'No White' Diet: What Can We Eat?
My husband and I recently began the no white diet. We have some questions about some foods — allowable or not? We are wondering about: brown sugar, salt, beans, nuts, what kind of salad dressing, whole wheat flour, cheeses, fruit, juices, as well as the best places to eat out and what to get. Any advice?
Thanks!
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12 Comments:
I don't believe in cutting out all white foods in general, like cauliflower or potatoes. However, I have cut out all white sugar, flour, processed foods, ect. Basically I don't eat anything processed and I check all food labels and their ingredients. SO if you're follow this kind of diet, you can eat:
-all nuts (salted or unsalted)
-all beans (other than the baked beans covered in sugar)
-fruit (fresh)
-vegetables (fresh is best, frozen tends to be high in sodium)
-starches (yes even potatoes)
-cheeses
-chicken, fish, beef (lean)
-100% fruit juices (however you'll be more satisfied with the fruit, and get less calories)
-grains (choose whole wheat pasta over white, brown rice over white, try quinoa, barley, whole what couscous, whole wheat pizza dough, ect., but always check the food labels because half the bread products on the market that claim to be whole wheat aren't).
-as for salad dressings, some are good (try Annie's) but you can always make wonderful ones from scratch using anything in your kitchen (olive oil, lemon, grapefruit juice, etc.)
-at restaurants you can pretty much eat anywhere and just request certain ways for things to be cooked, substitute items, and ask how things are prepared, they are usually very accommodating.
-for sweets and baked goods, live a little and enjoy each bite, if you make it at home switch up the flours (using whole wheat, quinoa, etc) and reducing/replacing fats, and trying different sweeteners or reducing them
I'm not sure if I hit every thing but just be conscious of your food choices. it's a really easy way of living and really delicious, you are eating real, all natural food. Just choose the food closest to its natural state. However, the most important thing is to not be so strict. Live a little and if you love white pasta and go out to dinner with your husband at your favorite italian place get what you want. The simple changes I made in my diet changed my life and i feel great! *Also don't consider it a "diet" as what most Americans would consider a diet, consider it a life style change in the way you eat. Good Luck!
sweethoney at 12:36PM on 01/18/09
So much for yogurt!
HeartofGlass at 1:00PM on 01/18/09
It's a completely arbitrary and somewhat nonsensical diet. Make up your own rules. The germ of the idea makes some sense -- eliminating overly processed foods. But in the details, it make a lot less sense. I mean, any diet that says a plain baked potato or plain yogurt is bad, but a fast food burger is good -- well, there's something not quite logical there.
I've got one that easier to follow. Look at food labels. If more than 3 ingredients are listed you can't have it. And since fast food items have multitudes of ingredients, you can't have fast food either. This, also, is arbitrary. I could have said two ingredients or four ingredients. But if you need rules to follow, this is easier than trying to figure out if turnips are white or not.
dbcurrie at 1:30PM on 01/18/09
My first question would be: What are you both doing for exercise? Now let's move on to the nutrition portion of our show.
A friend of mine cut out white sugar, HFCS and processed foods - and lost 58 lbs. Not a fad at all, it's a conscious decision to be fully aware of what you're putting in your body.
Here are the things you mentioned and my take on them...
brown sugar,
Brown Sugar is a combination of white sugar and molasses, so that would be a no-no. You might look into pure cane sugar or agave syrup or honey in small amounts to naturally sweeten foods.
salt,
Salt is necessary to develop flavor in foods, even if you only use a little.
beans,
Superfood, providing you either start with hard beans OR buy an organic canned bean ($$$).
nuts,
Another superfood (unless you're allergic). Good source of healthy fat and other nutrients - plus they make foods interesting by contributing flavor and crunch.
what kind of salad dressing,
Take good mustard, vinegar, olive oil, a diced shallot or smashed fresh garlic, S&P and whisk in the bowl where you intend to serve the salad. Nothing could be simpler and/or tastier. If you don't want an emulsified dressing, omit the mustard.
whole wheat flour,
It's a good choice if you're picking flour. The problem is that most baked goods utilizing ONLY WW flour can also be used as bricks. One option is to use whole wheat pastry flour which will lighten up the leaden affect. You might have to include white flour for 1/3 of the flour requirement if you're using WW Pastry flour - more if you're using regular WW flour.
cheeses,
Choose cheese wisely. Choose potent flavored cheeses vs. bland ones. i.e. Ricotta and mozzarella - as much as they are close to my heart - don't pack much flavor punch for the calories. Parmagiano Reggiano, Manchego, Gruyere, the bleus - They explode with cheesy goodness in the mouth. You've got to pick your battles here. It's not necessary to cut EVERY cheese out of your diet but weigh the flavor benefit against the calories and fat.
fruit, juices
REAL fruit and REAL fruit juice are fine - they are natural sources of sugar and you need that to stoke the furnace every now and then. Not to mention the vitamin kick you get from citrus (c) and the antioxidants in blueberries. Be aware of dried fruit - try to get only organic and purchase in small quantities. You're not going to be loving that stuff after it turns brown. Dried fruit is a lot like cheese - you have to weigh the flavor benefit of consuming dried fruit for the potent sugar content and calories you'll also be taking in.
Finally - if you can locate every product you now use that includes HFCS and eliminate those from your diet, you should see an almost instantaneous result. My beef with the pro-HFCS commercials is that the defense statement they use is a virtual impossibility in the real world:
"Like sugar, it's fine in moderation."
There is NO WAY to consume a "moderate" amount of HFCS. It's in every-f'in-thing these days as a cheap way to add sweetener. If it were ONLY in ice pops or ONLY in soft drinks, one might be able to accomplish "moderation." However, it's in fake jarred tomato sauce, nearly every beverage on the market, including "fruit" juices and in tons of frozen foods.
Read labels - this will help you a great deal as well. Be aware that you and your husband might need vitamin supplements. For sure you'll need calcium. Good luck!
therealchiffonade at 1:53PM on 01/18/09
Hey there! My husband and I are low-carbing it starting tomorrow to jump start our diet (yes we are exercising). I've done a lot of research this past week... The "About.com" website had a lot of good info and some sample menus and Kalyn's Kitchen has good South Beach recipes that I've based my 1st weeks menu off of.
To answer your questions:
Brown sugar, is a no - Splenda is the only "allowed" sugar. Salt, in moderation. Beans of any kind are welcome - black, lentils, pinto, navy, etc. Nuts: almonds, cashews, pecans, sunflower, pumpkin, and flax. Salad dressing: blue cheese, caesar, or oil based with no added sugar. I found a buttermilk ranch that was less than 1 carb per serving. Making your own oil and vinegar based is the best. Flour is out in all forms for the first few weeks. Hard cheese such as parmesan has more protein vs. something like gorgonazola and real cheese is acceptable rather than processed cheese slices. Fruit juices are out, they are loaded with sugar and carbs. Fresh fruit like lemon/lime, rhubarb, and rasp/black/cran/strawberries are the lowest in sugar.
I love salty snacks and got olives to throw into the mix because nuts get boring after awhile. Cheese cubes are another good snack. I also like to put a tbsp of sunflower seeds in lowfat cottage cheese for some crunch.
It's all about portion control, like everything else in life...
TaraTot at 3:00PM on 01/18/09
@ sweethoney - I think frozen veggies are perfectly fine to use, and as long as there isn't any type of mixed in "sauce" there is usually no sodium. Well at least that is the case here! The plain frozen bagged veggies are picked ripe and flash frozen...can't say the same for canned though!
mhurst826 at 4:11PM on 01/19/09
what you mean by "no white" is to avoid eating anything that's refined... I applaud your effort. And you should look at it as a lifestyle change, not a diet. It's a healthier way to eat and nourish yourself...
- it's very easy to use whole wheat and whole grain pastas instead of the regular semolina kind. I use whole wheat pasta almost exclusively and it works great.
- Always buy whole grain bread - I prefer sprouted grains bread from Alvarado St. Bakery which use no flour in their preparation.
- I use brown sugar or agave nectar , in my cooking - brown sugar when a recipe calls for sugar and agave nectar or honey when honey is called for. I have had no issues in any of my baking... I exchange them at exactly the same rate.
- I read the labels and no longer purchase items with artificial colorings or even ingredients I can't pronounce... You'll eliminate from your diet a lot of unecessary chemicals...
- Nuts are a great way to add protein to your diet without consuming cholesterol-lading meat products. I add almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts to baked goods, pastas, salads, appetizers, pastelones... you name it.
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:41PM on 01/19/09
The rule in this house is if it comes out of a box or a bag, its baad.
With the exception of veggies. Yeah, that worked real well'till my daughter was diagnosed wih type 1 diabetes 2 years ago, and she has no choice but to take pre-packed crap with her at times. So, we work it out. Everything in moderation, rght?
donnie at 11:11PM on 01/19/09
I eat a no-white diet & some... which means I do not eat dairy, sugar, bread, wheat, gluten, soy, nuts, fruits, alcohol, grains, etc....
Giasbash6260 at 12:37AM on 01/29/09
I was put on the no white anything diet last year by my doctor due to health complications...and my doctor told me no soda,coffee,no white breads,no sugar ( which includes anything with " ose" at the end, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, and he even said no artifical sweetners) no potatoes white or sweet ( carbs turn to sugar) I am assuming their is no health complications so I see no reason that you cant have a potato, artifical sweetner,or every once in a while a diet soda, but my suggestion for juice is buying a juicer...good luck with the diet!
Jill_Marie at 11:25AM on 02/26/09
I am just starting this diet but I have a question about oats. Are whole oats okay, or steel cut oats? I live on a budget and rely on them as a staple breakfast food. I know I won't add milk or sugar but are the oats themselves acceptable in this food plan? Thanks for all the good tips on this site!
GuateGirl at 10:05AM on 08/31/09
I live in Guatemala and eat rely on corn tortillas as a staple in my diet. Are these okay to eat on this diet? They are hand-made with nothing but corn grown locally and organically.
GuateGirl at 10:14AM on 08/31/09