POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: prettyfighting1 on July 27, 2009, 07:26:27 am
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whats is white flour? and how it affects living with HIV?
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hey pretty!
not heard about this term before. could you please explain in details.
much love
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???
White flour? I'm thinking stuff that will suffice for clown makeup, in a pinch.
Else, maybe some new street lingo for something?
Mike
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White flour is just that, white flour. More commonly called 'Enriched flour', because it is refortified with metallic iron.
I don't know how it affects HIV directly, but there have been studies that have shown that the chemicals used in bleaching flour (common flour is not innately white, it's chemically altered to look that way), is stripped of all of its nutritional value, and actually promotes mineral dificiencies and chronic diseases, like diabetes.
While natural flour is full of fiber and minerals and all sorts of good stuff, white flour is chemically washed of all of these things when processed to make it appear white.
case in point, switch to 100% wheat bread and wheat flour (if you really need to cook with wheat flour for some reason) :)
Here's one (of many) articles on enriched flour.
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/enriched-white-flour/
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While natural flour is full of fiber and minerals and all sorts of good stuff, white flour is chemically washed of all of these things when processed to make it appear white.
case in point, switch to 100% wheat bread and wheat flour (if you really need to cook with wheat flour for some reason) :)
I have read this before and in that article it said white flour was used to make white bread which is good for cleaning shoes or lamp shades and used to pick up broken glass but whatever you do, don't eat it. ;D Have the best day
Michael
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It's one of the Three White Poisons, along with salt and refined sugar.
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When I was about 35, I decided to reinvent myself. I sold everything and moved to the Silicon Valley. I wanted to live as an openly gay man, work at KKUP Cupertino. One night after the bars closed, I went to an all night coffee shop where there was a small container of crystal like substance on every table. It was a strange combination of color with browns, blues and shades of purple. I asked the waitress what it was... She said the sugar, it matches the carpet. ;D Have the best day
Michael
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It's one of the Three White Poisons, along with salt and refined sugar.
Salt is something your body needs in order to exist.
Sugar is what your body uses for fuel.
White flour is processed, and yes wheat or whole flour is more nutritious... but you are no more going to avoid white flour, salt, and sugar then you are going to crawl under a rock and hide from the world.
that said, all things in moderation are better than too much of anything. Diet is not a boat you climb into and float away on, it's a dirty floor that you scrub and it gets a little better each time you make a pass at it. A series of small changes and tweaks that result in a healthier outcome.
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hi Hotpuppy :) ,
REFINED white sugar is as good as rat poison and should NOT ever be eatten .
Of course we all eat some , but it is deadly .
as they say GOOGLE it !
Honey is much better , I avoid food with white flour and any kind of sugar !
It has so many names , it really is hard to keep clean .................
refined sugar uses energy to eat it ! It lowers are immune systems !
I don't eat things that lower my immune system , I am trying to get it back !
be good , eat healthy , nothing white please !
OK maybe a potato :o
Carl
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Some of you really go overboard with all of this.
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Have to agree with Miss P's post. Been eating stuff cooked with white flour and refined sugar all my life.
Except for HIV & related woes, I've done just fine all along. Lots of folks do.
Mike
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Hey all,
Processed white flour like they use in making white bread is a simple carbohydrate. When you eat it, your body converts it immediately to sugar, because sugar is the basic form of energy our bodies use. All of us, not just HIV'ers. This, in turn, shoots your triglycerides way up, which may lead to coronary artery disease or diabetes. HIV'ers tend to have elevated triglycerides either because of the disease or the meds used to treat it. A life-time of consuming too much white flour and sugar is what's driving the diabetes pandemic, and looks to only get worse. Just because you've suffered no obvious ill effect until now doesn't mean you won't as time goes on.
We HIV'ers are especially susceptible to the effects. It's leading to a greater chance of heart disease and diabetes, but as one poster stated, you really cant avoid it completely in this society. You can only limit your intake, and fortunately, that's not so hard to do. BTW, the soft brown bread available in grocery stores is still mostly processed white flour.
Whole grain flour, on the other hand, is a complex carbohydrate, meaning that it breaks down in your system much more slowly. The sugar conversion is much slower therefore the release of sugars into your system is slower and more regulated, which is what you want.
Now what you have to do, if this concerns you, is to learn how to access whole grain breads under almost any circumstances. It can be done. I do it.
Very best,
Gib
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I like brown rice OK, but I have to cook it with chicken stock, low sodium -- or I'm also a big fan of making my own stock, which if you do this and then pour it in ice cube trays, then freeze the cubes in zip lock baggies you have a supply of really good stock for all sorts of uses. Very Food Network trick.
During my major gym bunny years I basically lived on a daily diet of two grilled chicken breasts, brown rice, and steamed broccoli or blanched fresh spinach. Sure, it got kind of old but you can cook this really quickly and it really doesn't get that old -- a little squeezed lemon on it and you have some extra zest.
But I do eat white rice, but it must be jasmine rice as it doesn't stick together when you cook it on the stove top. I also eat a fair amount of risotto which is made from (generally) arborio rice.
As far as bread goes, I don't buy Wonder Bread, but I do buy fresh baguettes and/or italian bread as the legendary Sarcone's bakery is within walking distance. I guess technically that is white bread, but it's the ONLY proper bread for a hoagie sandwich, and mind you I not only live in the capital city of such sandwiches, but my specific neighborhood is where it's all done. There is no comparison for a classic italian hoagie from Sarcone's on 9th Street. None. And don't even let me get into the roast pork and sauteed rapini sandwiches at Shank's & Evelyn's!
HIV doesn't require that you become some obsessive Nazi about food -- just be moderate and keep things fresh. If you want a greasy cheeseburger than have one, just don't eat one every week. There's no reason not to enjoy yourself now and then.
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[HIV doesn't require that you become some obsessive Nazi about food -- just be moderate and keep things fresh. If you want a greasy cheeseburger than have one, just don't eat one every week. There's no reason not to enjoy yourself now and then.]
Eggsactly! Well said.
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I love cheeseburgers. Like a lot. But generally I make them myself, and buy freshly ground beef that is 90-95% lean, so there's very little grease in them when grilled. Most people prefer a bit more gloppiness, but it's a small sacrifice to make. I shun "cheese food" singles (eww) and buy sharp cheddar and cut it myself, slightly melted on the burger. The sesame seed bun must be toasted, with a mixture of dijon mustard and low fat mayo. Red leaf lettuce and thinly sliced bermuda onion finish it off, along with a dill pickle slice on the side.
However, I must say that I also enjoy Five Guys burgers but didn't discover them until this year. It's a DC based chain and we just got our first one downtown here recently.
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I like burgers, too. But, I try to get whole grain buns and very lean meat - grilled.
surprisingly, you can find 'em in lots of places where burgers are cooked up and sold. Sometimes, you just have to ask.
Gib