fiber

Different Diet, Same Idea: Calorie Deficiency.
 by Lin Carson

Week 9: Different Diet, Same Idea: Calorie Deficiency

Did you know that approximately 127 million adults in the U.S. are overweight, 60 million are obese, and 9 million are severely obese? These numbers are astounding as obesity has become the second leading cause of preventable death behind smoking. It’s not about looking good or attractive, it’s about the diseases that arise as a result of obesity like type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers. Remember, these are preventable, as long as you exercise and maintain a healthy BMI.

What is BMI?

BMI stands for body mass index. It measures your body fat compared to your weight and hight. Your total body mass is divided by the square of your body hight, which results in your BMI. You can calculate it with online tools like this one. Based on the ratio, BMI gives you a good idea if you are in a healthy range or not for your weight based on body build.

Can I control my BMI with calorie deficiency?

Calorie deficiency is by far the most effective and easily implemented method of targeting a lower BMI. Do I believe that other diets work besides a high-carb diet? I do, but these are harsher and most of them work on the same principles: calorie deficiency and limitation of variety.

Some of these diets have been around for ages:

  • Atkin’s Diet
  • North Beach Diet
  • South Beach Diet
  • Protein Power diet
  • Zone Diet
  • Fat Flush Diet
  • Schwarzbein Principle
  • Neanderthin Diet
  • Pritikin Diet
  • Ornish Diet
  • Keto Diet

Although each of these diets have their own nuances, most focus around the idea of a high-protein and low-carb diet. They also mostly include portion control and calorie deficiency.

So if they all cut out carbs, how can a high-carb diet be healthy?

Because it all comes down to the amount you put in, and the amount you eliminate through exercise.

These diets are built around the idea that carbs will add too many calories. True, there are bad carbs that come from simple sugars and starches which quickly turn into glucose. However, this doesn’t mean all carbs are bad, or that bread isn’t healthy. Whole grains provide needed nutrients. And bread can be be high in protein and fiber, which helps replace digestible carbs and fats.

 

Plus, a high-carb diet doesn’t have as many negative effects.

Still not sure about a high-carb diet? Just take a look at these two photos:

My weight at the start of the 90 days.

The first weigh-in: 147.4

 

Week 9 weigh in for Eat Bread 90: 142.4 lbs.

Week 9 weigh in: 142.4 lbs.

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Stay young and eat bread!
 by Lin Carson

Week 7: Wanna Stay Young? Eat Bread!

All this nonsense talk about how grains are inflammatory is cow dung. Think you need to cut bread from your diet? Think again. A new study reveals that grain foods—such as bread— are key for providing essential nutrients for missing from adult diets.

Across the board, American adults struggle with eating ideal levels of nutrients such as fiber, folate, and iron for women. This shortfall becomes even greater with older generations. So, researchers looked into what food groups could help fill in these deficits, adding energy and nutrition.

Grains was one of the most versatile and impactful foods. Among the 15 main food groups, they ranked:

  • 1st for thiamin (33%) and niacin (23%)
  • 2nd for daily dietary fiber (23%), iron (38%), folate (40%), and magnesium (15%)
  • 3rd for daily calcium intake (13%)
  • 4th for energy contributor (278 kcal/day or 14% of all energy in the total diet)

But to eat bread isn’t the same as eating just grains.

That’s right, but breads with whole grains are a great vehicle for those benefits. The study compared 46 food categories. Here’s how bread, rolls and tortillas stacked up:

  • 1st for daily thiamin (16%) and niacin (10%) intake
  • 2nd for dietary fiber (12%), iron (12%), folate (13%), and magnesium (7%)
  • 2nd largest contributor of energy (50 kcal/day or 8% of all energy in the total diet)

The study concluded that grain foods and bread products provide the greatest percentage of the most under consumed nutrients than added calories—or the most “nutrient density” for a diet.

 

Not only that, but the report concludes REMOVING grains will lead to “unintended nutrient intake consequences”—creating a larger nutritional deficit.

 

Grains are packed full of key nutrients that our bodies need to function and be healthy. And as this study shows, bread is one of the most efficient and practical ways to give our bodies what they need. So think about that before you decide to go carb-free!

My weight at the start of the 90 days.

The first weigh-in: 147.4

 

Week 7 weigh in for Eat Bread 90: 143.4.

Week 7 weigh in: 143.4 lbs.

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bread whole grain
 by Katie Jones

Whole Grain Bread is a Whole Food

Whole grain bread is a whole food. A quick look at Dave’s Killer Bread 21 whole grains and seeds nutritional panel shows a food that is low in saturated fat (0g), a good source of dietary fiber (3g), and a good source of  manganese (25%). Let’s take a look at the benefits of eating whole grain bread and the nutrients found in them.

What are the benefits of low saturated fat?

Saturated fat can be recognized by its ability to stay solid at room temperature. Think about coconut oil, butter, and lard – they are all solid when left on the counter. Those are the obvious examples. Saturated fat can be kind of sneaky when it comes to processed foods. Aside from being incredibly tasty, pizza,bacon, donuts and ice cream are high in saturated fat.

So, what is the big deal? Why is the American Heart Association against fun foods?

It comes down to a pretty major disease known as heart disease. Heart disease is the number 1 cause of death in the US. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 614,348 people died from heart disease in 2014.

And 23.4% of all deaths were from heart disease.

What does that have to do with whole grain bread? Well, decades of scientific research have proven whole grains can lower your “bad” cholesterol and lower your risk for heart disease. Eating foods that are low in saturated fats can give you a 23.4%  better chance to live to 101.

whole grain bread, whole grains, fiber, heart, healthy, diet

What are the benefits of dietary fiber?

You have probably heard that we all need to eat more fiber. Whole grain breads that contain at least 3% dietary fiber can  positively affect your  health. Did you know that eating high fiber foods can make you feel fuller longer?  This is because the fiber slows the rate that sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. This slow absorption keeps blood glucose from spiking then falling rapidly. That feeling of hunger is due to rising and falling glucose triggering us to overeat. Foods high in fiber also keep your intestines working properly. Think of fiber as an internal loofa! It cleans bacteria and waste buildup in your intestines reducing the risk of colon cancer and keeping you regular.

Forget about those new cleansing diets where all you do is drink juice; a few slices of whole grain bread with your favorite spread will help you go with the flow!

What are the benefits of manganese?

Whole grain bread is full of essential minerals. What makes minerals essential? All that means is that your body requires these workhorses to continue to function. Essential minerals are categorized by how much our bodies need. You are probably most familiar with the macro minerals: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur. However, there are also important trace minerals our bodies require such as iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium.

Manganese is a mineral needed in trace amounts by our bodies. Manganese is found in the bones, liver, and kidneys. It is an essential part of many important enzymes involved with energy production, bone and ligament formation, protein and fat metabolism. More study is needed to fully understand how this trace mineral help our bodies function, but researches have learned that deficiencies in manganese can result in arrhythmia, epileptic seizures, abnormal bone, cartilage and disk degeneration (Campbell 2001).

How can you get whole grains in your diet?

Whole grain bread provides some pretty great health benefits when eaten as part of your diet. Aside from the benefits of low saturated fat, being a great source of fiber, and containing many essential minerals it is incredible versatile. You can eat it with an endless selection of toppings from sweet to savory or just toasted with some butter.

When choosing a whole grain bread check for these ingredients on the label:

  • whole wheat
  • graham flour
  • oats
  • brown rice
  • whole-grain barley
  • whole-wheat bulgur
  • whole rye

If you would like to learn more about the health benefits of eating whole grains, check out the research published in the Journal of Nutrition:

If you would like to learn more about essential minerals and your health read:

  • Campbell, J.D. “Lifestyle, minerals and health.” Medical Hypotheses 57.5 (2001): 521-531.
Daves Killer Bread whole grains nutrtional pannel

Nutritional panel for Dave’s Killer Bread 21 whole grains and seeds.

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bread misconceptions and myths
 by Katie Jones

10 Bread Misconceptions Debunked

When did bread become the enemy to healthy living?  Bread has been around since the beginning of civilization. It is a fundamental food containing gut-healthy fiber, magnesium and protein.

Bread has served as a lunch time companion to meat and veggies or an accompaniment to soup at supper. And where would our breakfasts be without toast or french bread? Cruising around the internet, however, I read so many bread misconceptions and myths.

bread misconceptions, bread myths, bread, healthy

Here are the top 10 bread misconceptions:

  1. Bread makes you fat
  2. Bread causes bloating
  3. Brown bread is healthier than white
  4. Bread causes joint inflammation
  5. Bread is empty calories
  6. Bread causes diarrhea
  7. Eating bread is bad for your blood sugar
  8. Bread is less nutritious than it used to be
  9. Gluten Free bread is healthier
  10. Bread is high in salt

If you follow along with us at EB90 we will be setting the record straight on these common myths. But here I’ll address a few.

Bread makes you fat. False. A bad ratio of calories in and calories out, along with eating food low in nutrition and high in fats, makes you fat. However, by balancing your calorie intake there is plenty of room for bread in a healthy diet. In fact, whole grain breads offer needed nutrients, like fiber, and help you feel full longer.

Brown bread is healthier than white bread. Not quite. The color of bread depends on the type of wheat used: white wheat or red wheat. The nutrition depends on how much of the whole kernel of wheat is used. So you can eat whole grain white bread, that is chalk full of nutrition. Here’s one that I like. Just look for whole grain breads, and you’ll be getting the healthier loaf.

Bread is empty calories. Nope. Bread is bursting with ingredients we need in our daily diet. With whole grain bread, you receive high amounts of fiber and protein. Plus, whole grains are good for your heart.

Eating bread is bad for your blood sugar. Not with this bread! There are a number of breads that have a low GI index and still taste great.

Gluten-free bread is healthier. Actually, it’s usually the opposite. In order to replace grains that have gluten, gluten-free breads use ingredients like rice, potatoes and tapioca. These food are high in starch and sugar. Plus, there is usually little fiber. And unless you are suffering from celiac disease, there’s no reason to cut out gluten.

What bread myths have you been telling yourself?

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fruit-meat-cheese-spreads-eat bread 90
 by Lin Carson

What is This Pain? Day 6

Double Fiber bread by Orowheat.

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.

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.

fruit-spread-bread-eat bread 90

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

 

Turkey-bread-spread-eat bread 90

Turkey with Artichoke Bruschetta.

 

bread- spread-nuts- eat bread 90

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 Breeze® Almond Milk 1 Cup 100
Total 1830

 

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