Do you like white bread? It's delicious, isn't it? There's nothing better than being able to sink your teeth into a thick slice of crusty white bread. But is it doing you any good? When it tastes so good that's not the question you want to ask yourself, is it?
White bread may be delicious, but we eat far too much of it and it's now becoming a major cause of weight gain, particularly in the Western world.
There are two problems with white bread. The first is that it's made with refined flour. Nothing wrong with that, you might think, but that's not the case. 'Refined' means that most of the goodness has been taken out. In the refining process, essential minerals, vitamins and fiber that we need have been 'refined away'. What we're left with might taste good, but its nutritional value is low. All that white bread does is to keep our jaws busy.
The fact that white bread contains white flour means that it is no longer behaves like a complex carbohydrate like wholemeal bread, for example. It is more of a simple carbohydrate, like sugar. It has a high glycaemic index which means that it encourages your body to produce insulin which in turn increases your appetite. You could say that white bread actually makes you hungry!
Another problem with white bread, burger buns and bagels is that they contain huge amounts of salt. We get nearly 25% of our daily salt intake from bread. Daily levels of salt intake have risen to an average of nearly 12g, and the recommended daily allowance is 4g.
Too many of us get too much of our daily energy requirements from white bread. It has been put at over 20%. This is an extremely worrying trend.
A high level of salt is not good for us for a number of reasons. First, it encourages your body to retain too much fluid. This in turn causes high blood pressure, bloating and a significantly increased risk of stroke and heart disease. It also causes you to be thirsty and all too often we answer the call for liquid with food. The result is obvious - weight gain.
If you're trying to lose weight then you need to cut down the amount of white bread you eat. Cutting it out altogether would be the best plan. Adopt a slim habit of not eating white bread and your weight loss efforts will receive a welcome boost. - 16463
White bread may be delicious, but we eat far too much of it and it's now becoming a major cause of weight gain, particularly in the Western world.
There are two problems with white bread. The first is that it's made with refined flour. Nothing wrong with that, you might think, but that's not the case. 'Refined' means that most of the goodness has been taken out. In the refining process, essential minerals, vitamins and fiber that we need have been 'refined away'. What we're left with might taste good, but its nutritional value is low. All that white bread does is to keep our jaws busy.
The fact that white bread contains white flour means that it is no longer behaves like a complex carbohydrate like wholemeal bread, for example. It is more of a simple carbohydrate, like sugar. It has a high glycaemic index which means that it encourages your body to produce insulin which in turn increases your appetite. You could say that white bread actually makes you hungry!
Another problem with white bread, burger buns and bagels is that they contain huge amounts of salt. We get nearly 25% of our daily salt intake from bread. Daily levels of salt intake have risen to an average of nearly 12g, and the recommended daily allowance is 4g.
Too many of us get too much of our daily energy requirements from white bread. It has been put at over 20%. This is an extremely worrying trend.
A high level of salt is not good for us for a number of reasons. First, it encourages your body to retain too much fluid. This in turn causes high blood pressure, bloating and a significantly increased risk of stroke and heart disease. It also causes you to be thirsty and all too often we answer the call for liquid with food. The result is obvious - weight gain.
If you're trying to lose weight then you need to cut down the amount of white bread you eat. Cutting it out altogether would be the best plan. Adopt a slim habit of not eating white bread and your weight loss efforts will receive a welcome boost. - 16463
About the Author:
A Well known speaker, author and commentator on diet and health matters, Henry John's particular interest is permanent weight loss and behavior change. He is committed to helping people with weight problems achieve permanent weight loss. If you would like know more about how to lose weight permanently visit www.slimhabit.com
