Do you really follow a healthy life? It is the question that many nutritionists ask themselves. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that unhealthy diets and the lack of physical activity were among the leading health risk factors worldwide.

The United Nations agency specified in a report to avoid unhealthy weight gain, fats should not exceed 30% of total caloric intake and that consumption of sugar free less than 10% to achieve a healthy diet.

In the same way, the Member States of the WHO agreed to reduce the consumption of salt among the world population by 30% by 2025.

What are ‘white poisons’?

The truth is that both sugar and salt are part of the so-called ‘white poisons‘. They are not the only ones: cookies, bread, pasta, flour or pastries They are also part of this group.

The epidemiologist Miguel Ángel Martínez-González explains in his book ‘What do you eat? Science and conscience to resist’, (Planeta, 2020), details that ‘white poisons’ contain a high level of refined carbohydrates and may be behind diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

These foods are cereals that have had the bran layer removed, giving them their white color. Said bran layer contains fiber and when the starches included in cereals are removed, they are converted into simple sugars.

“If we eliminate white foods from the usual diet, we will not only lose weight, but also we will reduce the risks of chronic diseases and we will improve our general health”, details the expert.

In this sense, he affirms that the fact of not eating healthy occurs because we are “a society that is very vulnerable to manipulation by the food industry”.

At this point it must be taken into account that the products that maintain the bran layer, such as bread and the whole grain pastacan help us reduce cardiovascular risk and cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

The Mediterranean diet, the healthiest

In 2021, the prestigious USNews and World Report, the American magazine that brings together specialists in nutrition, diabetes and heart health from around the world, once again chose the Mediterranean diet as the healthier and the one that helps prevent more diseases.