I used to make homemade, whole grain wheat bread for my kids when they were growing up. It was made with fresh organic whole grain flour, butter, raw honey, some yeast, a tad of sea salt and some water. I made this delicious bread most Saturdays while listening to the broadcast from The Metropolitan Opera.
These days I don't eat bread because I'm allergic to both wheat and gluten. It doesn't mean however, that from time to time I don't get a craving for the doughy stuff. So I occasionally find myself walking along the bread aisle, perusing the various loaves, searching for something I can take home and satisfy my bread craving.
When I read the bread labels, what I actually find is enriched flour and high fructose corn syrup. I had to wonder after the eighth bread label I read, does anyone really know they aren't getting what they have been led to believe by the advertising agencies?
The simple fact is that all enriched flour is over-processed, highly refined wheat that has been caramelized, fiberized, and vitaminized, post facto. All the fibre, along with vitamins and minerals, are stripped from the grain during the refinement process. Topping it all off is that all too common hyper-sweetener, HFCS.
Sometimes I find bread labels containing HFCS, aspartame, sucralose or acesulfame K – all nasty stuff. Then there are dough conditioners and preservatives added in for good measure. We already know that HFCS contributes to obesity and promotes diabetes. The additives, conditioners and preservatives do their little part in promoting this disease too.
Yet, the USDA Food Pyramid tells you in order to be healthy you need to eat from the bottom of the diagram. Better put, it might be that Big Ag wants you to fill your tummy – from the bottom of the trough — with GMO grains.
So each day, according to Big Ag, you should "…eat 3 ounces of whole grain bread, crackers, rice, pasta, or any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or any another cereal that is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of grain products."
The Diabetes Pyramid, another of the new 12 popular food pyramids, counsels on grain intake as follows:
At the base of the pyramid are bread, cereal, rice, and pasta. These foods contain mostly carbohydrates. The foods in this group are made mostly of grains, such as wheat, rye, and oats. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, and corn also belong to this group, along with dry beans such as black-eyed peas and pinto beans. Starchy vegetables and beans are in this group because they have about as much carbohydrate in one serving as a slice of bread. So, you should count them as carbohydrates for your meal plan. Choose 6-11 servings per day.
The Diabetes Food Pyramid is a little different than the USDA Food Guide Pyramid because it groups foods based on their carbohydrate and protein content instead of their classification as a food type. What isn't included in the bread and cereal discussion is that if you select white bread you need to remember that white flour is bleached with a chemical called Alloxan (known to be a possible cause of diabetes).
Most bread, cracker, and cereal products also contain soy or canola oil. Both soy and canola grown in the USA originate from GMO crops. Soy is highly allergenic and the oil is not conducive to good health. Canola oil is a trans-fat because of the method used to extract the oil from the seeds (rapeseed) and its toxic to your liver.
Armed with a better understanding of bread and other common carbohydrates and with some additional investigation on your part, you can be a healthier food shopper.
Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, NP, ND, is a natural health educator and advocate. Celebrating 50+ years blending science and the natural healing arts. Sign up for her herbalYoda newsletter.
This article is for educational and informational purposes only and does not take the place of a consultation with a qualified health care professional. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care professional before taking any herbs or applying any therapies. The reader must assume full responsibility for verifying any information or therapies with a qualified physician or health care professional.
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