You Really Should Eat Less of These Addictive Foods!

Young people love to eat potato chips. If you eat a slice in your spare time, it will make a crispy and delicious taste. Children love to eat donuts and cakes. One bite will leave a fragrance in your mouth. Who can refuse? Carbohydrates and fats, these two delicious codes that stimulate taste buds, are temptations that almost everyone cannot resist. However, some delicacies actually have hidden health hazards.

This type of food is a mixture of sugar and oil. It refers to highly processed foods that are high in sugar (including carbohydrates such as starch, which can be converted into sugar in the body) and high in fat. Common sugar-oil mixtures include but are not limited to: fried dough sticks, braised pork, cakes, cookies, floss bread, donuts, potato chips, milk chocolate, fried chicken, french fries, instant noodles, etc.

Why is eating "sugar and oil mixture" addictive?

Research shows that after a sugar-oil mixture is ingested, the brain's reward center will release more dopamine, making people feel pleased and satisfied, thus forming a dependence on the sugar-oil mixture. Therefore, once we start eating these foods frequently, it is easy to fall into a cycle of "can't stop eating" and even become an inextricable habit. The body will unconsciously tend to consume high-calorie sugar and oil mixtures, sowing the seeds of "obesity".

Why is the "sugar-oil mixture" not recommended to eat much?

The mixture of sugar and oil is delicious, but in fact it is the representative of "people become fatter and fatter". Long-term intake of excessive sugar and oil mixtures will cause the following harms to the body:

1. High-calorie and addictive → obesity. Sugar-oil mixtures are high-calorie foods that can easily lead to excess energy intake, which can lead to weight gain and even obesity.

2. Saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids → cardiovascular disease. Most of the "oil" in the sugar-oil mixture needs to be heated at high temperature. Therefore, when cooking or making, either use highly saturated oils (such as butter, lard, palm oil), which have high stability; or use highly unsaturated vegetable oils, which may produce trans fatty acids during the heating process.

3. High GI and high fat → metabolic disorder. Foods with a glycemic index greater than 75 are considered high GI foods. Long-term intake of large amounts of sugar and fat will disrupt the body's metabolic balance, affect the metabolism of energy, fat, and blood sugar, and increase the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

4. High sugar → oral health problems such as dental caries. Sugar is one of the main energy sources for oral bacteria. When a mixture of sugar and oil is consumed, these bacteria will use sugar to metabolize and produce acidic substances. These acidic metabolites will lower the pH value of the oral cavity, making the oral environment more acidic. In an acidic environment, the minerals in tooth enamel can erode, leading to cavities and other dental diseases. In addition, high-sugar foods can also promote the growth of bacteria in the mouth and increase the risk of dental diseases. Therefore, controlling sugar intake and maintaining good oral hygiene habits are very important to prevent dental disease.

How to eat healthier?

Although sugar and oil mixtures may be unhealthy, it does not mean that people should completely avoid them, and it is okay to enjoy them reasonably. Here are some healthy eating suggestions:

Control the amount and frequency: Eat in moderation, don’t overdo it, and don’t eat it too often. For example, you can only eat a small portion of cake when celebrating birthdays with your relatives and friends. Do not eat it regularly as a snack.

Choose healthy cooking methods: Try to choose healthy cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, and roasting to reduce fat intake.

Choose alternatives: Choose low-sugar and low-fat alternatives, such as whole-wheat bread instead of meat floss bread, fruit instead of desserts, etc.

Reasonable combination: Pairing with foods rich in high-quality protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, such as milk, boiled eggs, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., can balance nutrition, reduce the glycemic response of food, and reduce adverse effects on the body.

Although the mixture of sugar and oil is tempting, we must consciously control the intake and cooperate with appropriate exercise to enjoy delicious food and stay healthy at the same time.