milk-eat bread 90

Got Milk? Day 23

Today’s bread is Franz Organic 100% Whole Wheat bread—delicious and nutritious! Talking about nutrition, I was listening to the second episode of our podcast ‘Pitching a Loaf’ with my nutritionist, Connie Evers, where she reminded me that my calcium and potassium intake is rather low. I guess if there is truly a weakness to my diet, it’s the inability to consume enough dairy products for the calcium.

Franz Bakery's 100% Whole Wheat bread.

Franz Bakery’s 100% Whole Wheat bread.

I was lactose intolerant growing up, and therefore never really developed a taste for dairy products. I don’t like yogurt, I cannot get low fat milk past my nose and I don’t eat pizza, so I probably consume cheese or dairy products like once a week. Well, unless its ice cream or baked into some heavenly goodness with a foreign sounding name (like Tiramisu).

Getting my calcium

So when Connie said, “You have to increase your calcium intake, Lin” I was quite panicky and I told her what my problems were. She proceed to lecture me on the effects of aging on bone loss and the need for calcium to prevent osteoporosis.

It’s true, I’m a head taller than my mom, and two heads taller than her mom. They have experienced significant bone loss over the years. I see my future, and it is not looking good. She told me to avoid cream cheese since it contains almost no calcium, and to add almond milk and ricotta cheese to my diet.

Honestly, I have not tried ricotta cheese by itself. I thought it would taste like cottage cheese, but I am pleasantly surprised. It actually doesn’t have much taste to it. I scored! I started using it as a spread like mayo. I soon realized that it is an “extender.” When mixed with pesto, jam, nut butters or Nutella (my favorite), it gives these combinations a fuller body and I need less of the high-sugar or high-salt spreads.  Why didn’t I discover this sooner! My whole world has changed. Or at least for the next 77 days!

Here’s what I ate on Day 23 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Franz Organic 100% Whole Wheat 11 slices (43g) 1100
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Justin’s Nut Butter 2 Tbsp 190
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 4 Tbsp 80
Ham 2 oz 60
Homemade Pesto 1 Tbsp 80
Avacado 1/2 cup 184
Orange 1 orange 45
Calcium Supp
Bike -100
Total 1739

 

plate-crumbs-eat bread 90

The Calorie Police: Day 21

Franz Bakery's 100% Whole Wheat bread.

Franz Bakery’s 100% Whole Wheat bread.

Ok, look. I’m not shy about what I eat, or reporting the sinful things that I eat on this blog. I was at a reception today, and was about to take a bite into a delicious fruit tart when a friend said “Are you supposed to eat that? This doesn’t substitute your bread consumption, right? You can’t cheat that way.”

People, people, people, relax! I’m not cheating. I’m still eating a pound of bread, and this luscious and sinful dessert is counted on top of that.

The usual response I get after explaining my diet is, “how do you get to eat so much? Doesn’t bread take up all your calories for the day?” The answer to this is NO. The calories from a pound of bread is about 1100. That leaves room for dessert cheats within the range of 300-400 calories. If I threw in a 35 min cardio in there, I could still safely consume another 1000 calories on top of a pound of bread. This gives me plenty of options to consider while consuming my bread throughout the day.

Bread every day

So, while I do appreciate your concern about my diet and policing me on it, also know that I eat a pound of bread every day to meet the minimal requirements of this bread eating challenge. Remember, every day, for 90 days.

Today, I finished up my whole grain white bread, and opened a new bag of Franz® Organic whole wheat bread. I wanted to compare eating a whole grain white bread to a whole wheat. After all, they should be similar.

The difference is very subtle. If you closed your eyes, or if you’re color blind, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference because these two breads taste very similar. So yes, you are getting the whole wheat goodness in both bread.

Here’s what I ate on Day 21 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Franz Organic Whole Grain White 4 slices (40g) 400
Franz Organic 100% Whole Wheat 6 slices (43) 700
Tilamook Butter (Salted) 3Tbsp 300
Smucker’s Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 2 Tbsp 20
Tillamook sliced cheddar 1 Slice 45
Orange 1 orange 45
Sauteed Spinach 1 C 48
Fruit Tart 1 300
Smucker’s Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 2 Tbsp 20
Fried Fish Dinner 1 C 300
Banana 1 105
Run -300
Swim -200
Total 1783

 

whole wheat- grain- eat bread 90

Happy to Eat Whole Wheat: Day 11

100% Whole Wheat from Oroweat.

100% Whole Wheat from Oroweat®.

I was on the go again today, baking at the Wheat Marketing Center and making it to meetings. My pile of sandwiches was packed into the bread bag and went with me wherever I went.  It’s Day 11 now, people around me should be comfortable with me eating bread and talking at the same time.

Today’s bread of choice is Oroweat® 100% Whole Wheat. I love whole wheat bread because it is made from whole wheat flour. Yes, the whole wheat! Many have forgotten that the wheat grain is one of the world’s most nutritious grain. It is an excellent source of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and highly bioactive phytochemicals, which are antioxidant compounds that fights cancer.

We all need more wheat

We are truly lucky to have wheat grow in abundance in America, yet it puzzles me why there are so many people who are anti-wheat these days. Besides providing excellent nutrition, whole wheat has many benefits like reducing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

With so much research showing whole wheat flour as a super food, I want to bring awareness that this can be taken advantage of by consuming whole wheat products like this 100 % whole wheat bread.

Here’s what I ate on Day 11 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Oroweat® 100% whole wheat 12 Slices (38g) 1080
Justin’s® Nut Butter 2 Tbsp 190
Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 4 Tbsp 80
Favorit Cherry Preserve 1Tbsp 50
Philadelphia strawberry cream cheese 1 Tbsp 35
Apple 1 95
Beef Noodles 1 C 200
Crackers 1 pkt 390
Total 2120

 

whole wheat bread- eat bread 90-gluten myth-blood sugar-diet

Setting the Gluten Myth Straight: Day 4

I have met many concerned individuals these days. Some of them keep telling me the gluten myth: if I consume to much, I’ll develop an allergy. Really guys, if you studied my numbers, the amount of gluten (which is protein) in a pound of bread would be no more than 68g or about 2oz.

That is much less protein than a beef patty in a hamburger. Proteins are made of amino acids, and they all get digested the same way. I believe the likelihood of me developing celiac disease from eating 2oz of gluten every day is slim to none. So that deals with one gluten myth.

 

Klosterman Whole Wheat Organic_gluten myth

Organic 100% Whole Wheat from Klosterman Organic Bakery

The gluten myth aside…

Someone asked me yesterday if I felt hungry during the day, since bread is known to cause spikes in blood sugar levels. I explained to that person that I had to eat at least a slice of bread every hour. So no, my body will never have that opportunity to be hungry.

This is because my blood sugar will not rise or fall since I am eating all the time. Was that part of my intelligent eating strategy? No. As I said, my strategy is simple: eat bread regularly all throughout the day so that I don’t suffer in the evening stuffing my face.

Today, I opened a loaf of Organic 100% Whole Wheat from Klosterman Organic Bakery.  It is a tasty whole wheat, with a great aroma. Compared to many other breads, this bread was much lower in sugar and sodium. That is a great plus in my books. Why? Because I can plaster on more spreads, silly! No, I’m really kidding. I had to actually stop myself from putting on more spreads because my caloric count would be compromised. This is a bread diet, not a jams and spreads diet.

 

bread with curry-eat bread 90_gluten myth

Curry with my bread.

This bread was such a versatile bread, it went well with curry. I enjoyed my curry tonight, but I don’t think I will do it soon again because the fat from the coconut milk in the curry took away from my total calorie count.  “But coconut fat is good for you…” ladies and gentlemen, fat is fat in my books. I’ve heard people commenting that avocado and coconut fat is superior to other fats. What is the source of that B******?

If you’re measuring and comparing the quality of fat, you are consuming too much fat.

Fat should be consumed in small amounts, regardless of source. Yes, I’d rather eat lard than coconut fat, but that’s another conversation for another day. No more curry for the next 86 days please.

Here’s what I ate on Day 4 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Klosterman 100% Whole Wheat Bread 11 slices 1100
Weight Watchers Whipped Cream Cheese Spread 1 Tbsp 30
Almond Breeze Chocolate Almond Milk 1 Cup 100
Boar’s Head Smoked Ham 2 oz 60
Nutella 2 tbsp 200
Kale (cooked) 1 C 33
Strawberries 1C 47
Caramels 2 100
Curry 1 C 400
Orange 1 orange 45
Calcium Supp
Walk -152
Total 1963