Sugar, salt and flour?

THE THREE WHITE ENEMIES OF THE DIET: SUGAR, SALT AND FLOUR People often associate the color black with harmfulness and white with purity and benignity. Well, I’m going to break that myth or belief when it comes to food. In our diet we have 3 components present in high quantity and frequency, which we could classify as the 3 WHITE ENEMIES OF OUR DIET. They are sugar and white flours (that is, refined) and salt. And if they are enemies, why do they consume each other so much? And… why are they enemies? and what can we do about it? I will explain to them how you will not need to join them to win. SUGAR When we talk about sugar, we talk about table sugar or sucrose. When we value sugar nutritionally, there is only one thing, SIMPLE CARBON HYDRATES, just that, EMPTY CALORIES, without giving us anything else. This white sugar has a high glycemic index, that is, it passes into the blood very quickly in the form of glucose (important to take into account in people with DM). We already have a reason to reduce it from our diets, nutritional, right? Furthermore, high sugar consumption in certain situations such as lack of hygiene, sedentary lifestyle, stress… increases the possibility of suffering from certain conditions such as: – Dental cavities: whose bacteria feed on simple sugars. – Obesity: excessive sugar favors positive balance, and this increases excess fat. – Deficiency of B complex vitamins: Necessary to metabolize CH in the body, consuming excess sugar increases the demand for B1, B2 and B5. – Arterial hypertension: Sugar decreases nitric oxide that dilates the arteries, and therefore increases their rigidity. s translating into higher blood pressure. – Hypertriglyceridemia: Increases the production and accumulation of triglycerides in the blood, which can give rise to cardiovascular diseases. – Acne: In people predisposed to acne, the large release of insulin generated by high sugar consumption can cause acne to rebound. – Eliminating sugar is not optional for everyone, since The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation recommends eliminating sugars to control hypoglycemia, by eliminating it we reduce the conditions that cause it. That is, beyond the empty calories that sugar provides, reducing it is more closely linked to taking care of our health. REFINED FLOURS Refined flour is a very present ingredient in today’s diet, as it is part of an endless number of foods. Studies have shown that foods with refined flour tend to cause weight gain and contain fewer nutrients than foods made from whole grain flour. What is the difference? Basically there are two types of flour: whole wheat flour (which retains its original components) and processed and refined flour called “white”. Whole wheat flour retains its pericarp, the husk of the “bran” grain, the germ and the endosperm, everything that white flour lacks and that is why it is so nutritionally poor, it has almost no vitamins or minerals and the fiber content is eliminated. It practically becomes a sugar (pure starch). What is the solution? Very easy, change to whole wheat flours, these will provide you with a greater amount of vitamins, minerals and, above all, fiber, which also helps reduce the glycemic index of foods. SALT Here comes the 3rd poison of our diet. The average consumption per person is 9.8g/day of salt ( double the WHO recommendations, which establish 5g/day). Salt is part of many processed foods, preservatives… and has become so ingrained in our society that it has made us despise the natural flavor of foods, which curiously already have the amount of Na (Sodium) that we require. 70% of the salt we incorporate into our body is from processed and packaged foods (invisible salt). And why doesn’t the food industry reduce the amount of salt in its products? It’s simple, they are not interested, on the one hand the food would have a more limited shelf life, and on the other, the consumer’s palate is already accustomed to the salty taste, which would lead to a rejection of it. The food industry does not have our health as a priority, but rather the demand for its product. But… how bad could something as small as salt be? Well, excessive consumption causes an electrolyte imbalance, more specifically Na (sodium), and this has consequences such as HBP, a very important risk factor for CVD. It is also related to kidney failure, osteoporosis, some tumors, fluid retention, respiratory failure and promotes overweight and obesity. So I recommend that while governments and industries agree, the best we can do is take care of ourselves. So whether you are hypertensive or not, avoid processed foods as much as possible in favor of natural foods and simple culinary preparations. LN RAQUEL SAN MILLÁN