Yes or no to dessert after a sumptuous meal? There is a sort of separation between the sense of satiety and gluttony: Dr. Alice Cancellato explained what happens.
Interview with Dr. Alice Cancellato
nutritionist biologist at the Birth Sciences Center of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital
The scene is always the same: at the restaurant, after a hearty meal, comes the fateful moment of choosing dessert. It’s as if the stomach is telling us no, because a certain feeling of satietybut on the contrary gluttony and pleasure they lead us to browse the menu with our mouths watering, eager for a slice of cake or an ice cream. It is said that for dessert there is a separate stomach. In essence, the final course goes beyond the sense of satiety: it stimulates positive emotions and a mood of happiness that you can’t give up. Dr. Alice Cancellato, nutritional biologist at the Birth Science Center of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, explained well what happens to our body.
Because we can’t give up dessert
The expert explained that for some, the portion of dessert at the end of the meal is a habit: “There are those who are looking for a biscuit with coffee or a piece of chocolate: it’s a bit of a pleasure they can’t give up. It always depends from person to person, on the state of health, on physical activity: but it can be done in a healthy diet. Also because food is also a source of gratification: an overly restrictive deprivation regime is not sustainable in the long term. Then obviously sugars stimulate good mood hormones, therefore serotonin and endorphins, which give pleasure, yes, but also a sort of addiction.“.
What we call dessert stomach it’s a different thing and comes forward when there is the so-called opportunity: “Precisely because, since I go to a restaurant occasionally, I treat myself to dessert at the end of the meal regardless of whether I’m full.” In that case hardly we can give up: “Dessert, however, is something that is rarely very filling, it is something that has sugar and calories concentrated in a small volume. Then it often doesn’t require much chewing and gives us immediate pleasure by stimulating the production of endorphins and serotonin. And then it’s good: the pleasure linked to the sweet taste is primordial in human nature and therefore it is very difficult to say no, especially if you are greedy or if you are in a moment of conviviality, like the restaurant. We are very rational and intelligent animals: we don’t feed ourselves only for the satiety and energy that food gives us, but food is linked to a discussion of conviviality and pleasure. Sweets contain fats and sugars, the two elements present in food that give the most satisfaction we find it hard to say no to the pleasure of the meal“.
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How to manage fats and sugars in your diet
Sugars and fats are the main components when it comes to desserts and they are also the most demonized ingredients when it comes to diets and diets. For the expert they should not be eliminated completely, but they should absolutely be controlled and to be consumed as little as possible. As for fats: “Those deriving from extra virgin olive oil and dried fruit are recommended daily even at every meal in a healthy diet. Obviously, saturated fats are different and need to be monitored more closely“. As for sugars: “It depends on the person’s physical activity and state of health, but they are precisely the element that you really need to pay attention to and consume as little as possible. Real desserts with added sugars, not the traditional homemade cake with little sugar or sweetened only with fruit, should be consumed sporadically, 1-2 times a week and no more.
Absolutely no sugar in coffee: “It makes no sense: better a drop of milk or even better bitter. A teaspoon of sugar multiplied by an average of 2-3 coffees per day means 10 grams of sugar per day, 70 grams per week: it’s almost as much sugar as a whole cake.” Sugars are all the same, the calories they provide are always the same. Honey differs regarding products used for sweetening: “It is a more complete food, because it also contains mineral salts and vitamins, but they are still simple sugars. If I have to choose something to use, it’s better to use brown sugar or honey“. Be careful with sweeteners: “I advise against them for various reasons. Many sweeteners however stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin, even in the absence of an increase in blood sugar and this can also lead to an additional demand for sweets from the brain. The mechanisms of hunger-satiety-sugar seeking at the hypothalamic level are altered. Then they can predispose to diabetes precisely because pancreatic function is altered. Then they alter the intestinal bacterial flora causing bloating, diarrhea and some, like aspartame, can have carcinogenic effects“.
In addition to fats and sugars, Carbohydrates are also demonized a lot: “Carbohydrates are our main energy source. Demonizing them means depriving us of our fuel. Low carb diets to lose weight quickly are very fashionable now. But if we reduce them too much, our brain, when looking for immediate energy, will look for simple sugars.” Carbohydrates have a relationship with the sugars consumed at the end of the meal: “If you don’t eat bread, pasta, rice or cereals at meals then after the meal you eat more sweets, you can’t stop, precisely because that energy component is missing. Eating carbohydrates reduces the desire for sweets“.
Why prefer dark chocolate
The expert explained: “Simple sugars are addictive: it’s like being on a roller coaster. They increase blood sugar levels, giving a lot of energy, which then decreases and makes you feel almost more tired than before: this brings back the desire for sweets, to experience that well-being again. I have my patients do an experiment. Hold a piece of milk chocolate in your mouth. This dissolves quickly giving a pleasant sensation, but then leaves a bitter sensation and the first thing you need to do is take another piece. The small square of at least 70% dark chocolate, on the other hand, melts much more slowly: at the beginning it may seem a little more bitter, but then it slowly melts giving a sensation of pleasure in this case too, but which lasts much longer. long even when we have finished consuming it. So the instinct to take more doesn’t come immediately“.
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