5 white foods you should be eating now
White foods are devil, right? All we’ve heard for the past five years is how we should cut white foods out of our life – white bread, white pasta, white rice, white chocolate (no matter how much dark chocolate I consume, white chocolate will always be in my dreams).
And a recent US study revealed that we still aren’t eating enough vegetables with, especially women, lacking in potassium and fibre. Granted, it was sponsored by the potato industry out of a wish to rebrand the humble potato NOT as the devil. Their point being, at base level, potatoes are still a vegetable, and despite their bad rep, they do contain 941 mg of potassium and 3.6 g of fibre – lots, right? That’s more than a banana.
But potatoes are starchy, and should be treated as an occasional food to consume, rather than a daily addition to every meal.
Which leaves us with the message that we shouldn’t eat a lot of white food. My job today is to say pah! to that theory. Because there are white foods we can eat more of, full of vitamins, minerals, good-for-you components and no devil qualities whatsoever. Ready for the list?
1. Cauliflower
It’s the rice of the paleo world, the pizza base of the future. Plus it’s great with cheese. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that contains a sulphur compound known to fight cancer. For example, research shows that cauliflower combined with curmbin (the active ingredient in tumeric), may help prevent prostrate cancer. Bring on the cauliflower curries. It’s also anti-inflammatory, a good source of vitamin B, has digestive benefits and is rich in antixodants. A standing ovation for this mighty vegetable please.
2. White protein: chicken and fish
Sure, white fish isn’t a superfood like salmon will ever be, and nobody ever held up a chicken and said it was their favourite tasting food, but the fact is that both of these proteins should be on regular rotation in your diet. Partly because they’re inoffensive, few people have ever uttered the words “I don’t like chicken,” and partly because they have good quality protein which can help anti-age your brain.
Chicken also contains phosphorous and vitamin D to keep bones healthy, boosts immunity with zinc, can help reduce PMS with magnesium and promote heart health vitamin B6.
White fish is loaded with B vitamins, selenium, is a good source of iodine which is good for brain health and your thyroid function.
3. Quinoa
Ah, the grain of the future. While you might be one of the privileged few to have gotten in on the quinoa wave early, look out my friend, for that wave is about to become a tsunami. Of course, no matter what colour quinoa you choose, they all have the same benefits, which is why you can eat the white stuff to your heart’s content and revel in the fact that it’s naturally gluten-free. It also contains iron, B vitamins, calcium, fibre and is one of the only plant foods considered a complete protein, while being lower in carbs than other grains. Get that on your fork.
4. Garlic
It’s stinky but it’s tasty. Plus there’s now evidence which suggests we should be eating garlic on a daily basis. Besides helping to prevent heart disease, it’s an immune booster, anti-bacterial, can help prevent multiple types of cancer, helps regulate blood sugar, and is packed with vitamin B6. Bottom line? It. Is. A. Superfood.
5. Onions
They add a tonne of flavour to any food, raw or cooked, and can help prevent heart disease, increase immunity, work to prevent cancer and can regulate blood sugar. A lot of the beneficial phytochemicals are on the top of the onion, so you should peel as little of the fleshy part off with the skin before you eat it.
See, white IS a nutritious colour!
What are your favourite white foods and how do you cook them?
Article sourced from The Juice Daily Blog.