Bread....to eat or not to eat?

I'm no expert,
But Breads and Starches = NO, NO, NO to a healthy diet.

 

It's better to eat whole wheat breads and brown rice for carbs rather than white bread and white rice, but anything in moderation is okay if you want it enjoy it sometimes.

 

French baguettes and sourdough are a gift from the gods. Like posted above, just enjoy in moderation!

 

I love white bread as well but only eat it during the weekends as I see it as a luxury to be endorsed with after a hard week of work

 

Peanut butter on whole grain toast (no HFCS), it's the perfect breakfast when you live a busy lifestyle. Otherwise, bread is to be [mostly] avoided.

 

It's not possible to summarize this sort of thing into a single sentence. Sometimes people stumble onto a good idea but if they don't understand how the idea works or what's behind it, it doesn't really provide full benefit. You have to understand the principles that you want to live by - not just accept them blindly. When you understand how things work, you'll also understand why they sometimes don't work or how to maximize the benefits. You will feel empowered and you can devise your own methods using your new knowledge.

With starch, it's the timing of what you eat, how much and when you eat it that matter more.

If you do not have metabolic problems (hormonal issues) and a relatively active lifestyle, you can enjoy starches early in the day, for breakfast and lunch but you need to stay active, don't be sedentary. Get up and walk whenever you can. Walk to your favourite newsstand, nearby shop, at lunchtime, use the stairs, wear lighter clothing to force your body to keep warm by moving. Do this and you will burn up all the starches during the day as you go about. You body prefers to burn sugar, then starch, so they get used first but you must be active. OTOH, if you sit around all day in warm clothing, your body will prefer to convert sugar and starch into fat.

Observe the French, they eat lots of starch, butter, pastries...etc. but they walk more, don't sit in cars and commute. Europeans also eat a hearty lunch and have "tiny" dinners ...and they walk. We sit in cars, in office chairs, eat huge restaurant meals, huge desserts, drink stupid sugary pop, have huge dinners, sit and watch TV, snack on chips, go to bed on full stomachs. Why do think everyone is obese and fat nowadays???

Make sure you stop eating sugars and starches by early afternoon. This allows your body to totally drain your digestive system of any sugar or starch you ate earlier. Stop eating after dinner, and consume very low calorie or zero calorie snacks and drinks if you feel hungry. OTOH, if you eat sugars and starches before you go to sleep, your body will convert it all into FAT overnight. People who are depressed tend to eat sugary foods so you have to fight that urge - go out and be active and your depression will ironically disappear and you'll lose weight in the process. Your body can be stupid. Sugars may be hidden in food additives of processed foods so that means eating fresh foods allows you to avoid the hidden sugars.

I only eat 2 meals a day (no dinner). I know people who only eat 1 meal a day. We graze, only take in what we need in small amounts during the day and then stop taking any calories completely several hours before bedtime. I drink decaf coffee with stevia if I get hungry. I can even drink regular coffee with stevia and still fall asleep. Coffee has lots of antioxidants and helps take your mind off food but caffeine will make you pe**eee more often so take magnesium supplements, especially if you are older. You can get serious electrolyte imbalance if you pe***eee too often.

 

...I forgot to mention something.

If I get hungry a few hours after dinner, aside from just coffee or tea, I also snack on slices of cooked meat, usually with a little bit of fat on it. I keep a supply of this in my fridge and just reach in if my mind wanders off on to chewable food that a beverage will not satisfy. Protein also works as a natural exercise supplement to speed up recovery when I plan to do some reasonably serious exercise to do the next day.

 

I believe bread is bad if you are trying to lose weight. But fine in moderation if you are healthy and at a good weight for you.

 

Bread is really bad for the person is trying to lose weight. Experts suggest to avoid it as much as possible.

 

You have the option to eat wheat bread it is healthier. I prefer granola bar more than bread when I am trying to stay fit.

 

Others will disagree but...calories are calories. Eat too many, you either gain or just do not lose weight. Breads, pastas, etc. are easy to over consume, therefore they have the reputation as being weight gaining foods. I've heard/read all the stuff about glycemic index, insulin spikes, all that...I just don't buy it. I think it's overcomplicating the matter and selling seemingly magic bullet fad diets. I eat A LOT of bread, and I'm very lean. I do have a waaaay above average activity level, and I do tend to eat high fiber breads because there are clearly a number of benefits...but I still believe (and I think there is ample research to prove this) that the most important thing you can do is simply not eat too much of anything because too much of anything will make you gain weight.

 

italian bread is the best

 

This is spot on. There is so much nonsense out there and fad diets that it will make your head spin. I cannot stop eating bread. Sure I can do it for the short term but this is not something that is possible or desirable for me for a permanent solution. I like bread. I like pasta. I like pizza. I like sandwiches. I have zero desire to cut out bread.

I just finished a weight loss journey- Went from 239 pounds to 204 in about 4 months. I had been a relatively fit guy but several surgeries (two for a broken clavicle, tumor removal, ruptured achilles) over a course of 5 years just kicked my butt and the pounds crept up.

What did I do to lost the 35ish pounds? I worked out hard, I ate less. I watched my calories and limited to about 1800 a day. When I worked out, I burned between 600-900 calories. A 3500 calorie deficit equals the loss of one pound.

During this time I did not stop eating bread, pasta, dessert, chocolate, ice cream- I just ate about a 1/3 of what I normally did. Instead of going out to dinner and eating an appetizer, main course and dessert, I ate a main course and had a bite of my wifes dessert.

You don't need to go to extreme lengths to lose weight. You dont need to stop eating bread. You do need to limit starchy foods and keep high calorie foods in check.

Good luck on the weight loss journey - Im 47 and in the best shape of my life!

 

Congrats on your success! I love hearing/reading stories like this!

It certainly is possible to continue to improve your fitness into "advanced" age. Although I'm younger, I'm not what you'd call "young" and I feel like I have consistently improved and built upon something every year for the last twenty one!

 

count calories for a year religiously and burn more than you take in.

Then get into the nuances.

can't skip that top step.

almost everyone talking about this stuff isn't at the stage where it matters.

Got a 4 pack and want 6? now let's discuss what you're eating versus how much. and what your workouts are versus how often.

for 9 out of 10 people or more, the first step is all thats needed.

it also lets you have wine, bread, etc.etc.etc.

people eat significantly more than they think they do. 100% of them. (if not tracking it).

just quitting bread is not the magic pill. There is no magic pill. There is easy, basic work.

 

awesome!

and yup.... pound a week loss sustainable and easy (well... not easy... but doable lifestyle change without changing foods).

 

I am going to disagree with the consensus here. Bread and associated carbs are killing us and the reason there is a diabetes epidemic.

Our bodies are addicted to carbs. "I can't stop eating bread, I like it too much." Guess what, its your gut bacteria that likes bread. Not you. You don't get to decide what you like. Your gut bacteria produces hormones to make you eat those carbs. Everything you think you know about "balanced diets" is wrong.

 

Eat what you want - bread isn’t “bad” for you. All that **** about something being “bad” is mostly hype - too much of ANYTHING is “bad” for you.

I’m 49, and I’m in outstanding physical shape - 205 lbs, very muscular. I eat what I want - I don't over indulge, and eat mostly healthy, but eat bread, pasta, whatever.

You also have to consider what your goals are. Losing weight? I’d probably avoid bread, particularly if you are sedentary / not active. It’s empty calories.

Running a marathon? I’d eat a ton of pasta or bread!

I think people want a quick fix to a complex problem, but simply dieting or watching what you eat is a small facet of overall health.

 

that's like telling an alcoholic "just have one drink a day with dinner, That's what I do!"

bottom line is if you are type 2 diabetic or pre diabetic, your body is telling you carbs are bad. So don't eat them.

 

He's obviously not talking about those types of people.

 

If he was referring to me, you are correct. I would have thought that was understood.

I swear health and wellness is the new “P&R” - everyone has an opinion, and what I see is downright scary.

 

LOL. Truth.

I had 1 slice of bread this morning and I'm about to have a bahn mi for lunch. And I haven't been to the gym since Tuesday.

 

Yeah I was talking to the 100 million Americans who have diabetes or pre diabetes.

 

In the words of my nutritionist; “If it’s white - it’s bad”