Eliminating Everything White

NoAdditives

Is yet to find a brown pudding rice...'nuff said

Maybe not in a prepackaged, processed form for sale in stores, but you can certainly make it yourself.

Acg67

I've seen the study that found no nutritional difference between white and brown rice, but the main issue with white rice is the amount it gets processed. The nutritional value may be comparable but it's better to eat foods that are naturally full of vitamins and minerals instead of foods that are "enriched" with added vitamins and minerals. When the nutrition is in foods naturally your body can process and use it more efficiently.

the point was that the brown may contain anti nutritional factors such as phytic acid, which prevents the absorbtion of all those vits and minerals in brown rice. so it may actually be worse for you

Interesting. But is there conclusive evidence that shows that to be true?

well i do know the hull contains phytic acid and some other things, the extent to which those things have on the absorption of vits and minerals i don't think is conclusively proven to be x of this compound causes absorption of these minerals to decrease x just yet

Sidesteal

Interesting. But is there conclusive evidence that shows that to be true?

I think it depends on how you define conclusive

Did you see the pubmed article? I know you said you had read a study about nutrient absorption, was it the peer reviewed article that Acg67 linked at the bottom of his post?

_GlaDOS_

This is a good thread. I'm curious about other carbs too. How nutritionally void is a white potato vs a sweet potato for example? What about other carb sources?

In the context of a varied diet I would speculate that nutrient sufficiency would be met even if you choose mostly white carbs, and it probably wouldn't make much difference, but I'm really speculating.

It is interesting. I'm on the search for some good articles. I found one that describes how Vitamin A can help with non-heme iron absorption from rice. It has nothing to do with the topic here obviously, but really goes to show the complexity not only of the nutrients themselves, but the interaction between nutrients that we have yet to discover (one of the reasons why I am huge advocate for whole foods - there are many nutrients we have identified that we do not yet know the benefits of).

Also, white potatoes and sweet potatoes are hard to compare. They come from entirely different families. White potatoes are also still whole foods, whereas white rice is something we have "created". And I think there is a different, nutritionally between just a white carb and a processed carb. Very interesting, indeed.

Sidesteal

White potatoes are also still whole foods, whereas white rice is something we have "created". And I think there is a different, nutritionally between just a white carb and a processed carb. Very interesting, indeed.

Good point on the taters.


I think that you could generalize it to say that whole foods are probably going to be more nutrient dense than processed foods. It's a generalization but I would speculate that you'd be correct in using it, in most cases.

But I think that the problem is more of a social one in some regards. If you tell someone that they should select nutrient dense foods "most of the time" so that they eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and then you tell them that "some of the time" they can select processed foods or ice cream or candy or whatever, and still hit their macros, then you end up with someone who will likely be pretty healthy and end up with an appealing physique if they pick up heavy things and put them down.

But this gets twisted into "don't eat this" or "avoid all of this", and THATS where I have an issue with it.

You can't arbitrarily say (when I say "you" I'm not referring to the person I am quoting, just FYI) that one food is better than another without CONTEXT.

I don't mean to expand the discussion with this point (because making carb comparisons like we were doing is educational and I'm learning a lot), but as it pertains to the elimination of a certain type of food I think my point is relevant.

If your body has more than enough vitamin C for example (again, context: You've already consumed enough of it), a piece of white bread might benefit you more than an orange.

Acg67

the real question is brown sugar better then plain old white sugar because it's brown?

chevy88grl

Well.. I guess it all comes down to what YOU prefer. I switched to brown rice, whole grain breads, and such. I actually just prefer how they taste now. White bread - for me - is WAY too sweet tasting (which is weird considering I used to LOVE white bread). I don't particularly like the way white rice tastes either.

As for sweet vs white potatoes - I don't mind white potatoes now and again - but will choose sweet potatoes over them 99% of the time.

I guess as I've gone through this journey my tastes have changed and I see no reason to change them back. Eat what you like.

_GlaDOS_

White potatoes are also still whole foods, whereas white rice is something we have "created". And I think there is a different, nutritionally between just a white carb and a processed carb. Very interesting, indeed.

Good point on the taters.


I think that you could generalize it to say that whole food are probably going to be more nutrient dense than processed foods. It's a generalization but I would speculate that you'd be correct in using it, in most cases.

But I think that the problem is more of a social one in some regards. If you tell someone that they should select nutrient dense foods "most of the time" so that they eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and then you tell them that "some of the time" they can select processed foods or ice cream or candy or whatever, and still hit their macros, then you end up with someone who will likely be pretty healthy and end up with an appealing physique if they pick up heavy things and put them down.

But this gets twisted into "don't eat this" or "avoid all of this", and THATS where I have an issue with it.

You can't arbitrarily say (when I say "you" I'm not referring to the person I am quoting, just FYI) that one food is better than another without CONTEXT.

Yes, totally agree there. There is nothing I tell myself I can't have. I just simply have different taste preferences now. And I don't think in terms of weight loss, it really works to force yourself to completely give up something all together.

_GlaDOS_

the real question is brown sugar better then plain old white sugar because it's brown?

:laugh:

I think you actually make a good point about the color of food - because it doesn't really matter that much. But I could go into details about the different between cane sugar and beet sugar, that's for sure. But that's another topic maybe. :flowerforyou:

TheBraveryLover

Well.. I guess it all comes down to what YOU prefer. I switched to brown rice, whole grain breads, and such. I actually just prefer how they taste now. White bread - for me - is WAY too sweet tasting (which is weird considering I used to LOVE white bread). I don't particularly like the way white rice tastes either.

As for sweet vs white potatoes - I don't mind white potatoes now and again - but will choose sweet potatoes over them 99% of the time.

I guess as I've gone through this journey my tastes have changed and I see no reason to change them back. Eat what you like.

Exactly how I feel.

servilia

I don't think there's anything inherently better about brown "stuff". In my case, cutting down on the white stuff did help, but just indirectly because removing them was helping to keep me in my cal deficit. I didn't replace them with equal amounts of the brown stuff either. Now, I do try to go for my 11 whole grain bread now, but just because it has more fiber in it which has become a new priority for me. But if someone likes the white stuff I don't think there's any reason to eliminate it! I do enjoy a nice wonder bread toast with melted mozzarella on top sometimes And there's nothing like dipping some white bread in the egg yolk in my easy eggs!

Lift_hard_eat_big

I'm asian, so I will do everyone a favor and put an end to this rice debate, since I know a thing or two about rice. I been eating it all my life so that makes me an expert you know.

If it ain't white, it ain't right! Thread/

Well, at least the rice debate is over.

dcmat

Is yet to find a brown pudding rice...'nuff said

Maybe not in a prepackaged, processed form for sale in stores, but you can certainly make it yourself.

Nothing prepackaged or processed here - so if you have a good recipe...

emmab0902

I feel way healthier and better since I switched from milk chocolate to white chocolate

shakybabe

I'm gluten free cos of a mild wheat intolerance so avoid wheat based cereal, bread and pasta but use gluten free bread, I'm not too bothered about pasta, I always preferred curry & rice over pasta so that hasn't changed I just make my own so they have less calories!!

I switched wheat tortillas for corn tortillas which I used in place of naan bread which often had nuts/traces of nuts, but still eat Rice Krispies, rice cakes.

Milk is supposed to be really good for you.. calcium for bones ec? I can't see why someone would exclude it unless they were allergic to it?

I went low carb (as well as gluten free) to try kick start my metabolism in around august and it worked well for me at start but started re-introducing non-wheat based carbs slowly as I reach my goal weight so it doesn't just all pile back on again. At minute I have two treat meals a week one with potato and one curry/rice, i exercise on these days so I have the spare calories to cover the extra carbs, this seems to work for me as I'm still steadily losing weight and haven't hit a plateau yet.

p. s. I love the giant milky bars too! (and Lindt reindeer!) :laugh:

fteale

I don't think there is anything wrong with eating pasta, bread and rice IN MODERATION. The problem is, they are so easy, most people eat bread several times every day, which is excessive. I have switched to eating bread maybe once or twice a week and am much better off for it. I don't eat pasta at all any more as it makes me sick (no idea why), and I have rice about once a month.

IronSmasher

Ahem, I think you'll find, dark chocolate is better for you?

CouchSpud

Every diet that makes you cut out a whole food group is rubbish ^^ and again, not everyone copes well with wholemeal and co. I for one don't eat white bread, white rice and white pasta, because it gives me heartburn. I'd never cut out milk, cheese and yoghurt (white as well ^^)

And Ironsmasher, I do believe the statement in regards to white chocolate might have been slightly sarcastic :bigsmile:

IronSmasher

Thanks for explaining sarcasm to me?

IronSmasher

Is yet to find a brown pudding rice...'nuff said

Maybe not in a prepackaged, processed form for sale in stores, but you can certainly make it yourself.

Nothing prepackaged or processed here - so if you have a good recipe...

Doesn't unprocessed rice make you ill?

Missjulesdid

But no, seriously, brown rice and wholegrain bread are much better for you and there's no compromise on taste!

But I think herein lies part of the problem: Why is brown rice better for you? How are you defining "better"? Does it have more of a certain nutrient?

3x the fiber in brown rice. One cup of brown rice has 25 fewer calories than one cup of white. Also brown rice has slightly more oil, hence the shorter shelf life of brown rice. Also brown has about 3x the magnesium as white. Oh and can I also add that when cooked properly the flavor far surpasses that of white rice.

Anyone who says that white rice is "better" for you is likely referring to "enriched" white rice. Meaning that it basically has had vitamins sprinkled on top When the Bran is stripped away so are the vitamins, so the vitamins are then added back in. When they add back in the vitamins the white rice has more folic acid. than is naturally occurring in the brown rice. Personally I'd rather get my vitamins naturally from the WHOLE grain rather than something that has been "fortified"

shakybabe

I was serious.. I love giant Milky Bars!!!

Amyeeeeeee

love it lol

I think it's racist.

But no, seriously, brown rice and wholegrain bread are much better for you and there's no compromise on taste!

TavistockToad

I have seen this as a "good" tip a lot on here. Usually meaning getting rid of everything white such as: white bread, white rice, white pasta and things like that. Some even suggesting getting rid of white milk - cows milk.

Do you do this? Do you agree with this?

I personally do not.
I have seen a study saying that white rice is actually better then brown rice.
And I care a lot about taste. I am not going to eat cardboard tasting food xD
I can get all my micros from other foods and a good multi

thoughts?

i eat EVERYTHING, whatever colour it is... i just try to do it in moderation!!

snookumss

I personally don't like brown rice, but I love wheat/whole grain breads. I hardly ever eat rice in general anyway, the one time I had brown rice it tasted awful and I couldn't eat all of my dish.

There are so many people who take the enriched concept too drastically. Seriously, thats NOTHING compared to the additives in the rest of our foods! Unless you eat nothing but whole food/organic you aren't avoiding it all. Moderation is key in anything, you can limit but not eliminate chemicals and seriously I'd rather enjoy my food and get those nutrients in some way than freak about every little detail. ")

veganbaum

I've seen the study that found no nutritional difference between white and brown rice, but the main issue with white rice is the amount it gets processed. The nutritional value may be comparable but it's better to eat foods that are naturally full of vitamins and minerals instead of foods that are "enriched" with added vitamins and minerals. When the nutrition is in foods naturally your body can process and use it more efficiently.

the point was that the brown may contain anti nutritional factors such as phytic acid, which prevents the absorbtion of all those vits and minerals in brown rice. so it may actually be worse for you

Interesting. But is there conclusive evidence that shows that to be true?

well i do know the hull contains phytic acid and some other things, the extent to which those things have on the absorption of vits and minerals i don't think is conclusively proven to be x of this compound causes absorption of these minerals to decrease x just yet

There is debate about the phytic acid content of brown rice, but there are also studies that show soaking your rice can break down that phytic acid so that it doesn't hinder absorption of other nutrients. This kind of thing is true for a lot of foods, however. For example, spinach contains lots of calcium, but because of its oxalic acid content most of it won't be absorbed. The best bet seems to be to eat a healthy and varied diet of whole foods vs processed foods in order to get all the nutrients your body needs. (And in response to some posts about taste - I think taste buds change drastically after cutting out processed foods, so that whole foods are more flavorful and processed foods become too sweet/overpowering. I never liked white bread, even as a kid and I love Ezekiel bread. I think our taste buds are trained one way or another.)

iishnova

I prefer white rice to brown rice, hands down. I eat it in moderation so I'm not concerned about the POSSIBLE pros of brown vs white.

It was well said about the potatoes. However, white potatoes can spike your blood sugar more than sweet potatoes. Don't look at me for an article, this is from personal experience.

RonSwanson66

3x the fiber in brown rice. One cup of brown rice has 25 fewer calories than one cup of white. Also brown rice has slightly more oil, hence the shorter shelf life of brown rice. Also brown has about 3x the magnesium as white.

This only matters if your diet consists almost entirely of rice.

Anyone who says that white rice is "better" for you is likely referring to "enriched" white rice. Meaning that it basically has had vitamins sprinkled on top When the Bran is stripped away so are the vitamins, so the vitamins are then added back in. When they add back in the vitamins the white rice has more folic acid. than is naturally occurring in the brown rice. Personally I'd rather get my vitamins naturally from the WHOLE grain rather than something that has been "fortified"

Didn't bother reading the content of the posts, I see.

I'll put it back up for those that didn't bother to read it the first time (courtesy or ACJ67):

Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice
Callegaro Mda D, Tirapegui J. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9302338



Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Jun;33(3):207-18. .Miyoshi H, Okuda T, Okuda K, Koishi H.

The effect of brown rice with low protein intake was studied in five healthy young men. Feces were weighed, the digestibility of nutrients was determined, and blood tests were made. Each subject followed a diet consisting mainly of polished rice for 14 days and one consisting mainly of brown rice for 8 days. Both diets contained 0.5 g protein per kg of body weight. The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, and P. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. The phosphorus balance on the brown rice diet was significantly negative, but other minerals were not affected by the diet. The levels of cholesterol and minerals in the plasma were not significantly different on the polished rice diet and the brown rice diet. Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake (Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589.), we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2822877

RonSwanson66

It was well said about the potatoes. However, white potatoes can spike your blood sugar more than sweet potatoes. Don't look at me for an article, this is from personal experience.

Two questions:

How did you measure this alleged spike?

Why do you think that spiking your blood sugar is bad?

kate2004rock

Brown rice may be better, but steamed white rice, in the correct portions, is not bad for you! And though I force myself to eat brown rice, I really like steamed white so much better. Plus there are many different varieties of rice, so experiment with the differnet kinds. Jasmine rice is delicious!