There is no doubt that Christmas brings with it many more sweet foods than we normally eat.

Even if it is not Christmas, the body craves sweet foods, which is why some diets are so difficult to follow, as the body is demanding you to eat something sweet. This doesn’t have to be chocolate; it can be fruit.

It is important not to mix up the sweetness of chocolate with the sweetness of fruit. We usually experience a sweet urge after eating a main meal, which very often needs finishing off with a sweet.

Recent French research tested whether there is a connection between the tendency to crave addictive drugs like cocaine and hyperpalatable foods, in particular those high in added sugar.

The evidence showed that sugar and sweetness can induce reward and craving responses in humans, comparable in magnitude to those induced by addictive drugs, like cocaine; even worse, sugary foods become even more rewarding and attractive than such drugs.

At the biological level, the neural effects of a sweet reward appear to be even stronger than those with cocaine.

This offers a physiological explanation for why so many people have difficulty controlling the consumption of foods high in sugar after being continuously exposed to them (Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care, 2013).

At this time of year, a fruit that makes an appearance is the date. Dates are a healthier alternative to refined sugars.

According to the latest study from the London Metropolitan University, dates may be considered an almost ideal food, as they provide a wide range of essential nutrients and potential health benefits.

Although dates have a high percentage of carbohydrates, they are also rich in minerals such as potassium, boron, calcium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, zinc and selenium.

In addition, the protein in dates contains 23 types of amino acids, some of which are not found in the most popular fruits, such as apples, oranges and bananas (Int. J. Food Sci. Nutri., 2003).

However, there is a problem with dates; they are a high GI (glycaemic index) food. Just to remind you, the GI measures carbohydrates in terms of their pure sugar/starch content to determine how they affect blood sugar levels after meals.

The GI score corresponds to a carb’s potential to raise blood sugar levels. In other words, they tell us the degree to which certain carbs make our bodies secrete insulin; the more insulin our bodies secrete, the greater the chances of putting on weight. Hence the reason we look at GI diets as a way to help us control our eating practices.

Sugar and sweetness can induce reward and craving responses in humans

Foods with a high GI score tend to raise the blood sugar levels quickly, while a low GI score raises them more slowly and over a longer period of time. The rush of energy produced by high GI foods doesn’t last long and is soon followed by a drop in energy, which tends to make you feel hungry and gives a greater desire to eat more.

Also, after eating high GI foods, you will have a lot of available energy in your blood. Your body will use this energy first, rather than using the stores of energy in body fat; this is why it is more difficult to lose weight when eating high GI foods constantly.

After eating a low GI food, you feel less hungry (Br. J. Nutr., 2001). This means that instead of having to control your sweet urge or cravings for food by will power alone, you can control them by satisfying your body’s energy needs.

With a low GI diet, the desire to snack regularly, or even overeat, will be greatly reduced. So, before you dig into your dates this Christmas, make a decision as to whether you can afford to raise your GI level. However, if you are planning on including some exercise in your Christmas regime, you could use the excess energy in your body for the short period you are over-indulging.

Alternatively, if you want to keep your GI levels low but still want to indulge in fruits, eat the fruit with a lower GI score, such as cherries, plums, grapefruit, peaches, apples, dried apricots and prunes.

Another food we indulge in at this time of year is marzipan. This is a confection consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almond meal, sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract.

Almonds aid in the development of the brain and also contain high levels of vitamin E which, as a powerful antioxidant, help to protect the cells in the body from free radical damage. Almonds are also rich in folic acid.

However, people who have a nut allergy, or an allergy to almonds in particular, should avoid marzipan.

Whatever you decide to eat this Christmas, have a good time and lots of fun. You never know what is round the corner.

kathryn@maltanet.net