berries are an independent dish, and you need to eat them as a separate meal (say a snack), or not earlier than 30-40 minutes BEFORE a meal.
- You can not eat fruits and berries after the main meal, as a dessert. This is a gross mistake that will only lead you to a violation of the digestive processes (fruits will cause fermentation, food will stagnate, there will be discomfort in the stomach, and you will not get any benefit and pleasure from eating).
- Do not mix starchy and sour fruits in the same meal. A very bad combination - banana and citrus, for example. Banana is a completely different story. Too high-calorie, too starchy, too hard to digest fruit. Don't eat it too often. But if everything is ok, then you are welcome. One banana a day is a great snack. The main thing is that the banana is very ripe, with dark dots on its peel. An unripe banana is a separate evil, a heavy and indigestible thing for the body.
- Eat fruits and berries in the morning, better - before 16 pm.
- The third category of delicious and healthy alternatives to sweets are FRESH JUICES.
Smoothies and fresh juices are a healthy and tasty replacement for the usual store-bought sweets. Thanks to them, you can add more variety to your “sweet diet”. Thanks to them, you can perfectly lose weight and improve your body.
To avoid "busting" with sugar when drinking fruit juices, just mix them with vegetables, make mixes.
Very tasty and healthy combinations are:
- apples + carrots,
- apples + pumpkin,
- apples + beets,
- citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, tangerines) + beets,
- citrus fruits + carrots.
You can come up with a lot of your own, tasty and healthy mixes.
When preparing fruit and berry smoothies, add a generous handful of greens there. Greens contain coarse fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins, a large amount of vegetable protein.
Greens are full of essential minerals, especially calcium and magnesium, essential minerals for our health and well-being.
These smoothies keep you full for a very long time! Coarse fiber contributes to the slow absorption of glucose into the blood, and you do not want to eat longer.
A great and healthy habit is to make yourself a fresh green smoothie in the morning!
If you are not a big fan of greens, add a little of it, it will still be better than nothing. Choose spinach and different kinds green salad - they are more neutral in taste.
In such smoothies, you can add honey, dried fruits (dates are very tasty), soaked flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, green buckwheat (you can even germinate), nut milk, peanut butter and much more. It will be a healthy and complete breakfast that tastes like a dessert.
Add spices such as ginger and cinnamon to smoothies. This improves the taste of the smoothie and additionally accelerates the metabolism in the body, improves blood circulation and digestion, and helps to remove toxins.
Smoothies are a great detox and weight loss!
Green smoothies have been proven to reduce sugar cravings. By myself I will say: not only for sweets. I want to eat much less during the day in principle.
Over time, the desire to eat frankly harmful foods disappears, as the greens cleanse the taste buds, and you already want something light and healthy.
- fruit rolls
In a simple way - pastille. This is fruit puree dried in a dehydrator and then rolled into a tube. If there is a dryer for fruits and vegetables, then preparing such rolls is as easy as shelling pears.
They are convenient to take with you to work, on a trip, to study.
Healthy and sweet treat.
- Dried fruits
Dried fruits can be a great and healthy alternative to sweets as long as they are naturally dried and have not been soaked in sugar syrup(like most store and market dried fruits) and have not been treated with sulfur dioxide for preservation.
These are hard to find, but possible. They are unsightly in appearance, small, dark, wrinkled ...
Compared to "chemically" and soaked in sugar dried fruits before processing - none, frankly. It is precisely on this basis that we choose: large, beautiful "beauties" with glossy barrels do not interest us.
It is better to find and buy organic. Or better yet, dry it yourself.
The most important rule - before use, any dried fruit must be thoroughly washed and pre-soaked. This is our Father, friends!
On unwashed dried fruits, there is just nothing: mold, dirt, treatment with dioxides, and much more ... It’s scary to see how, when buying dried fruits in a store, people open a bag and start eating right there. They also give it to their children.
And then they wonder why it is so bad after them ...
And soaking is necessary so that dried fruits are better and easier to digest, without disturbing the digestion process and without dehydrating the body, so they absorb quite a lot of liquid. By soaking them in advance, we prevent dehydration of our body and skin as well.
What can replace store-bought sweets?
Sweets, cookies, halva, marshmallows, ice cream, cakes, pastries, cream desserts, puddings, gozinaki ... How to refuse it? It's impossible!
Maybe friends. And you don't even have to give up! There is no need for this.
You just need to replace all this “sweet richness” with sweets prepared with your own hands, which do not contain chemical additives, white sugar, trans fats and other filth.
We will study this with you, I promise!
I have many recipes for sweet treats that I carefully collected for a long time. They contain only natural products (fruits, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.) and no white sugar.
And even pastries can be prepared independently, minimizing the content of unhealthy components in it, and, if possible, replacing them with healthy counterparts.
I will be sharing these recipes with you in future posts!
What can replace store-bought chocolate?
Have you noticed that when you are on a diet, or your health condition does not allow you to eat a lot of sweets, for some reason you really want chocolate? No buns, no cookies, no cakes, but SHO-KO-LA-DA?
Sweet, delicious, fragrant to the point of madness, which melts in the mouth, bringing the brain into a state of ecstasy? When you put a piece of chocolate in your mouth, close your eyes, and forget about everything in the world for the next few minutes?
After all, you see, the taste of chocolate can hardly be replaced by anything: honey, fruits, dried fruits - yes, they are sweet, but they are NOT related to chocolate at all!
Of course, a small piece of dark dark chocolate, eaten once a day, cannot do much harm. If you want, then you can! I am against bigotry.
But, if there is no willpower to stop at one piece, then this already becomes dangerous ...
Well, if you are a “fighter” and know how to control yourself, then I invite you to read an article about hot chocolate.
"But what about sugar?" - you ask? It's in the SUGAR!
Yes, that is right. But it can also be safely replaced with coconut sugar, for example, or brown sugar. It will be a healthier alternative, right? In addition, you will not eat it in kilograms, chocolate is a very satisfying product.
And if you want here, well, just perfect naturalness and usefulness, then hand-made chocolate comes to the rescue.
In its composition, instead of store-bought cocoa powder -
This is such a sweet brown powder that tastes very much like cocoa: an incredibly healthy thing in itself, it can be a great alternative to the usual cocoa.
Carob can be added to various sweets and chocolate drinks.
Sold freely in any health food store.
Many consider chocolate to be a drug: “I eat a lot of chocolate, and I can’t do anything about it!” ...
Is this phrase about you? Then to all those who consider themselves "chocoholics" is dedicated from the bottom of my heart! J:
I really like the phrase of one chocolatier: “Chocolate should be ENJOYED, not DEPENDENT on it. Stop EATING it, start ENJOYING it."
At one time, this phrase turned my thinking and attitude towards this product.
A phrase with deep meaning. Not to eat, but to enjoy. Do not depend, but enjoy.
And thoughts - they are so ... They can change a lot in our lives! And you yourself will not notice how you will begin to relate more calmly to chocolate, and to everything sweet, by the way, too.
Friends, remember - it is unusual only at first. Only at the beginning you will be madly drawn to store-bought cakes and cookies.
But you be persistent!
Time will pass, and you will no longer want store-bought sweets, it will simply turn away!
The receptors are very quickly rebuilt, and after a while, having tried the candy from the store again, it will seem to you too sweet, too cloying, too synthetic, with an unpleasant, excessive "smell" that once seemed to you a "flavor".
Believe me, I did.
And here's what's important:
Sweets should not be consumed after 4 p.m., this will be a big load on the pancreas, which by this time is already moving into a different biological regime and becoming less active. Nutritionists call this time the rest of the pancreas, after 16 she “falls asleep”, and to excite her to work is a great evil.
In addition, in the evening, sweets eaten can perfectly be deposited on our sides in the form of a “strategic reserve just in case”. We don't need it.
If you have any diseases, if you are on any therapeutic diet according to the prescription of a doctor, then consult with him first, whether you can, say, grapes, honey or citrus fruits. Just to avoid problems.
And I wish you good health!
Be healthy, please yourself and your loved ones healthy sweets, this topic will be continued, do not miss it!
I have for you delicious recipes sweet healthy desserts that can be easily prepared at home, from all available products.
Share this article on your social networks. networks, tell us your story of “relationship with sweets” in the comments, very interesting!
What do you replace store-bought sweets and waffles with?
That's all for today, see you soon, Alena!
Chocolate addiction is quite difficult to overcome, especially not knowing how to replace chocolate. In fact, finding a replacement is not so difficult, it is much more difficult to give up the habit of eating milk chocolate, pastry cakes, sweets, cookies.
Milk chocolate is one of the most harmful, it easily penetrates the heart of the sweet tooth due to its high sugar content. So, the point is not at all to give up chocolate, but to find.
How to replace chocolate for every day
In the early days of giving up chocolate, the body can strongly protest. Perhaps a bad mood, headaches, aggression, a strong desire to buy your favorite bar or sweets. Therefore, just these days, one should actively lean on chocolate substitutes whenever a breakdown from the intended goal of abandoning chocolate addiction is close.
Sweet coffee will help replenish the supply of sugar in the body. Its taste is somewhat similar to chocolate, but it can also cause an acute desire to supplement a mug of coffee with a sweet candy. Therefore, it is much better to switch to cocoa.
Chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which means that after drinking a large mug of sweet cocoa, such an acute desire to eat a chocolate bar will also disappear.
If you don't like cocoa, try making it in a less traditional way. Don't put too much cocoa powder in one mug. One teaspoon is enough to make the drink tasty and reminiscent of milk chocolate.
Also drink more sweet juices, preferably freshly squeezed, without preservatives. Store-bought juices contain as much sugar as almost anything found in the candy store.
Another option to give the body a sweet treat is to drink tea with homemade jam. A lot of sugar is used to make it, which means that the body gets its portion of sweets, and we are a wonderful delicious tea.
Alternative to chocolate
Since, in addition to drinks, I want to chew something, consider how to replace chocolate from healthy and less harmful products. Remember that all the proposed options are individual. You may not like one of these products, but no one forces you to opt for it. Fortunately, there are enough options to find a tasty replacement.
Dark chocolate
It ranks first on the list of healthy sweet foods, although it seems bitter and not at all as appetizing as its dairy counterpart. In fact, dark chocolate is just as tasty, but you should eat it in small amounts. It is then that he reveals his special taste.
curd jelly
This dish is easy to prepare at home with a supply for a whole week. For cooking, you will need sour cream and gelatin or curd cheese and gelatin brought to a gruel. Sugar, and even better honey, is added to taste.
As soon as the mixture thickens, you can safely use dessert instead of chocolate. It has much less calories, and the dish itself is incredibly tender and airy.
Oatmeal cookies
We are not talking about dry, furious cookies that you can find in the store, but about homemade cookies cooked in the oven. It will require cereals quick cooking, the thinner the better. You will also need honey, a banana as a binder, and other ingredients such as sesame seeds, flaxseeds, nuts, pieces of dried fruit, raisins, berries, etc. will be added if desired. The final sprinkling of cookies with salt will add piquancy to enhance the sweet taste of honey.
Zephyr
This airy dessert serves as a great substitute for milk chocolate, and if you love marshmallows, then even more so go for this option. If you also learn how to make homemade marshmallows, the price will not be such a substitute for chocolate. Alas, purchased marshmallow desserts are often oversweetened, thereby causing a new addiction.
Marmalade
Although these jelly chunks are often coated with a layer of sugar, they are also a safe and healthy alternative to milk chocolate. Try to cook them at home, use natural sweeteners (stevia, fructose) and then you will not have to worry about extra pounds if you overdo it with the daily norm of marmalade.
Rice pudding
Such an airy dessert is very low in calories, so it can serve as lunch and dinner. For breakfast, you should cook something more dense or enrich the rice pudding with nuts, fruits, raisins, etc.
Ice cream
Such an alternative becomes especially relevant in spring and summer. Of course, we are talking more about homemade ice cream or handmade, without harmful additives and preservatives that can ruin the stomach and figure. The bonus of home cooking is that you can use "healthy sugar" (natural substitutes), as well as constantly change flavors, add berries, fruits, nuts.
Dried fruits and candied fruits
People are divided into two categories, those who love dried fruits and those who do not understand them. If you belong to the first category, then you have a great alternative than to replace chocolate in order to replenish your body's sugar supply daily. natural products. Dried fruits can be bought ready-made, or you can make preparations for the winter on your own every summer.
Dried fruit options such as banana chips and apple chips have also become popular. They are perfect for snacking during the day.
When you are on a diet or your health condition does not allow you to eat a lot of sweets, for some reason you really want chocolate. No buns, no cookies, no cakes, namely chocolate - melting in your mouth and having its own original taste. Of course, a piece of dark dark chocolate eaten once a day is not capable of harm, but if there is no willpower to stop at one piece, something needs to be addressed with this. How to replace chocolate without compromising your desires and psychological state? Several solutions to this problem do exist.
Delicious alternative to chocolate
Some will advise you to replace chocolate with honey, others - with fruit. Yes, these foods taste sweet, but they have absolutely nothing to do with chocolate! It is impossible to replace the taste of cocoa beans with ordinary sugar or glucose. Fortunately, there are substitutes that are closest to the product loved by many. If you want chocolate, you can eat one of them.
Carob (carob)
A type of evergreen shrub or tree of the legume family, called the carob tree, native to the Mediterranean. The pods of this plant contain sweet and juicy pulp. It is from it that a product is made that can replace cocoa. It's called carob.
Sweet brown powder tastes very similar to cocoa, but has some features. Carob is not as aromatic as its counterpart, but is sweeter. The shade of this powder is slightly lighter than that of real cocoa.
The composition of carob includes a large number of useful elements: vitamins and minerals. In particular, it contains vitamins such as A, B, B2, B3 and D, as well as protein (8% of the total mass). The composition of carob is also rich in other substances: calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, iron, nickel, manganese and barium. All elements in this product have an easily digestible form.
Carob is sold as a powder that can be added to various sweets when cooked, so you can make homemade chocolates. It is both tasty and healthy. Also, carob can be part of diet sweets and tiles. Such products can often be purchased at a pharmacy or a diet and diabetic food store.
chocolate spray
A device called "Chocolate breath" was invented by scientists from Harvard. It is a small inhaler filled with small particles of cocoa mixture. These particles are not able to get into the lungs, as a special nozzle protects them.
After two breaths, a chocolate taste appears in the mouth. Experts advise to alternate foods and eat a spoonful of yogurt first, and inhale particles of cocoa mixture for a “snack” - as a result, you can taste real chocolate mousse, but without sugar and extra calories.
The only disadvantage of such an inhaler is that it does not bring saturation. For many milk chocolate fans, this will be a significant disadvantage.
Chocolate with fructose
If the phrase "eat a lot of chocolate" is about you, then you need not fix the problem, as this will lead to bad mood and irritation, but try to make it harmless. Diet chocolate made with water and fructose can be delicious too! In health food stores, you can buy several types of such chocolates.
The main advantage of chocolate on fructose is the presence of cocoa, which is not replaced by anything here. It is clear that the absence of sugar and milk will make the taste somewhat different, but this product is preferred by many who have abandoned regular chocolate. A little fructose and water chocolate, as close as possible to the original, will make you happier.
Note to chocoholics
Every time you buy another bar, you think: I'll eat chocolate and won't buy it again! But the situation repeats itself again and again ... How to overcome chocolate addiction, if you don’t even have the strength to look for substitutes? The solution is very simple - smell the vanilla!
The vanilla aroma is so cloying and strong that you will soon begin to feel nauseous, while the craving for sweets will decrease significantly. Along with this method, use a replacement tactic - eat fruits, salads, or any of the substitutes that we suggested above.
Chocolate should be enjoyed, but not dependent on it. Remember this basic condition in your dealings with this product.
There is an abundance of so-called chocolate on store shelves. But buyers do not even suspect that most of the products are, in fact, chocolate confectionery bars, in which cocoa butter is partially or completely replaced by its equivalent or substitute. Although in reality chocolate called a product of processing cocoa beans and semi-finished products from them - cocoa mass and cocoa butter. Powdered milk, dried cream, nut kernels, coffee, waffles, candied fruits, alcohol, vanillin, etc. are used as additives in the manufacture of chocolate. Depending on the recipe and method of processing the chocolate mass, chocolate is divided into types: ordinary with and without additions (sugar up to 63%), dessert with and without additions (sugar up to 55%), porous with and without additions, with fillings, diabetic, white.
In December 2009, the new GOST for chocolate, and now in its composition up to 5% of cocoa butter can be replaced with an equivalent (previously such a product was considered counterfeit). The equivalent is vegetable fat, similar in composition to cocoa butter. At the same time, the packaging should clearly indicate whether this tile contains vegetable fats and which ones. The melting point of vegetable fat is lower than that of cocoa butter, so you can feel an aftertaste in your mouth - a fatty film.
Chocolate may also contain milk fat. The more it is, the more milky and less chocolatey the taste of the bar. If milk fat is added, then cocoa butter will be put less. There is no violation in this. But such a tile should cost less.
The most expensive products in the composition of chocolate are cocoa liquor and cocoa butter (the more there are, the higher the price). There should be no milk fat in dark chocolate. Before you pay for flashy packaging, look at what the tile is made of. Cocoa powder gives color, but this product is inexpensive, and the manufacturer can overdo it with it - in order to put less expensive components. In this case, the chocolate will have a sour, unpleasant taste.
"Chocolate" with numerous substitutes and equivalents of the main components can be considered artificial. Artificial chocolate can be distinguished by the following features:
- The presence of antioxidants characteristic of hydrofat (butyloxytoluene, butylhydroxyanisole).
- The appearance of a salty taste.
- No glossy sheen on the surface.
- On the break there is no characteristic for natural chocolate (cleavage, like glass).
Since water is insoluble in the chocolate mass, which is a fatty medium, various surfactants are introduced during the production process - lecithin, phosphatide and other concentrates, which makes it possible to increase the water content from 1% to 6-9%.
One type of chocolate fake is the addition of cocoa powder. If you see cocoa powder in the composition of the product, know that this is not chocolate, but something of low quality, since cocoa powder is made from pomace (remains after pressing the oil from cocoa beans). Usually cocoa powder is added to hydrofat to give it a brown color. Some imported chocolates are marked "cacao vella", which literally translates as "cake". The addition of soy and various protein products is evidenced by the light and matte surface of the “chocolate”, by sticking to the teeth and a dull sound when broken. To lengthen the shelf life, various preservatives and antioxidants are introduced. At the same time, the composition does not indicate which preservatives or antioxidants are introduced, so if you have chocolate or a chocolate product with a shelf life of more than 4 months, then it must contain an antioxidant
In general, experts believe that falsification does not begin with soy and fat additives as such, but with labeling, where all these equivalents, substitutes, preservatives, antioxidants and flavors are modestly hushed up or indicated, but the product, based on our ignorance, proudly called chocolate, and, of course, it costs more than it deserves.
When you are on a diet or your health condition does not allow you to eat a lot of sweets, for some reason you really want chocolate. How to replace chocolate without compromising your desires and psychological state? Several solutions to this problem do exist.
chocolate calories
A diet for a girl is not just a systematic need to maintain weight and cleanse the body. It's more like a sport. For some it comes easily, for others it really hurts. What is a diet? First of all, it is the observance of a healthy diet, which completely excludes junk food. In addition, dieters should not consume as much per day as they ate before. And here the fun begins: a girl on a diet really wants chocolate, even if she didn’t really like it before. What is the reason for this behavior of the body?
If we talk about everyone's favorite milk chocolate, then the average calorie content per 100 gram bar without additives is about 520 kcal, which is half the diet for a losing weight person. The calorie content of white fluctuates between 520 - 550 kcal. Dark chocolate is not so lower in calories, but it contains less sugar and other flavoring additives: about 500 kcal per 100 g. Dark chocolate surpasses its counterparts in calories: 550 - 560 kcal per 100 g. But due to a smaller proportion of sugar, it is considered the least harmful. In addition, dark chocolate is the only one of its kind that can be eaten on a diet. Only a portion of daily consumption is no more than 1 - 2 squares.
If you can’t, but really want to, what can you replace the delicacy with? You can replace it with dates, dried fruits, eat marshmallows or marshmallows. You can also use muesli bars, honey or baked honey apples. Some use hematogen as a substitute for sweet. But it should not be consumed in large quantities. The standard rate is 1 bar per day, mostly before noon. However, the most correct option should be considered a substitute for chocolate - carob.
What is carob and where to buy it
Carob is another member of the legume family, just like cocoa. It is incredibly sweet and tastes vaguely reminiscent of chocolate. Despite this similarity, carob is an excellent substitute for chocolate, because sugar is not used in its preparation, since the pods themselves are sweet, slightly astringent, like persimmons.
Benefit this product also in the fact that cocoa substitute contains a whole complex of vitamins, almost a daily dose, without impurities and other additives that are usually put in sweets, which “extinguish” their usefulness. The complex includes vitamins A, B (family 1 to 3 inclusive) and D. In addition, carob compensates for the daily intake of iron, copper, zinc, manganese, barium and copper, which is also included in its composition.
The caffeine found in cocoa beans has a direct effect on the brain and nerves. It not only encourages a person to cheer up, but also gives inspiration. But over time, it has a negative effect, acting with the theobromine contained in chocolate. Plus, it's addictive. But caffeine has more than enough side effects: in its absence in the usual diet, nervousness arises, it causes a feeling of anxiety, increases the heart rate and pulse rate, which, at low pressure, works for the benefit, but it harms a healthy body. An excess of chocolate can cause nausea and mild dizziness, up to a migraine.
Unfortunately, these products are mostly distributed globally in the United States and Europe, however, in Russia and the neighboring countries of the CIS, carob can be purchased both in the form of cocoa powder and in the form of a sweetener. In addition, specialized diet stores sell bars that are similar in weight to regular chocolate, and taste like a connection between chocolate and persimmon. In addition, due to the intensive growth in the development of IT technologies and the gradual increase in online shopping, many online stores major cities carry out delivery not only within them, but also throughout the territory of the entire state as a whole.
Chocolate spray - an innovative approach of experts from Harvard
Another ingenious development of scientists and students at Harvard University is a chocolate spray that can be used as a substitute for sugar and chocolate. Outwardly, such a device looks more like an inhaler that contains a mixture of cocoa. The powder mixture will not fall into the “wrong throat” when inhaled - the scientists made sure that their remedy brought only joy to people. Thanks to a special barrier that does not allow the powder to leave the inhaler cavity, the device can be used not only by adults, but also by children suffering from various diseases, due to which they cannot use the “hormone of joy” daily.
Harvard specialists even came up with a technology for proper consumption: before taking a chocolate breath, you can eat a spoonful of yogurt. To achieve a greater effect of taste, you can take two breaths of the spray, which will fool the taste buds. It will seem to the body that it consumes the most delicate chocolate mousse, when in fact not a single gram of chocolate and cocoa has entered the body. Here it is - a unique way to consume chocolate and not get a single calorie.
This amazing remedy is still at the stage of testing and refinement, because at the moment the consumption of chocolate in this way does not bring saturation. That is, in fact, the body turns out to be carried out, but soon he realizes that he was deceived and he has nothing to digest. So far, there is not even a rough idea of when exactly the chocolate inhaler will appear on sale, how much it will be enough and how much it will cost. However, if such a tool goes on sale, patients with diabetes, obesity and some other diseases will be able to "eat" chocolate.
Note to chocoholics or emergency help if you want to eat chocolate
It just so happens that a chocolate lover, going to the store for (as he hopes) the last chocolate bar, returns there again and again. Chocolate is one of the safest drugs, the use of which promises huge health problems in the future. Therefore, in order to protect yourself and not expose your health in the future, the aroma of chocolate can be replaced with vanilla.
It is vanilla that muffles the desire to taste a sweet aphrodisiac bar.
The aroma of vanilla is so bright and cloying that after a few breaths there is a completely expected reaction: an attack of oncoming nausea. As a result: the absence of any desire to put even a drop of sweet into your mouth. However, this method should be practiced in cases where it is not possible to use chocolate substitutes even in the most critical situations.
The main thing to remember is that depending on any food: sweet, salty or fried is the last thing a person can afford. Especially when there are so many unknown things around, which is really not a pity to spend time and desire.