White Flour
Though there are many foods that I do not eat for one reason or another. most of the foods that I avoid either have high saturated fat, high added sugar or are very high on the glycemic index.
Most of these foods include anything with white refined sugar. Or white flower, and are very high in starch. Things like, white bread, hamburger and hot dog buns, any baked goods, candy and Pizza dough. These are all items that are made with only one part of the grain and are extremely high on the glycemic index.
In fact. The highest number of the glycemic index is based on white bread.
Added Sugar
It is amazing how many foods have added sugar. Added sugar puts most food up very high on the glycemic index.
I avoid almost all foods that have added sugar. One of the first things that I look at on a nutrition label is added sugar. If the label has any added sugar whatsoever, I probably won’t consume it.
The amount of foods that I do not eat because of added sugars would be a list longer than this website. Added sugar is in just about everything.
I am finding now though. That many manufacturers are eliminating refined sugars and using synthetic sugars instead. I am seeing more and more foods that are adding
“zero sugar” to the advertising on the package.
Beware of serving size
It can however be deceiving because if you read the ingredients closely, a lot of times you will see sugar listed in the ingredients. In that case you need to look at the serving size. Many times they will make the serving size so small that the amount of sugar per serving can technically be zero. So if for example you have a packet of gravy and there are 20 or 30 servings in a packet, and you use the whole packet. You could conceivably be getting a substantial amount of sugar.
Sugar Everywhere
I find that most prepackaged foods are high in sugar and sodium. Most foods in a can have sugar in them, prepackaged dinners have sugar, candy is high in both sugar and fat, a lot of processed meats like Italian sausage or kielbasa or a lot of those kind of foods have sugar added.
Pay Attention
The bottom line is you pretty much need to look at the nutrition label. You need to look at the serving size. You need to look at the servings per container.
At this point I mostly eat breads and pasta that are made from whole grain or whole wheat. I eat the leanest meats that I can find. I stay away from high starch foods like potatoes in any shape or form, and rice.
Any foods made from white flour, and/or refined sugar, should be on your Black List.