According to the Mayo Clinic, one in three Americans is obese. Obesity, determined by a body mass index in excess of 30, is not just a cosmetic issue. Obese individuals are at an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and other health concerns. Adults with a body mass index of 40 or more, a condition known as extreme or morbid obesity, are especially susceptible to serious health issues. In an effort to garner even the benefits of modest weight loss, many Americans turn to dieting.
Types
The all-white-food diet consists of eating white foods almost exclusively. These foods include pastas, potatoes, white rice, cottage cheese and even white wine. This diet relies on a morale boost from eating so many comfort foods to deter over-indulgence. In contrast, the no-white-food diet eliminates all white foods, including oatmeal and lean meat, from the diet.
Philosophy
The theory behind the no-white-food diet is that eliminating white foods from your diet will kick the craving for carbohydrates. It is recommended that these be totally avoided for a period of two to four weeks. This is based on the idea that a regular intake of carbohydrates and sugars stimulates a growing need for sweets and prepared foods. White food diet proponents advocate that fruit, fruit juices, alcoholic beverages and artificial sweeteners be avoided during the abstinence period.
The Science
Ingesting carbohydrate-rich foods triggers the body's release of insulin. One of insulin's functions is to signal hunger. The insulin also tells the body to store the food energy in the form of fat. When you eat too many carbohydrates and sugars, the resultant insulin increase causes the body to store more fat. Over time this can cause the body to release too much insulin after eating, and may lead to insulin resistance. As insulin levels increase, blood glucose becomes trapped in the blood stream, signaling adult-onset diabetes.
Effectiveness
The use of comfort foods in the all-white-food diet can lead to over-indulgence, which undermines the possible effectiveness. The no-white-food diet, if administered too strictly, eliminates healthy white foods like lean meat and oatmeal from the diet. The pointless limitations imposed by each diet bypass the central tenet of dieting, to judge food based on nutritional content alone.
Warnings
Any diet plan that drastically changes the types of food you eat is hard to stick to. The no-white-food diet focuses on healthier whole grains, but disregards the fact that they have the same calorie count as the white grains. There is the added issue of shortchanging your body of needed nutrients and flavors provided in foods such as yogurt, onions, skim milk, tofu and cauliflower.
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