Is white all that bad?
RICE, flour and bread form a major component of our everyday meals, and nutritionists have for a while been pushing the need for consumers to eat brown instead of white. But what is so wrong with eating white bread, white rice, and flour?
“Brown products, because of the nutritional elements, make for a better part of the everyday diet,” said nutritionist Donovan Grant.
He explained that white products like rice and flour go through chemical processes called bleaching in which the outer layer of the wheat is removed along with most of its nutritional contents.
“When the wheat goes through the chemical process to make the products like flour, they take off the outer part. What is left is the part called the endosperm, which is primarily carbohydrates,” Grant explained.
He said that this causes the glycaemic index of the white foods to be very high. The excess level of starch they contain also leads to obesity.
“White products are less satisfying or filling so people tend to eat more. This puts the body under stress to absorb these levels of carbohydrates and sugars resulting in a spike in the sugar levels and contributes to obesity which then demands an increase in the production of insulin,” Grant explained
He said that the carbohydrates that are converted into sugars could also lead to diabetes.
Also, while brown products do not cook or bake as quickly as white ones, the body is very tolerant of them.
“Wheat products do not only give the body much need vitamins, minerals and fibres, but unlike when consuming white products, the body’s absorption and digestion of sugars is controlled,” Grant said
