Is This Bread Bad for You?

I love white breads; baguettes, italian boules/toscano/etc, sourdough, naan, challah ...even "worthless white bread" (wrapped in cellophane and sold for a buck) just perfect for making grilled chedder cheese and canned tomato soup...vs baguette slices with pepperjack and creamy tomato basil soup :)

(You can probably tell I go after bread character/personality, rather than just something to keep my fingers from being goopy...aka a sandwich sans bread. I eat a ridiculously healthy diet...but it DOES include white bread. I prefer artisanal loaves from small bakeries-just unbleached white flour, salt, yeast and sugar...no preservatives, corn syrups, etc- and at 3 bucks a loaf fresh, they're less expensive than most cellophane breads...day old they're only a buck...so that beats price wise just about anything...but health and satisfaction wise, they just FEEL better...even if the caloric content is the same).

If what YOU love though, is the melt in your mouth, squishy, cellophane types...there are several brands that make whole wheat white...Sarah Lee comes to mind.

My two favorite non-whites: Jewish Rye, & Polenta Bread.

Potato bread IS kind of worse for you in the starch/sugar category than worthless white bread...but there are tons of options out there. For the same sweet charactor of potato bread without the sugar (higher in fats & calcium though) would be the buttermilk whites.

Yet another option though:

Wheat Germ.

As in, keep eating white bread, but add wheatgerm into your diet (the part of the wheat that is taken out of white flour). It's delicious on PB&Honey sandwiches, divine swirled into most deserts (including sprinkled on top of ice cream), makes a great addition to pancakes, oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc., or even sprinkled over salads or vegetables. It adds a very *mild* nutty taste to just about anything.

Anyhow...just some thoughts.

R

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Hello K.. I'm a bread freak, love it, can't live without it! lol With that being said, there are tons of wheat breads (though not whole wheat) that do not have the little grains in it. I can't think of any off hand (sorry) because I prefer the "grains", but look around, there are plenty to choose from. Not sure why you are trying not to eat white bread anymore, but there are plenty of alternatives. Try bakeries, the bakery section of your supermarket, Trader Joe's, Whole foods, etc.. to get a variety and see what you like. I prefer Orowheat's Double fiber bread myself. It's actually not "grainy" at all, now that I think of it. My daughter and I go through a loaf every couple of days, and she is like you, in that she does not like the little "things" in her bread, and she has no problem with this one, in fact, she loves it. I love that I can get two loaves of it at Costco for around $5.00, also!!! Rye bread is awesome, some people like egg bread (I personally can't stand it), I adore the green chile sourdough bread from Fresh N Easy, actually, I love sourdough in any way, shape or form! lol. Homemade bread is the best :) Good luck to you.

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I love Aunt Hattie's bread. It's a white whole wheat with no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup. We buy it at Costco. I think Sara Lee makes the same thing but there might be HFCS in it. Just check labels. I love the white whole wheat versions they are making...

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"White" foods in general (and that includes "white" bread as well as potatoes without skins) are pretty much empty calories. If you and your family want to start down the road towards future obesity and diabetes, bread and potatoes are a good way to begin.

I agree that many of the commercial whole-grain breads are not that appetizing, and many of them are not even that healthy. Here are some alternatives:

(1) Sprouted grain breads from Alvarado Baking Co (available in most health stores and Trader Joe's); they are less starchy, have more fiber, and lots of flavor. They also have several flavors of sprouted bagels, which are great with hummus, peanut butter, cheese, chicken or tuna salad, or whatever other protein source you want to put on them.

(2) Rice flour breads...no gluten problem and much more easily digested by many people.

(3) Spelt-based bread

(4) Make your own with a good breadmaker that can handle whole grains (not all can)...you can eliminate nasty preservative chemicals and control the amount of sugar this way.

Best of luck!

S.

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Read "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy": The Harvard Medical School Guide to Eating Healthy.

Without being excessive, strict or preachy, it gives you great knowledge to enable yourself to make healthy choices!

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Yeah, if you're trying to cut out empty calories, potato bread's no good. My son hates the seeds and grains in multigrain breads too so I usually get whole wheat Roman Meal bread. Or you could try foregoing regular bread in place of lettuce or high protein tortilla wraps. Good Luck!

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I wouldn't call any bread "bad" for you, it's just that whole grain breads are better for you than white bread.

There is wheat bread without all the grains - it has the texture of white, but it's wheat and a little better for you!

We use potato bread for our kids. They do get enough wheat and oats in everything else, and I don't want to overdo the gluten issue, so we've always used potato bread.

We also love to bake our own bread with bread pans. My son helped me when he was 4 and since then has loved helping me bake....AND tasting something he has made. We use honey or agave rather than sugar when it calls for it.

Instead of 1 cup of sugar, use 2/3 cup of agave nectar and lower the oven temp by 25 degrees.

Try th "whole grain" white bread. I think it is made by Sara Lee. It tastes just like white bread, but it is made with the whole grain everyone needs and you can't tell. (no seeds)

Hi K. -

I love potato bread, and it isn't bad for you, but it's probably no better than plain white bread. The idea is to get fiber. Highly refined white flour is lacking in that & we need it for proper digestion. If you eat a lot of green veggies you're getting fiber. Also beans, some fruits are high in that. If you don't eat much of those things and you seem to need to increase it in your diet (you'd know best whether you do or not), look for high fiber white bread. I think Orowheat has one. This is important for your kids as well as for you & your husband.

Have fun food shopping!

C.

Sara Lee makes a whole wheat bread that tastes a lot like plain white bread. I think it's called Soft and White or something like that.

potato bread is really the same, nutritionally, as white bread. the bread that they advise you to eat is whole grain bread (not just wheat...or even whole wheat).

if you can't stand it, you can at least try to find a white bread that is enriched with vitamins. it's theoretically not as good for you as the real-deal, but better than regular white bread, which doesn't really offer any nutrition at all.

good luck!

White bread lacks any nutrients because in the refining process they remove all of these... yes, they do add SOME back in, but they add only parts of the B complex vitamins an they all need to be there to work together. So you're eating basically the equivalency of a 1/2 cup of sugar (the white kind which is also bad for you) when you have a sandwich.
When you are choosing a bread, I'd stay away from any, including the wheat varieties, from the grocery store. Any of the ones that say enriched wheat flour... guess what... that's nothing more than white bread with molasses added in for color. ALL of our commercial breads have wheat flour in them with the exception of the brown rice breads, unfortunately those to me feel and taste like eating a brick!
As another poster said... you are wanting diabetes or obesity then go ahead and eat your white bread or commercially made wheats.... but if you want good health then you need to change over to the whole grain breads... preferably the sprouted breads which don't have flour in them at all! You'll get used to the texture... and the health benefits. :)

J.
www.HolisticWellnessAndNutrition.webs.com

you can get several wheat breads WITHOUT grainy pieces. I like the Orowheat Double Fiber. Its a VERY smooth bread, is made with WHOLE grains and has the added bonus of extra fiber. As you seem to know already, potato bread is the same problem as white bread, it's made with enriched flour, not whole grains.

Hi K., I am the only white bread eater in the house. Wheat bread is better toasted...if that helps. That way you expect it should be dry =]

yes potato bread is as bad if not worse. Its all about the number of grams of fiber per serving and I'm thinking potato bread it zero or maybe 1 gm/ serving. What brands have you tried? You may just need to give yourself time to change your taistebuds. I think Roman Meal grounds their whole grain down all the way.

Sara Lee makes a "smooth wheat" bread that is really good. None of the grainy things that are in normal wheat bread but with all the health benefits.

The nutritional quality of most potato breads is going to be in the ballpark of what you're getting with white bread. Milton's had a good whole wheat bread and there are many others as well that don't have little seeds or bits of crunchies. You're probably going to need to invest in a few loaves before you find one you like. Two other things you can do are visit your local Farmer's Markets. They often have a baked goods vendor there with a whole wheat option (you can even now buy a white whole wheat that is unbelievable!). Also, ask peole you know who eat healthy. Just beware--whole wheat doe not necessarily mean healthy. Many have food colorings, tons of sugar or even worse, high fructose corn syrup. Read your labels. Something you many never have thought of...use lettuce leaves or chard leaves as the 'bread.' It is by far the healthiest 'bread' and goes well with any savory sandwich fixings. Good luck!

They do sell whole grain white.

You might try other varieties. My family loves oat & nut bread. And, honey whole wheat is good too.

If you're making sandwiches, you might compromise, 1 slice of each.

Wheat bread can be awful if you buy the wrong brand!

We love Orowheat (although I still buy their white buttermilk bread sometimes!) You can get it at Costco (2 for $5) or at Wal-mart (they have "Dutch Country" style that they just started carrying for 1.88 a loaf at the Cerritos store). This week Orowheat is on sale for $2.50 a loaf at Stater Bros. too! Try one and see if you like it--my kids will eat it (1 and 3) it's pretty mellow! I would save the double fiber until you're more used to wheat but it's good as well! :) Good luck! And DON'T buy the dollar loaves from the store--they're just not good in terms of actually enjoying the wheat bread!!

Hi K.,

Sara Lee makes a lite white bread that is pretty good. It's half the calories and fat of regular white bread.

I would look at the ingredients. If the wheat bread you are eating has the first thing listed: enriched wheat flour, instead of whole wheat flour, then it's not that much better than white bread anyway. You should look for whole wheat flour as the main ingredient...and then hope you at least recognize some of the other ingredients! We eat potato bread sometimes, because my hubby likes it, but I don't think it is as healthy as whole wheat bread.

Have you tried a loaf of nice organic Spelt Bread? It's white in color and has a nice texture but it's one of the healthier breads out there. When I do eat bread that's what I eat... well, that and homemade vegan challah! :)

Try White Whole Wheat Bread. I think you'll like it. It is a whole wheat bread but taste more like white than whole wheat and even has a little bit of sweetness to it. I buy it sometimes at Trader Joe's for my daughter because she would rather eat white bread but she does really like this. I do too. Hope you like it.

It uses white flour which is the part that makes it bad for you- the idea is to avoid processed, refined foods. Read the book Real Food!

Also, try making wheat bread- so much better!

Be careful of the Sara Lee smooth, I used to buy it until I read the ingredients. It contains high fructose corn syrup.... why?? I wish it didn't because I did like it. I now buy, Miltons, in the red & brown pkg. It's softer than most other 'natural' breads, but might be too "wheaty" for you.

Good luck!

Try Sara Lee brand. They make some whole wheat WHITE bread. Also, many of their white bread products actually have a surprisingly high amount of fiber. You may even find you like their regular whole wheat bread as it is much smoother than that of other brands. If you like homemade stuff try Rhodes frozen WW bread dough, it very smooth and delicious. Whole wheat is pretty important. Not just for bowl movements either, it has to do with how quickly your body processes it and how that affects your blood sugar. Also, remember fiber is good for your cardiovascular system also.

Not all wheat bread has the little grains in it. I found one that is high in fiber and as soft as white bread. Orowheat's Honey Wheat. This is how I got my hubby to eat wheat bread at first. He now loves all sorts depending on the sanwich. : ) If the bread is made with white flour and has no fiber it is just as bad for you as white bread and I believe that is the case with potato bread. Try this bread, I guarantee you will love it if the grains bother you, I still think they lie about the high fiber content because it is so high and the bread is not the consistency of cardboard. LOL Good luck.

Sorry after reading your responses I just had to chime in again! To the one who said it is not "bad" for you, sorry to strongly disagree. Simple carbs turn into sugar and beliefs like that are what make much of our society overweight and prone to diabetes.

I don't know about potato bread but hands down the best wheat bread out there is Grandma Sycamore's. It's a little more expensive but totally worth it.

Here is a good read on grains. The post is kind of long but it's good. I've cut out bread except on occasion w/a cheat meal where I may have a sandwich or pizza but other than that every now and then - no bread,pasta, flour, etc.. on a daily basis and I don't miss it at all, in fact I feel too great to miss it.

http://keepyourchestup.blogspot.com/2009/09/eat-more-oatm...