By Hammed Sheriffdeen Oladimeji

This article explores the nutritional values of three top foods that people worldwide have cravings for: sugar, salt, and white flour, with a view to know whether they are our friend or fiend. 

You may be surprised to know that you have been consuming poison in your daily meals for years. However surprising it may be, it is the reality. Most of the health issues that confront us can be attributed to some food items that have side effects which affect our health and well-being. Such is the case of the three white poisons. 

These 3 white poisons are sugar, salt and white flour. Forget the nutrients in these substances, they are dangerous to the health if taken abusively. 

1. Sugar

Although sugar contains an essential byproduct called glucose that fuels the brain and body system’s operation, like two sides of a coin, it can also be detrimental to our health when taken inadequately. Not only does a high intake of sugar overwhelms the pancreas – the organ that regulates blood sugar -, but it also increases the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. 

In fact, an abnormal diet of sugar can increase fat in the bloodstream and risk the body for heart disease. Not only that, sugar withholds the immune system, making one vulnerable to diseases. 

An important fact is that there is an extraordinary amount of sugar in most foods we eat. Therefore, taking additional white sugar is more like adding salt to one’s injury. Avoid the intake of additional white sugar and take alternatives like natural sugars like fresh fruits or smoothies. 

2. Salt

Eating too much salt restrains the ability of the kidney to remove excess water. The accumulation of excess fluid causes the blood vessels to be strained, thereby leading to high blood pressure. 

Dr. Iyilade, a principal medical officer of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Health Centre, in an interview said “Salt is Sodium Chloride (NaCl). This contains two elements which act as electrolytes in the body. They help the body maintain water balance. At the same time, these elements are potentially dangerous when taken in adequate proportion.”

Also, many dietary studies suggest that a strong link exists between eating excess salt and many diseases such as heart disease, stroke and obesity. 

Avoiding salt consumption can be challenging and even almost impossible to do. However, you can use herbs or spices to enhance the flavour of your food, as an alternative to salt. 

3. White flour

Anything made of white flour is nothing other than useless. In Dr. Iyilade’s words, white flour is a synthetic food item which is made of complex carbohydrates. When consumed excessively, this complex molecule builds up in the body, and the body finds it hard to digest it. When this happens, one is at risk of obesity, sugar spike, constipation and type 2 diabetes. 

White flour does nothing good to the body because it has no nutritional value. This is simply because of the heat from the cooking process. Highly refined flour removes all essential nutrients, so it does no good. Rather, the body finds it hard to break it down because it is complex. 

It must be stated that poison is not an intrinsic quality of any substance. The fact is that any substance can be toxic, what matters is the quantity or dosage. The three white poisons can be hard to avoid. However, the damages they do to the body are enough reasons to be distant from them or maintain moderation.

“While the dietary pattern of everyone on these three substances differs, it is important to know the life expectancy rate of an average Nigerian with a regular intake of about fifty-five years”, Dr. Iyilade disclosed. 

“You’re what you eat” is a maxim in which an important lesson lurks. One who desires a healthy lifestyle must have a close eye on his diet. This is because most of what we eat can take on the property of poison when consumed in high dosages. 

Hammed Sheriffdeen Oladimeji is a creative content creator, he writes from Akure, Ondo State.

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