What happens to your body when you stop eating white sugar, added sugar, and white bread?
What are the downsides of these foods?
On the other hand, in what cases would white bread be more suitable?
The answer is here.
Sugar consumption has risen steadily during the COVID-19 lockdown, but much of it is hidden in foods that aren't sweet.
To begin with, we will learn about the benefits of stopping white sugar and white bread, then we will move on to the details.
This is what will happen to your body when you stop white sugar and white bread:
Reduce the risk of tooth decay.
You'll lose weight if you cut out sugar and white bread, as long as you don't make up for what you've lost by eating other foods.
They may help reduce inflammation levels in your body.
Bowel movement will improve if you stop white bread and eat wholemeal bread and vegetables.
sugar dangers
In the report published by the British newspaper "The Telegraph", author Lauren Lippert said that many scientists believe that added sugar is the main reason for the increase in the number of people suffering from obesity.
Even if you think you're eating a healthy diet that doesn't contain a lot of sugar, or if your diet includes bread, snacks, cereal, yogurt, or basically anything packaged and processed, the chances of you gaining weight remain.
According to the British government recommendations, it is advised that free sugars, which are added to foods or drinks, as well as sugars naturally present in honey, juices, unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices, and smoothies, do not constitute more than 5% of the energy you get from food and drink daily, And adults should not eat more than 30 grams of sugar per day.
What sugar?
Sugar is a name given to many substances belonging to the family of carbohydrates whose sweet taste combines, and sugars can be divided in terms of their chemical composition into two basic groups:
monosaccharides, including:
Glucose, which is the sugar that is found in the bloodstream and taken by cells to carry out their functions and tasks, and when it rises above the normal limits in the body, its owner is diagnosed with diabetes.
Fructose, or what is known as fruit sugar, is found in fruits and honey.
Galactose, found in dairy products.
Disaccharides, made up of two monosaccharides, include:
Sucrose, or what is known as table sugar or white sugar, is composed of a molecule of glucose and a molecule of fructose.
Maltose, also known as malt sugar, is made up of two glucose molecules.
Lactose, or milk sugar, is made up of one molecule of glucose and one molecule of galactose.
Brown sugar, which is “sucrose” table sugar, but molasses was added to it, and it became brown in color and has a more moist texture.
It's very easy to eat 30 grams or 6 teaspoons of sugar before you leave the house, says Sarah Flower, a registered dietitian and author of 22 books including Eating to Beat Type 2 Diabetes and The Sugar-Free Family Cookbook. In the morning, breakfast cereals, toast, jam, low-fat yogurt, fruit juices and smoothies contain sugar."
In fact, there is no nutritional need for sugar at all. “Sugar does not contain any nutrients, but it can be very harmful to our health, leading to a weakening of insulin resistance and inflammation in the body, which is associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity and other diseases,” says Flower. heart and others.
For those who argue that sugar is a natural food found in fruits in the form of fructose, and is therefore beneficial for us, there is an important difference to be aware of.
"Eating a whole fruit means you're also eating some fiber, which slows down the digestion of fructose and the rate at which it gets into your bloodstream, so this is the best way to eat fruit," Flower says.
But the fructose in ultra-processed foods, such as high-fructose corn syrup and fruit concentrates, has a lot of the fiber and nutrients removed.
"Currently processed fructose is one of the most harmful forms of sugar and is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and heart disease," Flower added.
Furthermore, fructose interferes with the response to leptin, which is a natural appetite suppressant in the body.
And when the brain stops receiving a message to stop eating, it leads to more visceral fat accumulating around your vital organs.
The writer stated that the best solution to exclude sugar from your diet is to look at the labels on foods.
Gabrielle points out that there are many names that manufacturers use for sugar to hide from consumers.
Among these names: honey, molasses, corn syrup, maltose, and so on.
The higher the list of ingredients, the higher the amount of sugar, so look for these different types of sugars on the label because you may not be able to identify them right away.
Additionally, Gabrielle warns that, “Having a label that says a product is sugar-free does not mean it is sugar-free. It could simply mean that the manufacturer did not add sugar but could sweeten the product with a whole range of other sugars such as honey and juice, or The product may contain dried fruits that have been completely soaked.
“We consume 3 to 4 times the recommended amount of sugar, and if you want to reduce the amount of sugar you eat, you need to know how much you are actually eating and what sugars you are eating too much, then reduce the presence of these foods in your diet,” says trainer and nutritionist Harley Pasternak. your home and remove high-sugar food from your kitchen."
"Then you have to focus on what you should eat and what you should not eat. Every meal should contain protein, fiber and healthy fats to ensure your blood sugar is stable," he says.
Gabrielle endorses this strategy. "Sugar doesn't make you feel full at all, and you can eat a lot of sugar and still be hungry. But the protein in foods like chicken, lean red meat, beans, legumes, eggs, and healthy fats, like avocados, nuts, and seeds," she says. It will fill you up, so you will end up eating much less sugar.”
What about white bread?
According to what some say, white bread has no taste, and this is what makes many people like it because it does not prevent you from enjoying the taste of meat, soup or cheese that you eat with it.
But compared to whole-grain flour products, white bread does not make food taste better, according to the American "BrightSide" website.
Whole-grain bread contains more fiber than white bread, which is beneficial for gut health and the digestive system.
According to the Bright Side website, for many people, being overweight and obese is the number one reason to stop eating foods that contain refined flour.
More than 70% of people who stop eating white bread lose weight within the first two weeks.
The site adds that the effect of white bread is similar to the effect of drugs, as white flour causes the level of sugar in the blood to rise, and as a result the level of insulin rises.
When you eat a slice of white bread, your blood sugar rises quickly, but quickly drops, making you feel hungry quickly and want to eat more fast-absorbing carbohydrates.
What is the correct daily amount of bread?
According to the German Dietetic Association, a healthy daily amount of bread is between 200 and 300 grams.
The association added that it is better to eat whole grain bread, as it is low in calories on the one hand and rich in dietary fiber, which has great health benefits, on the other hand.
Dietary fiber helps you feel full quickly, and it also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, lipid metabolism disorders, large intestine cancer, and cardiovascular disease.
On the other hand, the association pointed out that white bread made from wheat flour suffers from a bad reputation because it causes obesity, but it also has health benefits in some diseased cases.
The association explained that white bread is better for the stomach after surgery and after stomach flu or in the case of chronic intestinal infections, as the stomach in these cases tolerates it better compared to whole grain bread.