3 White Poisons YOU Should Stay Away From

Like all that glitters is not gold, everything white is not always good or angelic. The 3 white substances in our diet which are salt, sugar and refined flour are actually poisons if taken in a large amount.

Salt: Although salt is the main ingredient which adds taste to food, if taken beyond the recommended limits, it is toxic for the body . The sodium component of salt causes water retention which adds weight and puffiness to the body. It could also lead to hypertension, heart and kidney disorders.

• Recommendation:  According to WHO, salt intake should be less than 5 g i.e about 1 tsp/day. Addition of salt at the table on foods, salads should be avoided. Know your salt types
• Stay away from: High sodium processed foods like papads, pickles, sauces, chips, salted biscuits, cheese, salted butter.
• Look for: Read the food labels to catch the hidden sodium in form of sodium benzoate, monosodium glutamate, baking powder and baking soda. 

Sugar: Everyone enjoys the sweet taste of sugar. Sugar is found naturally in some food products but it is the added sugars which are detrimental to health. Added sugars are any sugars or caloric sweeteners added to a food or beverage during preparation or processing .These include table sugar, jaggery, honey as well as chemically manufactured high fructose corn syrup. They provide “empty calories” i.e only calories without any essential nutrients. This is the leading cause of obesity in our society. 

• Recommendation: The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, recommends a sugar intake of not more than 20 to 25 gm a day for normal adults i.e 5 teaspoons a day.
• Stay away from: Processed items high in sugar which are soft drinks, mocktails, cocktails, energy drinks, ketchup, cream biscuits, icecream, chocolates, desserts.
• Look for: Check for sources of sugar on the food label. Sugar may be mentioned on the labels by different names like sugar, malt sugar, brown sugar, invert sugar, sugar syrup, honey, jaggery, sugar terms ending with ‘ose’ (maltose, dextrose, glucose, sucrose, fructose), corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup. Read about the other forms how sugar can sneak into your food

Refined flour: Refined flour is digested in our bodies in just a few minutes as it lacks fibre. It causes a glucose rush into the body and high levels of insulin are released. Liver and muscle use up only as much glucose as required and the excess amount gets pumped into our fat cells. This is one of the major causes of fat gain now a days. It is also devoid of vitamins and minerals so as such it is only a source of additional calories in our diet. As it lacks fiber, it lacks the satiety power too and one feels hungry soon.

• Recommendation: Refined flour should be replaced by whole grain flour. According to US FDA atleast 50% of the cereal consumption in the day should be whole grain.
• Stay away from: Foods with high percentage of refined flour like white bread, pasta, pizzas, puffs.
• Look for: Check the food ingredients list for white flour, wheat flour and enriched flour all being synonyms for refined flour. To make sure a food is made with whole grains, look on the food label for the words "whole grain".