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?
Across the globe everybody is eating more and more white bread and it is causing a big problem - weight gain.
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.
Because white bread is made from refined flour it has a high glycaemic index (GI) which means that it causes a rapid rise in blood sugar which in turn affects the amount of insulin the body produces. Insulin increases appetite. The more white bread we eat (and that includes things like burger buns) the hungrier we feel. The effect this can have on weight gain is easy to see.
Another alarming fact about white bread - and some other more healthy breads too - is that it contains lots of salt. We get nearly 25% of our daily salt intake from bread - particularly white bread.
In a recent study it was found that in a significant number of cases, nearly 20% of daily energy intake came from white bread. In all cases the daily salt intake was well above recommended levels.
High salt intake is very dangerous indeed. If your salt intake is too high, your body retains too much water and the level of bodily fluids increases. This in turn increases blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to heart attack and stroke. Too much salt also increases your thirst. If you quench that thirst with water you are compounding the problem. If you drink cola of a similar drink you will dramatically increase your calorie intake and weight gain will be the result.
White bread needn't be excluded from your diet, but it should be a very small part of it. If you're trying to lose weight you need to get into the habit - a slim habit - eating very little white bread. Best if you eliminate it from your diet totally and eat brown or wholemeal bread instead. - 16004
Across the globe everybody is eating more and more white bread and it is causing a big problem - weight gain.
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.
Because white bread is made from refined flour it has a high glycaemic index (GI) which means that it causes a rapid rise in blood sugar which in turn affects the amount of insulin the body produces. Insulin increases appetite. The more white bread we eat (and that includes things like burger buns) the hungrier we feel. The effect this can have on weight gain is easy to see.
Another alarming fact about white bread - and some other more healthy breads too - is that it contains lots of salt. We get nearly 25% of our daily salt intake from bread - particularly white bread.
In a recent study it was found that in a significant number of cases, nearly 20% of daily energy intake came from white bread. In all cases the daily salt intake was well above recommended levels.
High salt intake is very dangerous indeed. If your salt intake is too high, your body retains too much water and the level of bodily fluids increases. This in turn increases blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to heart attack and stroke. Too much salt also increases your thirst. If you quench that thirst with water you are compounding the problem. If you drink cola of a similar drink you will dramatically increase your calorie intake and weight gain will be the result.
White bread needn't be excluded from your diet, but it should be a very small part of it. If you're trying to lose weight you need to get into the habit - a slim habit - eating very little white bread. Best if you eliminate it from your diet totally and eat brown or wholemeal bread instead. - 16004
About the Author:
A Well known speaker, writer and commentator on dieting and health, 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
