White flour is common enough that almost every one consume it very much. But it doesn’t mean it’s good. In fact, white flour has many negative effects on health.
White flour is wheat, but the difference is that it doesn’t contain bran which is rich in fibres that helps in passing food particles easily through the large intestine and the germ is also important constituent of wheat flour. The production method of white flour is very critical. The production of white flour involves reduction of the most nutritional component of the whole wheat grain. During its processing chemical bleaching agent is used to make it look and appear bright white.
Nowadays, white flour is used in many products such as in processing and manufacturing of white bread, bakery food items, breakfast cereals, pizzas and refined pasta. When an individual’s diet mainly consists of white flour or products that majorly include the ingredients of white flour, it increases the chances of weight gain, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. One study has shown that even if you are consuming a healthy diet and also eating white flour, it can influence addictive eating behaviour which causes many types of problems such as obesity.
NABA AHMAD,
Lahore, October 5.