News

 

General Health

"Give yourself your daily bread." by Dr. Ken Goldberg;
SUNDAY STABROEK, January 12, 1997

 

Bread is the most fundamental of foods. It exists in nearly every culture and is the foundation of most diets. Wars have been fought over it, and the word has been used as a metaphor for just about everything important — including money. So how come we're not eating enough of it?

The U.S Department of Agriculture recommends that we eat 6 to11 servings of bread and grain products per day, but we barely do half that well. Compared to Europeans, we Americans are slackers. They eat more than three times as much bread as we do.

Part of the problem is misunderstanding. About 40 percent of Americans still think bread is fattening, and confusions about the relative merits of white vs. wheat vs. whole wheat is widespread. Let's set the record straight here.

— Bread is not fattening. It's the stuff we put on it that is. Bread is an excellent source of carbohydrates, the basic energy we run on, and it's low in fat. A slice of basic white grocery-store bread has about 70 calories, and only 9 of them (about 15 percent) come from fat. Add two pats of butter to the bread, though, and the total bounces to 140 calories, more than half from fat.

— White bread is not bad food. White bread has almost as many carbohydrates as whole-grain bread and contains no more fat. Although it may not have as much fibre as whole-grain bread, it is often enriched with important minerals and nutrients, such as iron, thiamine, niacin and riboflavin. If you really prefer white bread, just read the label and choose one that has at least two grams of fibre per serving.

— Diet bread may not help you lose weight. Breads that bill themselves as low-calorie do not have a significantly different composition from most other breads. They're sliced thinner and made with more air (and, sometimes, more fibre). If you cut back on bread by eating a diet version, you're likely to substitute fattier food to feel full. Bread is actually an excellent foundation for a weight-loss programme.

If you've been limiting how much bread you eat — either because of weight concerns or because you don't really like the breads that are supposed to be good for you — it's time to reconsider. Bread is a natural for men who like the convenience of a quick sandwich. Just watch what you put between those slices, and remember that the bread is the good part.