bread

[littledevil1908]

how healthy is it to include bread in one's diet? i was eating hummus and tzaztiki with small slices of pita bread yesterday and it was great tasting, but i was wondering how healthy it is. thanks!

[Ali from The Office Diet]

I think bread's a good healthy staple and has been for many many centuries.

Wholegrain breads are best, both health-wise and because they keep you fuller for longer (an advantage if trying to lose weight.) And buy fresh bread from your local baker rather than pre-packaged sliced, or make your own. The difference in quality and taste is astounding.

Be aware of portion sizes, though; two smallish slices of bread come to 150+ calories, and I find fresh bread is VERY easy to overeat...

Ali

[Minsc]

Bread has lots of empty calories. You won't find many vitamins or antioxidants in bread. Make sure any bread you eat is whole wheat since whole wheat bread has a lower GI, amoung other things. (I wouldn't consider whole wheat bread to be healthy, it's still empty calories)

I'm not too sure about how bread is nutritionally, but I'd guess it has about as many minerals per mass as a vegetable like cabbage(rough guess). It probably won't have many vitamins. The fiber in whole wheat bread is mostly insoluble but that's just a guess. The calories in bread are mostly from complex carbs; it has little fat or protein.

Sometimes I eat bread on an upset stomach though since it seems to help.

[littledevil1908]

thanks for those responses. you mentioned GI index, what is that exactly? also, i have seen all these gluten-free products on the market recently, what are those? what is gluten and why's it bad for you?

[Jennihul]

GI is the glycemic index and it indicates the level of carbohydrates/sugars in a food. High GI foods have high levels of carbs and usually are fast-absorbing carbs which tend to be burned quickly but also the excesses can be stored quickly as fat. They also strongly and negatively affect your blood sugar levels, causing them to spike and then drop suddenly, giving you mood and hunger issues unless balanced with a natural fiber.

Gluten is the protein in wheat and other grains. 1 out of every 4 humans is probably sensitive to gluten, with varying levels of body damage occuring.

So breads, per se, aren't necessarily bad. Depending on the grain and depending on the sensitivities you may personally have.

Breads for me are almost an impossibility. They give me instant heartburn and affect my digestion extremely negatively. They cause me bloating and weight gain, inflammation and take the place of foods that are much richer in nutrients, like the 'filler' they are.

Their ratio of sugar/carbs to useful nutritional value is skewed poorly. The best thing about breads is fiber, if they are whole grain but better fiber can be found with vastly more nutritious foods.

I would limit my breads and only eat according to my bloodtype diet recommendations.

Jennifer

[eblight]

Thanks for that info Jennihul. I agree with you on what you said. Bread used to be called the staple of life and it was back in the days when wheat was highly nutritious. Wheat grain has been so tampered with over the years that I question how wholesome a food it is. I'd also like to say to eat only organic grain and check out the ingredients on any bread you eat. Stay away from white bread. It's refined and lacking nutrients.

[elastigirl]

i have switched to rye bread

[Amandaaa]

People tell me that I have a warped view of bread and other wheat products, so honestly, I can't really say how healthy it is.


(I think it's totally unnecessary, and a waste of calories. ...but pita bread does taste good from time to time. especially with hummus. )