New Year’s snacks are high in sugar! Be careful of inflammation, eat wisely and replace it with other foods

During the Chinese New Year, I watched TV and ate melon seeds at home. There were nougat, pineapple cakes, and jujube and walnut cakes on the table. I ate them one after another and they were so delicious. Add a glass of sugary hand-shaken drink and it was even more delicious and satisfying. Nutritionists remind people to be careful not to eat too many high-sugar New Year snacks and drinks, as this may make you prone to inflammation and cause "chronic inflammation" in the body, which may lead to obesity and even cancer.

High-sugar foods can easily cause inflammation in the body, leading to obesity and aging

Why do high-sugar foods easily cause inflammation in the body? When the blood is exposed to high glucose concentrations, it will bind to proteins through a non-enzymatic glycation pathway to form advanced glycation end products (AGEs). The advanced glycation end products can induce inflammatory responses and cause harm to the body. The higher the sugar content of the food you eat, the more insulin is needed to metabolize the sugar. Insulin is not only a hormone that causes inflammation, but also a cancer accelerator.

Additionally, sugar and sweeteners can suppress the immune system and stress the adrenal glands, leading to adrenal fatigue. Once it causes chronic diseases. Chronic inflammation occurs silently and without any signs, but long-term chronic inflammation will cause excessive free radicals in the body, leading to oxidative damage to cell tissues, accelerated aging, and even autoimmune system diseases, including obesity, allergic asthma, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromuscular pain, psoriasis, etc., which are all autoimmune diseases.

New Year's snacks and drinks hide high sugar mines

Which New Year snacks contain high levels of sugar? Nutritionist Huang Xiaotong said that everyone loves to eat chocolate biscuits, pineapple cakes, nougat, dried mango and other delicacies, but in fact the calories are amazing. In addition, drinks are indispensable for eating New Year dishes. Coke and beer are often the must-have drinks on the table, but the calories should not be underestimated. You can get a glimpse of it from the table below:

Reminder: the beer and cola aluminum cans listed in the table above are 360ml and 330ml respectively, and the above data are only for 100ml. Other snacks and dried fruits are small in size, and although most people will not eat more than 100 grams, you should still be careful not to consume too much to prevent calories from being stored in the body.

Smart substitutions for Chinese New Year snacks and drinks

In order to eat healthily during the Chinese New Year, how can we make healthy substitutions for snacks and drinks? Nutritionist Huang Xiaotong recommends choosing low-GI fruits (cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, papayas), or low-calorie jellies, konjac jelly, etc. to replace high-fat and high-sugar snacks. As for beverages, it is recommended to drink sugar-free tea, fresh vegetable and fruit juice, sugar-free agar ice and other beverages, or even better, plain water.

As for the diet of diabetics during the Chinese New Year, they should pay special attention to the following 4 tips:

1. Adhere to the principle of "three lows and one high" - "low oil, low sugar, low salt and high fiber".

2. Control the total portion and don’t overeat.

3. Eat less snacks and drinks, and do not drink alcohol.

4. Walk more and exercise more.