Bread

      One of the major culprits in our Standard American Diet (SAD) is bread. Bread, in some form, is commonly consumed at least two to three times per day. When bread is eaten, it is usually more than one piece, and often in enormous chunks. Bread is making us fat. Bread is making us sick. Bread is killing us.

      That said, some people can get away with it better than others. People with very high metabolisms, people that are extremely physically active, and some people with Type A blood, can get away with eating bread regularly. But for most of us it is trouble wrapped up in the illusion of comfort food, something we grew up with, that Mom gave us to eat everyday. Consequently, removing bread from our daily diet is something that is difficult for most people to wrap their heads around.

      Wheat, even whole grain, organic, non- GMO, is a high-bred. It is very different from anything eaten just a few hundred years ago. Is contains more gluten than previously, and is much less digestible. It has been cultivated as a cash crop for so long that it has been developed and changed to yield more, and be more pest and drought resistant. 

      Wheat ( and corn for all blood types except A) causes insulin insensitivity. That means weight gain, and blood sugar problems, including hypo-glycemia and diabetes, and feeding *Candida. Bread gives most people a peak of energy followed by a crash, a major reason why so many people need a coffee break, or something to revive their energy, in the afternoon after eating that sandwich for lunch, on top of whatever bread product they had for breakfast.       

      Now, don't get me wrong, I love bread, in all it's various forms, and I eat bread. But I view it as a "Feast Day Food", something to be enjoyed occasionally, preferably in small quantities, not on a regular basis. 

      So, what are the *alternatives? Spelt is the original wheat, and much more easy to digest. Sprouted grain breads, as well as the many other assorted grain breads, are healthier choices. But if weight, or fatigue, is an issue any kind of bread, or pastas, other than occasionally, can be a problem. Blood type O's, the most common blood type, do not digest grains well, so for most Type O's, breads, and any grains, should be a small part of the diet, again, depending upon the metabolism and activity level.

       Breads are more highly processed than simple whole grains. Anything cooked or baked, that takes a long time to make, with a number of ingredients is often more difficult to digest than more simple foods. Every culture used to have their feast days, about once per month. Foods that took a long time to prepare, with expensive ingredients, were saved for these special occasions, eaten that day, with few if any left overs. Then people went back to their simple diets. But in our culture, these foods are readily available and inexpensive. Every day has become a feast day. It is taking its toll on us.

     "Now wait a minute," I often hear at this point, "Bread isn't a feast day food! Breads and pastas were the staple in many cultures for many centuries."  True, historically breads and pastas, which can be viewed as about the same thing from the perspective of digestion, were typical peasant food. They got hard working people through long days when little other food was available. They worked off the breads and pastas. But if those peasants didn't have good, regular sources of protein and vegetables they typically didn't live very long. When those peasants came to this country, those physically hard working people brought their peasant foods with them. However, their life styles were very different from ours. Instead of out plowing, and walking about everywhere we need to go, we are sitting in front of our computers working. Even farmers and laborers with horses to ride, or to pull wagons, had a tremendous amount of labor involved in taking care of the horses. With their level of activity we could get away with eating breads, and pastas too. And remember, their wheat was a more ancient form, more nutritious, and more easily digestible than what we have today. I read once that just one slice of bread with dinner every night can add one pound per year to a person's weight.  Most people are eating more than just one slice in a day.

      Minimizing bread in the diet can reduce weight, increase energy, increase mental acuity, reduce the chances of, and even help reverse Adult Onset Diabetes. Minimizing breads, and pastas, from daily consumption can help us reclaim our health individually, nationally, and globally. What a shot in the arm for our health care systems!

* See upcoming article on Candida and bread free.meal alternatives.
      
                                                             Health & Happiness,
                                                                             Nancy Burton, L.Ac.
                                                                                   534 Washington St.  Ashland , OR  97520
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