Is there a middle ground in the white debate?

THE debate has been going on for ages as to whether complex carbohydrates like potatoes, yams and bananas are better options to eat than white rice and flour.

Some health professionals may argue that it’s a matter of discipline, a balanced diet and portion control, while depending on health issues you are predisposed to, others may suggest you take the healthier route.

But is there a middle ground? Can you substitute healthier options like brown rice for parboiled rice, for example, and still maintain health benefits?

Nutritionist and president of the Jamaica Association of Professionals in Nutrition and Dietetics, Vanessa White, said if there was a choice of white flour, white rice or parboiled rice, parboiled rice would offer more nutritional value.

“White flour is not very beneficial because it provides limited fibre, vitamins and minerals. Parboiled rice is the most beneficial because the vitamins and minerals present are bio available, meaning the body can absorb and use most of what it has consumed. It supplies four per cent of men’s and six per cent of women’s daily fibre. It has double the fibre you’d get from cooked white rice, and a low glycaemic score of 38 versus a high 89 for white rice. A low glycaemic score indicates that carbohydrates in parboiled rice do not cause a large spike in the blood sugar. It is also a better source of fibre, calcium, potassium and vitamin B6 than regular white rice,” she said.

White added: “The gluten in white flour also causes some health problems like allergies for some people. If you choose to mix it with for example cornmeal, this helps to add fibre and minerals like calcium, iron, potassium and zinc when mixed with the flour.”

If trying to achieve weight loss, White said whole grain wheat products that still have the bran intact are more beneficial as they increase your satiety, making you stay fuller longer and tend to want to overeat less frequently.

Additionally, she said white products like rice and flour raise your insulin faster, so individuals who are predisposed to or have diabetes should exercise utmost control in consumption of these foods.

“This is because they break down into sugars faster, so your blood sugar is raised. When that happens your insulin goes up. The rise in insulin also causes excess sugars to be stored as fat in the body, leading to weight gain. That rise in sugar reflects the glycaemic index or score of the food. Refined or processed carbohydrates like white rice and flour have a high glycaemic index, but staple foods that are less processed have a lower glycaemic index. Choose those,” White said.