Remember last week, I was going to change my eating habits. After revealing my weight frustration to my doctor, he explained cutting out carbohydrates was more beneficial than exercising.
Cutting Out Carbs Better Than Exercise?
So, I have really been working hard, avoiding potatoes and pasta; which has not been a problem.
I have discovered a few things…
- I HATE steamed cauliflower which has been put through the food processor to replicate mashed potatoes.
- I have felt more tired this week than normal.
- There are only so many salads you can eat.
But, more urgently…MY BIGGEST BATTLE HAS BEEN…
MY BREAD ADDICTION
I love sandwiches for lunch. They are relativity inexpensive, easy to make and are transportable. Great when you work on the road.
However, I have been unable to find a substitute for the Nature’s Own White Bread, my husband and I both enjoy.
Although only 110 calories per two slices, each serving contains 23 grams of carbohydrates.
When trying to keep my carbohydrate intake between 100 – 150 grams per day…that is a bit much.
The first ingredient in this product is unbleached enriched flour.
If you remember from a previous post, this is one of the cardinal ingredients to AVOID for healthy eating.
http://joannsfoodbites.com/eating-real-food-to-lose-weight/
Whole-Grain Bread
My doctor advised eating whole-grain bread.
I knew this might be an issue because I hate the way grain breads have those tinny, tiny seeds in the bread, which get caught in my teeth.
I really don’t like the dry texture of grain bread, so I went on a mission to find a WHITE bread made with whole grain flour.
I discovered Sara Lee’s Whole Grain White Bread.
Calories in Sara Lee Whole Grain White Bread
Nutrition Facts
Sara Lee – Whole Grain White Bread
Serving size is 2 slices.
| Calories | 130 | Sodium | 250 mg |
| Total Fat | 2 g | Potassium | 0 mg |
| Saturated | 0 g | Total Carbs | 26 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 1 g | Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Monounsaturated | 0 g | Sugars | 3 g |
| Trans | 0 g | Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Vitamin A | 0% | Calcium | 30% |
| Vitamin C | 0% | Iron | 10% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
As you can see, this is NOT a good option to my “Healthy White” I have been eating.
It is higher in carbohydrates and calories than my “healthy” Nature’s Own Brand.
The whole grain bread has one less gram of protein.
Make sure you are reading the nutrition labels before you buy what “appears” to be a more healthy product.
For example, Kraft uses phrases like “good source of whole grain” or “excellent source of whole grain” on labels even if the product is mostly refined white flour.
Upon further investigation, I found the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a lawsuit in 2007 for Sara Lee’s misleading advertising on their “whole grain white bread.” Previous labeling suggested the whole grain bread had as much fiber as 100 percent whole wheat bread.
Sara Lee eventually agreed to include additional labeling stating, two slices of bread have 10 grams of whole grain, and that USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recommends consumption of 48 grams of whole grains daily.
In an article on the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Sara Lee contends ,
“its ‘Soft & Smooth Made With Whole Grain White Bread’ is meant to be a transitional product, designed to get consumers who are used to the taste and texture of white bread to consume more whole grains.”
How can it be a transitional product when overall, it is much less healthy for you than their regular white bread product?
Bread is everything!
Lowering my intake of carbohydrates includes all types of traditional bread products.
- Garlic rolls
- Toast
- Pizza
- Pancakes
- Tortillas
- Burittos
- Tacos
- Corn chips
However, I have found a recipe for a bread roll which was endorsed by the Atkins Diet…
Low Carb Revolution Rolls
Ingredients: all at room temperature
3 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons cream cheese
1 sachet sweetener
pinch of salt
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tarter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 355ºF.
Whisk egg yolks, cream cheese, sweetener and salt in a bowl until well blended.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then add cream of tarter and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold in the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture until just blended, be careful not to break the egg whites down.
Fill the batter into a greased 6-cup muffin top pan, or silicone-lined cookie sheet.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Use to make sandwiches or burgers.
I have not made these yet, but it avoids any issue with flour.
As this blog has mentioned before; the distinction between white flour and whole wheat flour is very important, nutritionally.
When whole wheat is refined into white flour, most of the fiber and key nutrients are lost.
White flour has very little nutritional benefits.
So help me kick this bread addition!
Do you have any BREAD solutions or recipes?
2 Comments
Renee
Joann, I made and tried the revolution rolls. Mine were very flat and tasted like very fluffy scrambled eggs. although I liked them, they were not what I would think would be a good alternative for bread. Have you found a replacement in the meantime?
Renee
Just a thought. Can you still enjoy your usual sandwich for lunch but cut carbs in other places? For instance, at breakfast eat mostly protein and fruit and at dinner salad/ veggies with protein. The dietitian I work with always tells me to use the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time eat what you know you should eat and 20% of the time its ok to indulge a little. That is about 4 meals a week you can indulge some. I like knowing that I can cheat a little and have it be ok.