Carbohydrate-free diets are growing in popularity and giving up flour is considered an important step towards a healthy lifestyle. Thousands of bloggers regularly share stories about what has changed in their lives since they gave up flour products and the results are amazing: their skin improves, they lose weight, and they are full of energy. But is it true?
White bread vs. dark bread
There’s no question about wholegrain bread, made from rye, oatmeal or tarts. Such a product is beneficial for the body.
No wonder a person can live quite a long time consuming only dark bread and water. But when it comes to white bread, things are completely different. In the 20th century, flour began to be produced industrially and its quality dropped significantly. It is therefore recommended to avoid white bread.
What happens to your body if you stop eating bread
Lack of beneficial properties
Wheat grains are rich in vitamins, but all the nutrients from processing the grain and turning it into flour make them lose their quality. The best quality white flour retains only about 30% of the useful substances, which after 2 weeks are no longer active. And what is the shelf life of flour? 12 months.
Toxicity
In the modern world, wheat is cultivated on a huge scale. To get more and faster, it is sprayed with pesticides and to get rid of rodents and fungi – it is treated with various chemical compounds. For white flour, manufacturers use benzoyl peroxide, sodium and calcium pyrosulphate, and chlorine dioxide for bleaching.
Skin rash
We are what we eat. As a rule, gluten-intolerant people have these problems. Gluten builds up on the walls of the intestine, affecting it. Over time, the function of these fibres to absorb nutrients is disrupted. Therefore, before going to the dermatologist, examine your diet.
Digestive problems
Wholemeal bread contains a very important element for the human body – fibre, while flour products do not. 5-6 pieces of wholemeal bread a day will give you your daily requirement of fibre. The same amount can be obtained from eating 14 apples, 21 carrots, 25 tomatoes or 2.3 kg of cucumbers.
Premature ageing
Bread and white flour products are devoid of nutrients. By eating foods that lack the vitamins it needs, our body cannot maintain its youth, so flour lovers age prematurely.
Dependency
Bread is like a drug. Flour produces an amazing release of sugar into your bloodstream and after eating just one piece of white flour bread your sugar levels rise quickly, but then drop just as quickly – and you’ll feel sluggish and again want to eat fast carbs to feel a boost in vitality. Such a rise in blood sugar can even lead to diabetes.
Overweight and obesity
This is the main reason why many people refuse to eat white flour bread. Over 70% of people who exclude bread from their diet lose weight within the first 2 weeks. Bread has an even higher glycemic index than chocolate bars. The starch contained in bakery products quickly spreads in the digestive tract and enters the bloodstream as glucose. This means you will feel hungry again very soon.
