Bread is the Devil

Many years ago, I was eating lunch on the floor with a group of people who were mostly from Middle Eastern and Asian countries. A bit of sauce spilled on the carpet, and without thinking, I grabbed a small chunk of bread and used that to sop up the sauce. Someone immediately chastised me, saying, "That's food! Don't treat food like a cleanup rag!"

I gave it some thought and realized that I can't remember when I last considered bread as food. It ceased to be food for me so long ago. What is it then? Why, bread is pure evil, that's what. It is an addictive, horribly fattening substance. It is a vehicle for butter, another addictive, horribly fattening substance. It is the basis for pizza, another addictive, horribly fattening substance.

I must not be alone in my notions about bread; many of the popular diets of today (such as Atkins and South Beach) eschew bread as something to be avoided, at least in the early weeks of the diet. And when bread is reintroduced back into the dieter's diet, they say it should only be the whole grain variety, not the pasty white bread that is rumored to coat the insides of your intestines with a sticky crud.

This Q&A by Dr. Andrew Weil refers to a study where they found that dieting people eating refined grains like white bread lost less belly fat compared to those eating only whole grains.

Even whole wheat is problematic because it tends to be addictive. This sets up a craving cycle, which is unhelpful when you're dieting. For this reason, Phase 1 (the first two weeks) of the South Beach Diet has you avoiding bread entirely.

In addition, bread (even whole grain) is somewhat high in calories, especially when it contains a sweetener like sugar or honey. I checked the Nutrition Facts on a certain local baker's bread which we often buy and found even the whole wheat version contains 125 calories per slice. And this is the "good" bread...whole grain, hippie-dippy bread with no unpronounceable ingredients!

For now, I think I will be avoiding even home made bread, because I cannot restrain myself from eating half the loaf in one day. Evil yummy bread, get thee gone!

I leave you with this quote from Dr. Andrew Weil
"...there is universal agreement that high fructose corn syrup, white flour, white sugar and hydrogenated fats have no place in any diet. And there is near-universal agreement that a diet should be rich in vegetables and fruits and quality sources of protein, especially fish." Source.