This throws off your system, robs you of energy and compromises your health. The processing also has a negative affect on the environment. There are alternatives to all of these refined foods that are easy to come get and to use and provide much greater nutrition than the refined versions. White flour can be replaced with whole grain flours and, if necessary, combinations of unbleached white flour and whole grain flours to provide fiber and other nutrients naturally occurring in grains. White rice can be replaced with brown rice or other whole grains that are much more substantial, provide many more important nutrients and fiber, and are much more interesting than plain old white rice.
Sugars can be either simple or complex carbohydrates.
Both types are broken down to glucose by enzymes in the body. The difference between simple and complex sugars is in how fast they enter your bloodstream and how they affect your insulin and blood sugar levels. Complex sugars, on the other hand, take longer to digest and keep your blood sugar at a more normal level. The sugar that you don't need immediately gets stored in the liver as glycogen, which is an energy reserve. There are many great replacements for table sugar in recipes.