Eating in white: what does it mean? Does it really work?
The diet of eating in white involves the consumption of light and digestible foods such as rice, chicken and fruit, but we would like to specify, that no diet should be undertaken without first having discussed with a dietician or nutritionist. Not all diets, in fact, are suitable for individuals and the risk is to have more harm than good. Here is a video on the rice diet. Good vision!
What does it mean to eat in white?
Often mothers, grandmothers and even the family doctor advise us to eat in white when we have stomach pain or have had episodes of diarrhea. For Italian culture, in fact, eating in white means eating healthy, avoiding foods that are difficult to digest, rich in too many fats or sugars. The goal is to purify the body especially after episodes of diarrhea or vomiting, or when you are following a specific pharmacological diet. Even if you find that you have overdone it during some meals, you can decide to eat in white for a few days to detoxify.
During a white diet we must continue to eat, taking in all the fundamental nutrients, even if we are inappetent.
When you think of a white diet, the first thing that comes to mind is to eat plain rice with just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Behind all this there is a piece of history: unseasoned white rice was served to the sick as their only meal as early as 1200. To date, rice is grown directly in Italy and is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, even if its consumption is always associated. at disease states.
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Eating in white: the main foods
Even if the diet of eating in white has no scientific basis, it is good to dwell on which foods to prefer to ensure that there are benefits for the whole body. The secret is to rely on common sense when choosing foods to bring to the table. Here are some examples.
- White rice
- chicken breast on the plate
- boiled potatoes and carrots
- pasta without toppings
- boiled white fish (hake, sole, cod)
- rusks without jam
- bananas
- Cooked apples
- lemon tea
After this overview, what are the foods to avoid? Here they are.
- pepper, chilli and other spices
- dairy products (yogurt and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese on the white pasta are allowed)
- cured meat
- red meats
- high-fiber foods such as legumes, cabbage and onions
- fried foods
- coffee
- chocolate
- wine and alcohol in general
- carbonated and / or sweetened drinks
It is also good to exclude all those foods that could ferment in the intestine causing gas or bloating, vomiting or diarrhea, especially if we are debilitated. Furthermore, it is better to omit the consumption of foods that could have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive system.
Eating blank to lose weight
If we do not feel well and have stomach problems, or we have had indigestion or worse yet we have a fever, we will be inappetent therefore basically less attracted to heavy and caloric foods. We will spontaneously tend to eat less, so it will not be difficult to lose even one or two kg of weight, to be resumed once healed. In these cases it is not so much the eating in white that makes us lose weight, but the state of illness in which we find ourselves and the consequent lack of appetite.
If, on the other hand, we are fit and have not had any type of episode of vomiting, nausea or diarrhea, we can take advantage of the regime of eating in white to deflate and already throw a few excess pounds.
But be careful: rice with butter or pasta with oil can be much more caloric than other elaborate dishes, so it is up to us to regulate ourselves accordingly. Let's say that there are other methods to cut calories, preferring satiating foods that regulate appetite and they are much more effective than eating white.
In essence, eating white could prove to be a failure strategy if we are trying to lose weight. Better to leave this type of diet at times when we are not particularly fit.
The 3 phases of the blank diet
If we wanted to enclose the foods suitable for eating in white in 3 categories, these would be chicken, rice and fruit. Here, however, the first doubts arise, because for example, a food such as rice cannot be considered suitable for everyone. Think of those who suffer from blood sugar, in this case rice would be banned; that's why our recurring edge is of never do a do-it-yourself diet or even diets or allegedly recovered on the web without a comparison with a nutritionist.
However, the blank diet can be divided into 3 phases:
- 3 days of eating only rice
- 3 days only chicken
- 3 days only fruit
In total, therefore, it would be 9 days, which can be repeated after taking a few days off.Before going into the specifics, we reiterate that before embarking on this type of diet you must absolutely visit the doctor and ask him for a consultation.
First three days of rice
There are different varieties of rice (white, red, black etc ...) each with very different nutritional values. Which one to prefer? It is not clear, so once again the best thing to do is to ask the nutritionist. Rice should be seasoned only with olive oil and can sometimes be accompanied by zucchini or salad.
3 days of chicken
Chicken during the white diet can be cooked in all ways except frying. We would like to say, however, that eating only chicken for 3 days is really unbalanced and could be "disgusting" for some.
Last 3 days of fruit
More than fruit, it would be better to specify that the only fruit allowed are apples, but it is unthinkable to be able to eat only apples for 3 days.
The medical opinion on eating in white
We have already repeated it, but we say it once again: eating in white is not recommended to lose weight, at most it can be fine for 1 or 2 days if we have had stomach pain, diarrhea or vomiting. In general, we should always prefer light and easy to digest foods, rich in all the precious nutrients useful for the health of our body. The idea of eating white in recent years is fading and even doctors no longer recommend it.
