The modern world dictates rather strict parameters of beauty. In particular, a beautiful and slender girl is considered only if she has a clothing size of no more than 44. Pregnancy is a completely natural process for the female body. Hormonal changes and weight gain during this period are also completely normal. Nevertheless, many pregnant women try to adhere to proper nutrition, so as not to grow stout and after giving birth as quickly as possible to restore harmony and fragility. If during pregnancy you are drawn to sweets, this is completely normal. But how not to gain excess weight with such a strong craving for sweets?
Why so much you want sweets during pregnancy
The most obvious answer is hormonal adjustment. After all, a growing fruit requires a lot of microelements, and simple carbohydrates (of which sweets are made) just have practically no nutritional value. So why is she so drawn to sweets during pregnancy?
- An unbalanced diet. The body requires food that would become a source of trace elements. And a woman “decrypts” the brain signals in her own way and leans on sweets. It is optimal to keep a food diary in which to write down everything that has been eaten daily. Count how many carbohydrates, proteins, and fats have been consumed. Based on this information, you can easily control your weight, as well as provide a sufficient amount of incoming minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
- Deficiency of the right digestible carbohydrates. The brain receives body signals that energy is required. And the easiest way for the body to get energy is to get fast carbohydrates (sweets with sugar in the composition), which are absorbed immediately. True, all of their excess goes to the construction of adipose tissue.
- Stay under stress, the need to jam bad mood sweets. A pregnant woman should avoid stressful situations. If possible, you should go on maternity leave as soon as possible (the Labor Code allows this possibility already in the seventh month of pregnancy). Staying at work often becomes a source of stress for pregnant women. As a result, during pregnancy, it draws on sweets.
Possible consequences of excess carbohydrates in the diet
The consequences of an excess of simple carbohydrates in the diet of a pregnant woman:
- the development of obesity;
- phlebeurysm;
- stress due to a changed appearance;
- diabetes;
- increased liver samples in a biochemical blood test;
- excessive load on the pancreas, which can lead to the development of pancreatitis.
We eat sweets and do not gain weight: "delicious" recipes for pregnant women
Eating sweets and not gaining weight is not a myth, it is a reality. It is necessary to choose low-calorie sweets so that when they are eaten, the total daily calorie content is not exceeded. Chocolate during pregnancy, you can afford one in which from 75% and above cocoa. Normal milk chocolate is very high-calorie and contributes to the instant rise of blood sugar.
It is better to eat complex carbohydrates, which are longer absorbed and contain vitamins and minerals. These are various cereals, vegetables and fruits. You should pay attention to oat, buckwheat, millet, rice, corn grits. A hearty breakfast based on one of these cereals will significantly reduce cravings for sweets throughout the day and at the same time provide a long energy and a sense of fullness.
But what to do if, all the same, during pregnancy, you have a sweet tooth? Pay attention to the most popular recipes of goodies that have a minimum of calories and benefit both the mother's body and the growing fetus. Sweets for pregnant women should contain a minimum amount of simple carbohydrates. Of course, it is better that they are completely absent. This can be achieved if you use erythritol sweetener during cooking. It is loose, its amount is easy to measure with a measuring spoon.
Delicate Curd Dessert
This is a hearty and tasty dessert that will enrich the body with calcium and amino acids. Ideal for those women who complain: "I eat a lot of sweets during pregnancy," "I always want sweets all the time." Low-fat cottage cheese does not contain carbohydrates, but is rich in protein (24 grams per 100 grams) and amino acids.
So, we need the following ingredients:
- a pack (200 grams) of fat-free cottage cheese;
- a spoon of sweetener (it is optimal to take erythritol in a loose form of release);
- a tablespoon of fat yogurt or sour cream 10% fat.
If desired, you can add ripe fresh berries, peeled slices of peach, soft banana. Immerse all the ingredients in the thickener of the blender, beat for one to two minutes. The result is a sweet, airy and tender curd dessert.
Sugar Baked Apple with Cinnamon
If during pregnancy you are addicted to sweets, try this simple recipe. Apples are rich in iron, which is especially true for pregnant women, whose blood composition often indicates hemoglobin deficiency.
Select a few large apples. You can use different varieties, both sweet and slightly sour. Cut each apple in half, with the tip of a knife to extract the seeds. Put the halves on a baking sheet previously covered with parchment paper, cut up. Sprinkle apples with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Bake at 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Very soon, a pleasant appetizing aroma of cinnamon will spread throughout the kitchen, which creates a special atmosphere of coziness, stimulates appetite and soothes the psyche. Apples are warm, soft and sweet. This is a simple, healthy and low-calorie dessert.
Banana Souffle with Berries
Take two or three soft, even slightly overripe bananas. Peel them, immerse in a blender. Add a few tablespoons of natural yogurt without any flavoring. Also add your favorite berries. You can use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (provided that the pregnant woman does not have allergic reactions to them).
Beat in a blender until a homogeneous consistency is obtained. it turns out a fragrant and sweet mousse in which there is no sugar, only one fructose. By the way, it also helps to raise insulin levels in the blood. So such a dessert can be allowed a couple of times a week, with more frequent use, it can contribute to weight gain (especially if the pregnant woman does not monitor daily calories and exceeds it).
Homemade Carbohydrate Free Ice Cream
This recipe will appeal to those who prefer cold snacks. Pregnant ice cream is better to be avoided by pregnant women, and in summer you really want it! To make a homemade treat without carbohydrates and harmful additives, you will need the following ingredients:
- soft cottage cheese of 5% fat, which is easily kneaded with a spoon - 200 grams;
- 100 ml of heavy cream;
- sweetener - to taste.
Beat all the ingredients thoroughly in a blender and put in a freezer until partially frozen. Thanks to the heavy cream in the composition, ice cream will not turn into ice, but will acquire the necessary and so beloved by many creamy consistency. You can add slices of fruit, but this will lead to the fact that the nutritional value is replenished with carbohydrates, which, when ingested, will provoke a jump in insulin and a subsequent feeling of severe hunger.
Low calorie donuts with cottage cheese
This recipe will appeal to those who can not deny themselves flour products.
For the test you will need:
- a glass of flour;
- a pinch of baker's quick-acting yeast;
- one chicken egg;
- 150 g of butter, previously melted in a water bath;
- 100 g of grain curd;
- salt and sugar to taste.
Mix all the ingredients for the dough. Donuts can be fried in a pan in a large amount of oil. But this way of cooking will make them very greasy, the dough will be saturated with fat. So it’s easier to lay out a baking sheet with parchment paper, to form round identical donuts (you can spread the dough directly with a spoon, as it is quite liquid and can stick to your hands). Leave in a slightly preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, then bake at 200 degrees for about half an hour.