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April 9, 2017May 9, 2017 by Lin Carson

Could Sodium be the Culprit? Day 7

I woke up today telling myself that I need to drastically cut sodium and drink more water to flush out the excess sodium I consumed yesterday. So, I removed deli meats from my diet today, and went with just a fried egg sandwich. I got my sodium down to a reasonable level (about 2,600mg) and I drank a truck load of water. By the end of the day, the pain in my finger was gone.

I wonder if many people felt the same way I did, and self-diagnosed themselves with gluten inflammation. Could eating products containing gluten (sandwiches, hamburgers and pasta), also mean that you are overloading yourself with sodium? Could this reaction to too much sodium in the body give the ‘bloated’ feeling that some people feel after consuming gluten containing products? I really think so. If a healthy person like me reacted this way to sodium, I can’t imagine how other people would react. Especially those on medication, and/or a higher stress life.

Analyzing my diet

I analyzed my diet again, and realized that the sodium source came from bread, deli meats and soup. I had overdosed on sodium and sugar every day. Therefore, I really need to keep an eye on these as I go along this diet, whether I reach my target weight or not.

Now, this is really challenging, as not only do I need to count the calories, I need to look at both sodium and sugar. I mean, I should be able to do this. It’s like raising three boys, you just can’t take care of one, and leave the other two alone. I’m good at juggling. I can do this.

Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains.

Today, I chowed down on Dave’s Killer Bread® 21 Whole Grains: the loaf that made them famous. I had no problem eating the 21 Whole Grains bread by itself. It was so delicious, I ate all 6 slices without any spreads.

I also rewarded myself at the end of the day with my homemade strawberry cake. OK, I did bust my sugar intake with that cake, but that was worth it!

Here’s what I ate on Day 7 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Dave’s Killer Bread ® 21 whole grains	12 slices (45g)	1,440
Egg	1	78
Favorit Cherry Preserve	1Tbsp	50
Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Strawberry Jam	4 Tbsp	80
Skippy ® Peanut Butter	1 Tbsp	95
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter	1 Tbsp	190
Kale and mushroom Soup	1 C	48
Strawberry Cake		300
Run		-100
Swim		-200
Total		1,981

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April 8, 2017May 9, 2017 by Lin Carson

What is This Pain? Day 6

Whole Grain Double Fiber bread by Oroweat®.

I want to sleep last night with an ache in my finger. This morning, it was worse, and by the end of the day, the finger was throbbing. Could this be what people refer to as gluten inflammation? I would think by day six my body would be used to this diet, and that it would have indicated any kind of symptomatic reaction to gluten earlier. I would need to rethink this diet, if this is the case.

Sara Lee’s Artesano bread.

Nevertheless, I continued my diet with Orowheat® Whole Grains Double Fiber and Sara Lee’s Artesano. Both breads were delicious and easily paired. I had a great day just eating Artesano by itself. It has all the makings of white bread, but it is not gummy and has a good structure to it. It was good with sandwiches, and great by itself as buttered toast.

Maybe there’s another reason…

I took a look at my diet log later in the day and realized something shocking. I overdosed almost every day on sodium (>2,400mg) and sugar (>25g). I’ve also realized that I have not been drinking enough water, therefore I was not moving things along in my system. Maybe that’s where the problem is.

Tonight, I drank two whole glasses of water before bedtime. This is really not a smart thing to do. But if there is excess sodium in my system, it needs to be flushed out. Tomorrow, I will change my diet.

Peach, Nutella® and Skyr on an Artesano® toast.

Turkey with Artichoke Bruschetta.

Berry Cream Cheese with Pine Nuts on Oroweat® Whole Grains.

Here’s what I ate on Day 6 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Oroweat® Whole Grains	8 slices (38g)	640
Sara Lee® Artesano	6 slices (38g)	600
Applegate herb turkey breast	2 oz	30
Siggi’s® Skyr Vanilla	1/2 C	60
Orange	1 orange	45
Sauteed Spinach	1 C	48
Nutella®	2 tbsp	200
Artichoke Bruschetta spread	2 Tbsp	67
Berry whipped cream	2 Tbsp	50
Pine nuts	0.5oz	90
Kale and Kelp soup	1 C	48
Peach spread	2 Tbsp	100
Almond BreezeÂ® Almond Milk	1 Cup	100
Total		1830

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April 7, 2017May 9, 2017 by Lin Carson

What the Doctor Said: Day 5

The reason I started this journey is because I heard all this talk about how unhealthy bread is.

“Bread will make you fat.”

“I get bloated all the time after eating bread.”

“I heard bread is bad for you.”

“I’m on Paleo because carbs are bad for you.”

Bread has been painted as an all-around bad guy.

Even today, the people who come up to tell me that I am doing harm to myself and I need to check my blood work, have no idea about how harmless bread is. People are consistently inundated with information that put bread in the worst possible light.

A couple of people even compared my journey to the Super Size Me documentary. There is no comparison ladies and gentlemen. Bread is a much superior food compared to fast food. I don’t blame you though, the recent literature on bread has made bread look just as bad.

Therefore, I’m on this journey to convince you that bread is a very safe food to eat, and that I won’t be harmed from eating so much bread. You should feel safe eating a few slices of bread a day. It’s okay!

Checking in with the Doc

I did go to my Doctor to obtain pre-diet blood work. He looked at me all weird when I explained my diet to him. Before he waved me away, saying that I have nothing to worry about because this is not a high-risk diet, he told me to keep exercise as part of my lifestyle. I could see that he was irritated by me taking his time to ask for a simple blood work for a non-high risk diet. I had to listen to his lecture on exercise, as a respect for his time.

I need to share this with you because I believe it. He referred to exercise as sanding a door. If you sanded the door with the same force and tool for 60 seconds, vs. sanding it for five minutes over a period of 12 hours, you will find a deeper hole in the first scenario. Why? This is because of the heat generated from friction that makes the sanding more efficient over an extended period of time.

He then emphasized that I should be doing my exercise all at once during the day, and not spread out my exercise routine throughout the day. Got it, Doc!

All my vitals were normal (except that my sunshine vitamin was a little low – that’s Portland weather for you). He even gave me a smiley face.

My daily loaf

Today, I continue my journey with Dave’s Killer Bread’s Power Seed. Among all the breads I’ve eaten so far, this must be the only loaf that has THE BEST nutritional profile. Not only is it packed with nutrition, it’s done so with lower amounts of sodium and sugar. I’ve been watching my sodium and sugar levels the last few days, so this loaf finally gave me a relief.

Dave’s Killer Bread’s Power Seed.

It is also very high in protein. Since my slices already gave me over 60g of protein (our daily intake should be no less than 53g), I didn’t feel the need to add anymore protein to my intake for the day. Lastly, because it is a multigrain bread packed with fiber, I felt extra satiated all the time! This is a wonderful bread to have in my diet, and I wished more bread were nutritionally comparable to the Power Seed.

Here’s what I ate on Day 5 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Powerseed	12 Slices (504g)	1200
Weight Watchers® Whipped Cream Cheese Spread	1 Tbsp	30
Almond Breeze® Almond Milk	1 Cup	100
Biscoff® Cookie Butter	1 Tbsp	85
Barney® Almond butter Vanilla + Espresso	1 Tbsp	95
World of Chia® Blackberry Fruit Spread	1 Tbsp	30
Berry whipped cream	2 Tbsp	50
Orange	1 orange	45
Kale and Kelp soup	1 C	48
Justin’s Nut Butter	2 Tbsp	190
Total		1873

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April 6, 2017August 7, 2017 by Lin Carson

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 Baker y. 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

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April 4, 2017May 9, 2017 by Lin Carson

Bread Bag Lady: Day 2

Goal: To not leave more than four slices of bread after 5 p.m. Plan. Plan. Plan.

The strategy today is to pace myself, and to watch the clock. Discipline, Lin. Plan now so you don’t suffer at the end of the day. Use the timer on my watch to alert me to eat bread at every hour. I must eat bread every hour, even if I am full or busy.

It’s Sunday, so it is a running errands kind of day. I had to make sure I’m on top of eating my slices of bread, so I packed a bunch of bread into a bag to bring along with me. My mom gave me a strange look, “You just created a new look: bread bag lady!”

Thanks mom, you’re beautiful too.

Good ol’ plain bread

The bread bag wasn’t the problem. The inability to plan on bringing any kind of spread made it difficult to swallow the bread. So, I had to buy water. Thank god for water. I ate the bread slices plain as I told myself, never again.

Day two went pretty smoothly without the frenzied moments I experienced yesterday. I accept the fact that I do not have enough healthy spreads to eat during the day. I believe I will give Connie, my nutritionist, a heart attack if she saw that I ate Nutella® and Cookie butter several times a day, every day. This has to change, before she pulls the plug on me.

My pile of Jenny Lee® bread for the day.

My bread intake for the day came courtesy Jenny Lee®, in the shape of Pullman loaves. Pullman loaves are baked in enclosed bread tins, so they come out shaped perfectly round and great for sandwiches. Since they are lighter in weight, I had to consume 16 slices to meet my daily challenge. But that was okay because, thank you Jenny Lee®, your bread was so tasty!

I mixed it up so I had four slices of the different flavors: Garlic Parmesan, Olive Focaccia, Tomato Basil and Raisin Cinnamon. My favorite: Garlic Parmesan because it went perfectly with cream cheese and lox.

Cream cheese and lox.

Here’s what I ate on Day 2 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
Jenny Lee ^® Garlic Herb	4 Slices (112g)	320
Jenny Lee ^® Tomato Basil	4 Slices (112g)	320
Jenny Lee ^® Olive Focaccia	4 Slices (112g)	320
Jenny Lee ^® Cinnamon Raisin	4 Slices (112g)	320
Philledelpia^® cream cheese spread	1 Tbsp	40
Almond Breeze^® Chocolate Almond Milk	1 Cup	100
Boar’s Head^® Smoked Ham	2 oz	60
Nutella^®	2 tbsp	200
Tillamook sliced cheddar	1 Slice	45
Orange	1 orange	45
Kale (cooked)	1 C	33
Apple	1	95
Pineapple	2 slices	84
Cabbage	1C	20
Lox	2oz	120
Philadelphia Whipped Mixed Berry	2 Tbsp	50
Candied Pecans	1 Tbsp	50
Calcium Supp		0
Bike 10M		-403
Total		1819

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good about white bread-white bread-eb90-sliced bread

April 3, 2017August 10, 2017 by Lin Carson

What’s Good About White Bread? Day 1

Believe me, I was like a kid in a candy store looking at all the fresh loaves of bread that was kindly delivered to me in the first week – loaves from Dave’s Killer Bread, Jenny Lee’s, Franz Bakery, Klostermann’s Bakery and more! It was hard to decide where to start but I had to pick one. So I finally chose the innovative Dave’s Killer Bread – White Bread Done Right®.

Dave's killer bread-white bread done right

Really? What’s good about white bread?

“I don’t want white bread for my sandwich, it doesn’t have substance!“ says Dean, my beloved husband of 20 years.

“But it’s good for you, honey. It comes from whole grain white wheat. It’s as nutritious as eating whole wheat bread, but it looks white so it will fool the kids!” I felt like a sales representative for Dave’s Killer Bread. The real question is, why is Dean eating my bread, when the whole loaf was mine? Because he just might be a little envious? I think so.

My analysis of a variety of loaves revealed I can safely consume one pound of bread (454g) every day with other food items, without going over my daily intake of 2,100 calories. It comes out to 14 slices out of 17 slices, leaving three slices of bread left for my hungry husband.

Yep, that’s 14 slices of White Bread Done Right® for my first day.

How did it go?

White Bread Done Right® was delicious and surprisingly hearty. I should have eaten two in the morning, two at lunch, and two at dinner, with slices consumed at regular intervals all throughout the day. My meal plan included sandwiches, toasts with Nutella® and strawberries, cookie butter, cream cheese and butter.

bread-spread-fruit-daves killers bread

So spreading out the slices seemed logical.

But that wasn’t the case. I ate a slice with a spread every time I felt hungry (But man! This white bread really kept me full!) or when I could break from work to eat. By 5 p.m., I had seven slices left. SEVEN SLICES!!! I usually don’t eat past 7 p.m. and I needed to go for a run. So now I was faced with shoving seven slices of bread into my face within 1.5 hours? HORRORS! Bad planning, Lin. Bad planning!

Now, you all know that you have to drink water (or some kind of liquid) when you eat bread. So the more bread I ate, the more I had to drink. My first day of this bread eating challenge ended with me just feeling so bloated from shoving five slices down (with two used for a sandwich) before 7:30 p.m. By 10 p.m. I still felt like a beached whale. Was it the bread? No, it was bad planning. Like any diet, not having a proper menu in place was bad strategy.

So to summarize, what’s good about White Bread Done Right®? It is an awesome loaf of bread. I just don’t recommend eating most of it in one sitting—definitely not a good idea.

Here’s what I ate on Day 1 of EB90:

Food	Portion	Calories
DKB White Bread Done Right®	14 slices (480g)	1540
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
Strawberries	1C	47
Wild Friends® Honey Peanut Butter with Pretzel	2 tbsp	180
Biscoff Cookie Butter®	1 tbsp	85
Orange	1 orange	45
Calcium Supplement		NA
Run 5K		-325
Total		1962

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bakery-bread-eb90-weight gain from bread

April 3, 2017August 2, 2017 by Lin Carson

Bread Makes You Fat

This was the immediate reaction from family and friends when I told them about my plan to embark on a 90-Day bread-eating journey. But I know weight gain from bread is a myth. This is no late-night whim. The truth is, I’ve been considering doing this for a long time. It started with a thought: “What if I can eat my favorite food—bread—every day?” Then it grew into a challenge:

“What if I can eat a loaf of bread every day?”

A quick check on the nutrition labels of my bread at home proved that this challenge made sense. I could definitely eat a loaf everyday, get all the nutrition I need to stay healthy and not put on weight. Just to make sure, I brought in Registered and Licensed Dietitian Connie Evers, MSc., to keep a watchful eye on my calorie-intake and BMI.

How much bread can you eat and not gain weight?

Basically, succeeding in this challenge comes down to input vs output. I’m in my mid 40s, size 6-8 (which fluctuates between summer and winter) and 145 lbs. I don’t smoke or drink and I don’t take any recreational or prescription drugs. I am a mother of three boys, an entrepreneur, scientist, foodie, baker, Chihuly fan and a lover of the outdoors who runs, cycles and swims at least three times a week. Other than that, I lead a normal life. My eating habits and cravings are pretty normal. Some people may even call me…boring.

eat-bread-90-boring

So why not challenge people’s negative perception of eating bread, while eating my fill of delicious loaves? I’m not worried about weight gain from bread, because as a baker I’ve been working with bread and researching it for a long, long time.

I contacted all my baker friends and told them about the challenge. Their reaction? Immediately sending over loaves and loaves of bread with all the nutritional labels intact! I have been so overwhelmed with their support! Not only are they cheering me on but they are also keen on providing me with my lots of bread. I feel so loved.

thanks-support-eb90-weight gain from bread

I should explain how I know all these bakers. My business, BAKERpedia, serves the commercial baking industry. We provide a knowledge base that is freely available to help bakers with all their scientific questions. We also offer technical support and consulting services to bakeries who are at the tipping point of business expansion. In the short two and a half years BAKERpedia’s been in business, I’ve met a lot of wonderful people in the food industry who are hungry for knowledge. Most of them are searching for reliable information and ways to be innovative with their products.

I’m proud to say we have always done our best to help all bakers and equipment suppliers to enhance their businesses and have generally helped the entire baking ecosystem thrive. If this is their way of giving back to BAKERpedia, I am deeply touched and definitely encouraged—not only to continue making BAKERpedia a success, but to go all out on this ambitious bread-eating journey.

Taking on the challenge

Today is the very first day of my challenge, and the list of bakers who want to send me bread keeps growing. That means, I get to eat more of my favorite food for free over the next 90 days! If you run a bakery and would like to support me, send your lovely loaves to:

707 SW Washington St., #1100, Portland, OR 97205. Attn: Ms Ana Rinck, Operations Manager, BAKERpedia.

Thank you for feeding me and helping give bread a good name!

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March 29, 2017August 2, 2017 by Katie Jones

The Benefits of Bread

Bread has a long history as a nutritive food source. As the oldest known prepared food, it’s no surprise the benefits of bread are many. The nutrition packed away in those grains are an essential part of a healthy diet. Regular consumption of bread prolongs life and can protect our body from common diseases.

People have been eating bread for ages. The origin of bread can be closely linked to the beginning of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent area. Grain was crushed and mixed with water to form gruel. Then, the gruel was baked on hot stones into primitive flat breads. The gruel was then exposed to natural yeasts and microflora and fermented before baking. Three types of bread can be traced back to these early loaves: Multigrain Bread, Rye Breads and Fruit Bread.

whole grains nutrition benefits of bread

Multigrain Bread

Multigrain breads are made from a mixture of whole meal, white or rye flour which contains wheat germ, honey, gluten, non-flat milk solids, cracked and whole grains of wheat and other cereals. Multigrain breads can be obtained by blending various grains, vegetable pieces, nuts, seeds, fruit and spices.

Rye Breads

Rye bread is made from a mix of rye and wheat flour. Rye bread contains only small amounts of dough strengthening proteins. Rye flour has more amylase enzyme which breaks down starch into sugars. Rye doughs have less water than dough from ordinary flour to remain stiff and keep their shape.

Fruit Bread

Fruit breads use a normal bread recipe to which fruit and sugar are added. The fruits used are raisins, currants, orange peel and dried fruits. Some ingredients are used to enhance the appearance and flavor of breads such as cinnamon, nutmeg, egg wash, sugar and water wash.

The Benefits of Bread

Flour and bread are fortified with essential micro-nutrients, provide fiber, proteins and minerals that can aid in the prevention of chronic diseases.

Multigrain bread is nutritious. Frequent consumption of Multigrain bread can reduce the risk of diabetes and coronary heart disease. It can assist with weight maintenance and the recommended intake of fiber. Ingredients such as whole grain mentioned above provide vitamin E which is an intracellular antioxidant that protects polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes from oxidative damage. This vitamin E obtained from whole grains keeps selenium in the reduced state and inhibits the formation of nitrosamines especially at low pH.

The old saying that bread is the staff of life should get you thinking about the fundamental role bread has played in our lives. The benefits of bread can’t be ignored, definitely earnning a place at our tables and with our meals.

References

Jenson, Heather. Food and Nutrition Resources for Educators, Parents, and Professionals. Nova Science Incorporated, 20 July 2014.
Lindberg, Alice E. Vitamin E : Nutrition, Side Effects, and Supplements. WorldCat. 26 Mar. 2017. www.worldcat.org/title/vitamin-e-nutrition-side-effects-and-supplements/oclc/839304254. Accessed 28 Mar. 2017.
Rosell, Cristina M., Joanna Bajerska, and El Sheikha Aly F. Bread and Its Fortification: Nutrition and Health Benefits. Boca Raton: CRC, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.

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