White Foods: How Maida, Salt, and Sugar Impact Your Health?

White foods are bad carbs!

Well, though not all, processed white foods are stripped of all nutrients. Read the board to discover which white foods to avoid and which ones to pick.

Sugar, Salt, Maida, Flour, pasta and pizza, biscuits, sweets, and cheese!

These white foods are rich in unhealthy carbs. These foods are the culprit of obesity. And obesity is the gateway to diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and all other diseases.

White foods that are refined, and processed are stripped of all nutrients.

The main problem with white foods is that they trigger a cycle of food cravings. They are empty calories with zero nutrients that cannot satiate your hunger.

Thus, eating white foods does not make you feel full. Hence, you keep on munching them one after another. And yet you are left unsatisfied. That’s where the claim ‘You can’t have just one‘ comes from.

Check out the whites you must avoid and the whites you must take!

3 White Foods you should immediately eliminate from your diet!

Maida – Foods like white bread, and cakes are refined and processed. The fiber, fats, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients are lost in the processing. A diet rich in white flour increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Salt – Too much salt is problematic. It is the root cause of hypertension and damaged blood vessels, heart, and kidney disorders. Overdose of salt weakens your bones and can even cause ulcers and cancer of the stomach.

Sugar –  Sugar is the biggest villain in the list of white foods. It’s damaging, nutritionless, and addictive. Sugar can cause a host of health issues. Heart diseases, liver problems, insulin resistance, dental problems, and cancer just to name a few.

White foods you should eat!

Rice – There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the rich. Is it healthy? Is rice full of carbs? Can rice cause weight gain? Rice is a healthy white and you should eat it in moderation.

Cauliflower – A nutrient-rich cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower is a good white. Cauliflower rice is a low carbohydrate, nutrient-dense substitute for white rice

Banana – Banana is a great energizer. But people often worry about the calorie in bananas. Bananas are naturally sweet and loaded with nutrients. They also have many beneficial effects on the mood and body!

Apart from these here are some more whites good for you –

• Garlic
• Almond
• Coconut
• Radishes
• Mushrooms

How to replace your whites with healthy foods.

Since now you know ‘what’ not to eat here is ‘how’ to replace them.

1. Let brown be your favorite when it comes to your bread. Go for multigrain brown bread rather than plain white bread.
2. Quinoa is a great replacement for pizza and pasta. It’s high in protein and fiber. About 40 calories lighter per serving, is far lower in carbohydrates and contains double the protein.
3. Ditch your sugar for honey or jaggery. Jaggery too contains calories but it contains other nutrients too. It’s full of nutrition and has great health benefits.
4. Make it a habit to avoid extra white salt on your plate. Though don’t avoid it completely as you need the sodium. But just a pinch of salt is enough.
5. Avoid eating biscuits, cookies, cakes, and pastries. This change starts in the grocery shop. Don’t pick these things while gliding through the aisle of your grocery store.
6. Never compromise on your breakfast. Let your breakfast plate be a rainbow of fruits along with some healthy carbs like brown bread or chapati. Also, don’t skip that glass of juice waiting to give you strength and zing for a hectic day.
7. The afternoon window of 4 to 6 is a major binging and craving period. Keep your healthy alternatives ready to avoid your urge for picking something instant. Be it the sprouts or a plate of salad with the goodness of yogurt, or a freshly prepared stew make it a point to put those things in your mouth that are worth going into your body.

Conclusion: An Ayurvedic Doctor’s opinion

Not all whites are bad. But those drenched in sugary syrup are bad. The crystals of salt and sugar are bad. The processed flour in biscuits and bread is bad.

And by bad I mean they harm your body and can cause graving diseases. Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer! Unhealthy whites are to blame.

However, whites like bananas, rice, and milk are good. But they too should be eaten in moderation. Because they too are rich in calories. But since they contain many other essential nutrients, they deserve a place on the plate.

Research: Here are five studies on the impact of white foods on health:

White foods refer to those that are pale or light-colored in appearance, such as white bread, sugar, pasta, rice, and potatoes. While some white foods can be a source of essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates for energy and fiber, others can have a negative impact on health.

1. Refined Carbohydrates and the Metabolic Syndrome: A Review of the Observational Evidence (2007) – This review article published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that consuming high amounts of refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and sugar, was associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
   
2. The impact of a low glycemic index breakfast on glucose control in type 2 diabetes (2007) – This randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a low glycemic index breakfast that included oatmeal instead of white bread improved glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes.
   
3. Effects of dietary glycemic index and glycemic load on cardiovascular disease risk factors (2003) – This review article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that high glycemic index diets, which are characterized by high consumption of refined carbohydrates like white bread and sugar, were associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
   
4. Association of Rice Consumption with the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2015) – This meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal found that higher consumption of white rice was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, while higher consumption of brown rice was associated with reduced risk.
   
5. High glycemic index, refined carbohydrates, and the metabolic syndrome (2007) – This review article published in the International Journal of Obesity found that consuming high amounts of refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and sugar, was associated with a higher risk of developing the metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.