Something to think about when we crave bread

Just thought I'd share this with everyone...

I took a good look at the new food pyramid this week because someone was asking me about it...

Red meat, butter and high glycemic foods are all at the top of the chart and it says to "LIMIT INTAKE".

I've never had a problem avoiding red meat and butter and end up eating them maybe once or twice a month - usually when we're visiting relatives, holidays, etc.

Before looking at the new pyramid, I never put bread (high glycemic foods: white bread, white rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar) in the same category as red meat and butter. My old thought process was it was ok to have a serving of high glycemic foods on a daily basis. My new thought process is to just stay away from it - think of it as red meat. So these past few days by changing my thought process about "bread and sweets" it's been easier for me to avoid them.

Now a question I had was...
Is whole-grain bread and whole-wheat pasta ok? Is it in the "whole grain" family?
Answer: Depends - Read the ingredients. Pasta made with white flour is a "no-no" and so is bread that's made with white flour. According to one site - this would be any bread at a regular grocery store - I'll have to look into this and see if this is right.

Grains are divided into 2 subgroups, whole grains and refined grains.

Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel -- the bran, germ, and endosperm. Examples include:
whole-wheat flour
bulgur (cracked wheat)
oatmeal
whole cornmeal
brown rice

Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins. Some examples of refined grain products are:
white flour
degermed cornmeal
white bread
white rice
Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing. Fiber is not added back to enriched grains.

Conclusion:
Limit refined grain products - they are right up there with red meat and butter!

According to one site (link below)
Whole Grain Substitutes For Refined Grain Products
AVOID
BREAD made with white flour
(Any brand sold at regular grocery stores)
USE
Alvarado Street Bakery
Cybro's
Shiloh Farms Bakery
Nature's Path
Ezekial Bread
Jerusalem Pita Bread

AVOID
CRACKERS made with white flour
USE
Wasa Sourdough Rye
Ak Mak
Hol-Grain

AVOID
PASTA made with white flour
USE
Eden Pasta

AVOID
BAGELS made with white flour
USE
Alvarado Street Bakery bagels

AVOID
TORTILLAS made with white flour
USE
Alvarado Street Bakery sprouted wheat tortillas

AVOID
WHITE RICE
USE
Lundberg Organic Brown Rice
Bob's Red Mill Grains
Arrowhead Mills Grains

AVOID
BREAKFAST CEREALS
(All extruded breakfast cereals, whether sold in supermarkets or health food stores)
USE
Rolled or steel-cut oats, preferably organic
Wheatena

Now I just have to find who carries the good stuff by me!!!

Blozzom :-)

Link

Sat. Jan 14, 4:45pm

Alvarado Street Bakery sprouted

Nice post blozzom, thanks for all that.

Thought i would let you know that all of the Alvarado Street Bakery products are great. i've tried most of them (and loved them) and i eat, on a pretty regular basis (4 times a week) their sprouted varieties and love them.

Carrie

Saturday, January 14, 2006, 6:45 PM

Grocery store bread

There are plenty of truly whole grain breads currently being sold at a "regular" grocery store. Read labels and a variety of sites for nutrition information.

Saturday, January 14, 2006, 9:48 PM

Again about "grocery store bread"

Most of those brands mentioned in the post are sold at regular grocery stores!

Sunday, January 15, 2006, 7:02 PM

I understand the problems with white bread, etc., and definitely follow. But, why do you avoid red meat? I'm not saying to eat a 14oz steak for dinner every night, but aren't a couple lean servings of red meat good for you? I have a tendency towards anemia, so I know that it's good for me, but in general, why is it so bad?

Monday, January 16, 2006, 10:35 AM

Oatmeal

This is realy helpful. But I am confused about oatmeal. I know that instant is bad - but isn't the basic quaker's oatmeal okay? I understand that steel cut oats take a long time to cook.

Monday, January 16, 2006, 11:15 AM

The best/cheapest thing to do is go to your local health food store and get "rolled oats". They have 7 g protein per serving, compared to the 5g you get from Quaker Oats.

Monday, January 16, 2006, 11:25 AM

The round "box" of plain Quaker Oats IS rolled oats.

Monday, January 16, 2006, 11:36 AM

I agree with the above poster about red meat. I have to eat it about once a week to keep my anemia under control. I try to pick the leanest meats. My doctor actually recommended that I take in iron naturally instead of through vitamins. I'm confused.

Monday, January 16, 2006, 11:42 AM

Red Meat and Butter (Use Sparingly): These sit at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid because they contain lots of saturated fat. If you eat red meat every day, switching to fish or chicken several times a week can improve cholesterol levels. So can switching from butter to olive oil.

I'm not a Dr. nor nutritionist so I'm not sure what the best source of iron would be for you if you have anemia.

Link

Monday, January 16, 2006, 12:08 PM

oatmeal

My favorite instant oatmeal: Nature's Path "Optimum Power" (!)
It's much less sugary than the typical instant packets, and has soynuts, flaxseeds, and (real) blueberries.Tastes more substantial and hearty. I have to go to Whole Foods to get it though (a very dangerous store! lots of good healthy stuff but $$$) Also, must add my boyfriend prefers the sugary stuff with the dino-facts...

Monday, January 16, 2006, 12:17 PM

The USDA food pyramid is meant to maintain good health. If you have a problem like anemia that needs to be corrected it may well require different amounts of some foods, like red meat.

Monday, January 16, 2006, 12:54 PM

Is there anyone here that makes there own bread? Or at least lets the breadmaker do it for you?
I feel safer making my own because you can account for exactly what goes into it.
That way I don't feel quite so bad eating it once in a while. If there are any fellow bakers out there, I'd love to hear your tastiest high-fibre recipes.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006, 10:38 AM

Steel cut oats are delicious. They take 10-20 mins. to cook depending on how you like them. I am completely converted. It is worth it to take a little bit longer to cook them. I also always add about a cup more water to the package directions. You can make a bigger batch and reheat them too. That cuts down on time.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006, 1:51 PM

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