Everyone likes to enjoy themselves, but some people do not think about the benefits of the products they choose, and some keep a close eye on the contents of their refrigerator. All kinds of sweets were, are, and will most likely remain the most popular delicacy. Children and representatives of the beautiful half of humanity love them (some males also enjoy it).
We want to note that no nutritionist would name the products with a high sugar content useful. Most likely, doctors allow their patients to eat sweets only because they can not be forced to deny themselves such a pleasure. It’s good to confine himself to fruits and berries because these products are rich in vitamin composition. Still, not everyone can resist the temptation of confectionery, one of which is halva.
Referring to this delicacy’s vegetable composition, some argue that this product is saturated with vitamins and harmless to health. What is halva’s use, and can you eat it if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle? This is what will be discussed.
What kind of product is halva?
This popular and familiar childhood sweetness is produced from the seeds of crops with a high oil content, where molasses, sugar, and fructose are added. The sweet mass turns into huge layers; then, it is packed and sent to counters.
Having become acquainted with the general concept, we can conclude this is a high-calorie bomb. Accordingly, the question of whether halva is useful seems simply meaningless.
- For reference: 521 calories “hide” in 100 g of halva, and sometimes more.
Another huge disadvantage is that the combination of “fast” carbohydrates (sugars) and fats is the most “suicidal” tandem for a figure, according to dieticians.
Any sane person perfectly understands that regular pampering of store halva will quickly lead to the fact that the waist will have to say goodbye. Clear excess weight is not only ugly but also dangerous for health.
The use of this sweetness occasionally and in small doses may seem acceptable to someone, but why do you need to eat something that can harm you? In general, halva’s useful properties are due only to nuts and seeds in their composition, but it’s better to eat these products in their pure form. On the question of what kind of halva is worthy of the attention of a person who wants to stay healthy, the answer is one – homemade!
Types of halva and their effect on the body
The most common halva grade is prepared from sunflower seeds, which everyone loves and affordable. But the main thing is not how much sunflower halva will cost but about the benefits and harm concealed in a given sweetness. You can speak about the product’s merits only if you cook it without sugar and eat it in minimum quantities. The advantages of dessert, in this case, are as follows.
- Seeds and nuts of different varieties are rightly considered sources of protein, without which it is impossible to build new cells in the body.
- Dietary fibers that ensure the proper functioning of the digestive tract.
- Vitamin E helps to rejuvenate the body and has a beneficial effect on human reproductive functions.
- The presence of vitamin B1, the reserves of which must be replenished in the body daily due to the impossibility of accumulating this substance. Theanine belongs to the group of water-soluble vitamins; everyday, its remains leave the body most naturally. B1 is indispensable for the health of the nervous system, GIT, heart, and blood vessels. The condition of the nails and the hair’s beauty also depend on the amount of theanine in the food. It has a positive effect on the immune system.
- Vitamin F1 regulates blood circulation and strengthens blood vessels’ walls, leading to a normal GI tract’s normal acidity index.
The harm of sunflower halva, bought in the store, is the same as all its varieties:
- a huge amount of sugar, which negatively affects the condition of the teeth and facilitates the rapid gain of excess weight;
- high-fat content;
- harmful additives, preservatives;
- Purchased halva refers to “fast” carbohydrates; such food is practically unable to saturate but causes a sharp increase in blood sugar.
Also, in the store, there is the risk of buying a spoiled product. The fact is that fats in contact with oxygen begin to oxidize. This causes not only the appearance of a characteristic unpleasant odor but also threatens with poisoning.
You can recognize the rancid product by sniffing its fragrance: the spoiled product will immediately give itself away.
The use and harm of halva depend on how it is cooked. It is necessary to replace the store product with an analog of domestic production, excluding sugar from its composition in its pure form. You can use, for example, raisins to give a sweet taste.
The recipe is straightforward:
- one glass of sunflower seeds and a third of a glass of raisins are whipped in a blender at the highest speed;
- add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- mix everything thoroughly;
- You can form sausages or balls from the resulting mass and expand them into small molds, pre-laid with food wrap.
Halva without sugar is ready!
Peanut
“Ground” nut, if you buy it in an unprocessed form – is very nutritious, albeit a high-calorie product. Besides, these nuts have a pleasant and delicate sweetish taste. Peanuts are pleased with the amount of such a valuable substance as folic acid necessary for women during pregnancy because it contributes to the future baby’s normal development. Also, it prevents the early manifestation of age-related changes in a person of any gender.
No matter how tasty peanut halva is, the benefits and harms of it depend on the recipe. In the store product, chemical additives and sugar usually spoil everything. But at home, it’s easy to make the right halva of nuts using the technology described above. Instead of raisins, add dried fruit or a small amount of honey.
Sesame
Produced from purified sesame seeds, halva tahini has slightly bitterness in taste. A large number of bioactive substances in the product explain this property. In the case of halva tahini, the benefit is a high concentration of ascorbic acid, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, and magnesium, as well as vitamins B, E, and F. However, it can not be considered a healthy product if it lies on the store shelf beside other sweets.
Sesame halva from whole seeds by its properties practically does not differ from tahini. But there is a slight difference. Since the sesame delicacy is made from sources with a shell, the content of useful dietary fiber in its composition is higher. Also, such halva is easy to prepare by yourself without adding sugar.
Here is the recipe:
- 2 cups of sesame and half a glass of coconut shavings, natural vanilla to taste – all the ingredients are whipped in a blender;
- pour them into a deep bowl;
- add two tablespoons of honey;
- mix until you get a single, dense consistency clod;
- toss the mass into a mold and put it away for a couple of hours in the refrigerator.
This dish’s usefulness is not questioned because sesame oil is a good helper in the fight against joint diseases (arthrosis and arthritis). It also prevents the development of conditions associated with oncology.
Contraindications
Talking about what harm is in halva, you need to distinguish between industrial production and a homemade delicacy. The first cannot be called healthy and useful food; the second should be consumed in minimal doses. The maximum amount of halva you can pamper yourself is no more than 40 g.
A tiny piece of yummy, prepared by your hands from any nuts or seeds, is much preferable to store sweetness, stuffed with chemical additives and almost half of the sugar. Therefore, you can eat only homemade halva, remembering the portion’s correct size and choosing delicacies in the morning. Cases in which it is better to give up halva absolutely:
- excess weight;
- individual intolerance of components in the product;
- pancreatitis;
- children under 6 also should not consume halva to provoke an allergic reaction.
To summarize, it can be concluded that the benefits and harm, caloric content, and other properties are ambiguous in halva. The product can affect health both positively and negatively. It all depends on what recipe it is prepared for and on the size of the portion.
