Chat with AHA!

Chat with Ask Healthshots

Avoid these 3 white foods if you’re on a weight loss diet

Weight loss goals can be achieved if your diet is healthy. So, avoid these 3 white foods because they're unhealthy and can affect your health.
Burnt food
Consume white foods in moderation for the sake of your health. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock
Deepti Lokeshappa Published: 9 Feb 2023, 12:45 pm IST
  • 188

In general, the term “white food” refers to processed and refined foods that are white in colour, such as flour, rice, pasta, bread, crackers, cereal, and simple sugars like table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Organic and unprocessed white foods like potatoes, onions, cauliflower, turnips, and white beans do not fall under the same category. Most white foods are unhealthy since they tend to be more intensively processed, heavy in carbohydrates, and lacking in nutrients compared to their more colourful competitors.

Here are 3 white foods that you should avoid for weight loss:

1. White bread

White bread is one of those white foods that you should avoid. And not just those but white flour, crackers, pastries, and breakfast cereals are also one of them. Most of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals contained in the germ and bran of the grain are removed during the milling process to produce refined bread flour. Therefore, if weight loss is your goal, cutting down on white bread and other refined-grain foods may improve your chances of success. Instead of eating white bread, you switch to whole grain bread because it does not encourage weight gain as eating white bread.

white food
White bread is unhealthy. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

2. White sugar

Sugar is the white food that many people find the hardest to give up. Avoid processed sugar since it makes your organs fat, causes heart disease, raises dangerous cholesterol levels, and impairs your ability to regulate your appetite (imbalances your hunger and satiety hormones). Consuming sugar increases the need for additional sweets, which can cause cavities. If you have problems eliminating added sugars from your diet but have a sweet tooth, choose naturally occurring sugar sources from whole foods like fruit. Fruits’ natural simple sugars and added sugars are chemically similar. Brown sugar, stevia, maple syrup, or honey can all be used as simple substitutes for refined sugar. When compared to white sugar, these choices are healthier.

3. White rice

Like white pasta and bread, white rice is a form of refined grain. White rice is transformed from whole grain to the starchy, fluffy white rice you’re probably accustomed to during the milling process by removing the bran and germ. White rice has a lot of calories and carbohydrates but does not necessarily have a bad or unhealthy nutritional profile. Due to its lack of protein and fiber, white rice is particularly easy to overeat, which could lead to weight gain or blood sugar irregularities. White rice is good when taken in limited and combined with lots of veggies and protein to make it more nutritious and complex.

white food
Overconsumption is bad! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Before it is milled, white rice is just white rice, while milling can lengthen the shelf life of rice, it also destroys the fiber, vitamins, and minerals that make brown rice so nutrient-rich. White rice substitutes that are more nutrient-dense include quinoa, barley, and cauliflower rice.

Several examples of white foods that are packed with nutrients:

  • Vegetables: Mushrooms, turnips, parsnips, onions, and cauliflower, white beans are a legume
  • Meats: Whitefish and chicken
  • Dairy products: Milk, yoghurt, and cheese
  • Other foods include egg whites and coconut

Notably, certain formulations of the no-white foods diet permit the consumption of white foods including fish, eggs, and poultry, while others do not. Therefore, it’s important to consider the foods you’re avoiding and why, as some of them may help you reach your goals. Although, it is crucial to pay attention to what you eat and its nutritional content while you’re attempting to lose weight also, the quality of the food is just as crucial as its amount.

 

 

Take a Poll

How do you meet your daily protein requirements?

Take a Poll

Which seed is your favourite?

  • 188
About the Author

Deepti Lokeshappa is Senior consultant clinical nutritionist and a wellness coach. She is working at Motherhood Hospital, Indiranagar, Bengaluru. She holds a master’s degree in food science and nutrition, and has a vast experience of over 15 years in this field. Her areas of expertise are women health, kids' health, which includes intensive care and kids with special needs, geriatric and weight loss with a holistic approach of life style modification. ...Read More

Next Story
Healthshots AHA
Ask a Health Query
Anonymously for FREE!
Close Popup Healthshots AHA
  • Unlimited Queries
  • Completely Anonymous
  • Credible Sources
CHAT NOW