Our diet is rich in refined grains. Pasta, pizza, brioches and above all bread, of all kinds, are inevitable foods in the food routine of us Italians. Italy is also one of the European countries in which the culture of integral is less widespread. Only 30% of the population, according to recent studies, is used to eating products prepared with wholemeal flour.
Refined grains aren’t necessarily bad. But eating it in disproportionate quantities, as often happens, can also cause serious health problems. This is proved by an important study carried out by researchers at Mc Master University in Hamilton (Canada), promptly reported by the Veronesi Foundation. By reworking the research data, the experts of the Veronesi Foundation reveal the right amount of bread to eat every day.
Here is how much bread to eat per day so as not to put our health at risk
The McMaster University research took as many as 148,000 people from 21 different countries as a sample. The scholars monitored the subjects’ eating habits for sixteen years. The attentive eye of the researchers focused above all on one aspect: the presence of refined cereals in the diet. The results showed that an exaggerated consumption of refined cereals (up to 6 times a day) was equivalent to a high health risk. We are talking mainly about cardiovascular risk and stroke, therefore about an increase in the probability of premature death. Research has also come to the conclusion that it is preferable to replace refined products with wholemeal ones.
It is therefore advisable to drastically reduce the consumption of refined cereals, if we realize we are abusing them. For example, the experts of the Veronesi Foundation specify that a right daily portion of bread is 50 grams. Here is how much bread to eat per day so as not to put our health at risk. Many subjects belonging to the sample even consumed 350 grams every day without realizing it.
Here is the only white cereal that doesn’t hurt according to research
The aforementioned research has divided cereals into three macro-categories: refined, wholemeal and rice. Frequent consumers of refined cereals recorded a risk of heart problems equal to + 33% and a risk of stroke equal to + 47%. In total, for these subjects the risk of premature death is + 27%. Different speech for whole grains, which did not lead to increased risks. The same goes for rice, which becomes the only white cereal good for health.
Deepening
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