Is maida good?
There’s nothing like hot naans, puris and maida ki paratha. Well, if you’re brought up in a traditional Indian family, you must have had them your entire life.
But do you know that maida is actually not very healthy for you? For years and years, Maida has been among the most widely used Indian bakery products.
Maida is a widely used product in almost all hotels and restaurants (including your own kitchen).
Maida is a highly refined flour that is produced from wheat grains. It sounds healthy so far, but here is the tricky part…
In the production of maida, only the “starchy” part of the grain is used. Your typical grain has three parts – the germ, the endosperm, and the bran.
It is prepared by finely milling the endosperm of the grain while the bran and the germ (which contain a key portion of the protein and other nutrients) are left out. It is originally yellowish in color and is then bleached by using chemical bleaches such as benzoyl peroxide.
The use of benzoyl peroxide is banned in most of Europe and other countries.
Bleaching of maida leaves behind a contaminant called alloxan, which is known to cause diabetes as studies have shown. Apart from this alloxan can also cause the destruction of the beta cells in your pancreas.
(Fact: Maida is also used as a glue to stick posters on walls in India!)
Since it is refined flour, therefore there are no fibers in it. This causes problems such as digestion, constipation and also weight gain.
After eating bread, chapatti or any snack made from maida, there is a rapid increase in the blood sugar level.
This causes the secretion of insulin which results in a buildup of fats (Since insulin also results in fat deposition).
Maida will not keep you full for longer, so you will binge on foods more. It also lacks fibers which also contributes to weight gain.
Since it is acidic in nature as it has low mineral content, therefore it may make your blood acidic and can cause health-related complications.
Unfortunately, maida isn’t as healthy as you think:
The reality is that a large percentage of Indian bakery products are produced by maida and it may be a tough task to avoid it altogether.
However, in an environment full of toxins, can you afford to include a toxin as dangerous as alloxan in your diet?
The short answer is no! It would be best if you look for other healthy ‘whole grain’ alternatives!
Read more: Do almonds help with weight loss?
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