Bread ... What is a healthier substitute?

Rage_Phish

I wrap my normal sandwich stuff in a big lettuce leaf. Works for tacos, burgers, sandwiches, etc.

Please stop with the silliness, that is not an adequate substitute

you are the most predictable poster on this site

kirstiejess

Just eat the bread!!!! Goood gracious!!!......and we wonder why people have eating disorders!!!

LOL, I guess I have an eating disorder because I don't eat bread :laugh:

You clearly cannot think and rationalize correctly. It is very clear that the point of the ED statement was to say that we, as a society, have all of these fantastical ideas about what does and does not cause weight loss. People become so obsessed with these ideals that they (some people) form eating disorders. It is an unhealthy obsession to eliminate what you like from your diet and can lead to extreme diets.

Can you comprehend?

The OP says she thinks she'd like to eat less bread and asks for alternatives at lunch and suddenly this ^^ extrapolation??

And you are asking others if they can comprehend?

THANK YOU!!

kerrianne86

Eat the bread. Find better breads to eat, though. Good, healthy bread can be a part of any life..................unless you've got that gluten thing going on (like EVERYONE has that gluten thing.........hmmmm :yawn: )

I agree... Everyone seems to be "gluten intolerant" these days :noway:

BarbieAS

I wrap my normal sandwich stuff in a big lettuce leaf. Works for tacos, burgers, sandwiches, etc.

Please stop with the silliness, that is not an adequate substitute

Wait. Why is it silly for you? He is eating it and it's going in his body.
Apparently its working for him and it seems he is enjoying.

Please explain how is it silly for you.

A lot of people who are afraid of vegetables like to claim that "moderation" means eating tiny portions of the "good" stuff and apparently nothing else, no matter how hungry you are. Heaven forbid someone use a lettuce leaf or add vegetables to a stir-fry or pasta.

I'm huge on moderation and "making it fit", I just can't understand why "making it fit" doesn't ever incluce swapping in an egg white or a vegetable. Someone already went off on cauliflower.

So, so, so many times this. Every time I see one of these threads and I see all the "ew!! never substitute XYZ!! it will never be as good!!" responses, I see red.

Sometimes, I plan out my day, and I say to myself "self, with this plan, you're over your calories by 200 and your carbs by about 40. we need to cut something out. what shall we do?" Obvious answer is obvious: remove the bread from my lunchtime sandwich (or re-tool my lunch entirely) and replace it with something else.

Creating MODERATION means that sometimes you cut things out and sometimes you don't, and yet so many people seem to gloss over the first part of that statement. Yes, bread is magical and delicious. No, lettuce is rarely better than bread. But if I ate exactly what I wanted 100% of the time then my weight would still be on the way up rather than the way down. Moderation means continuing to eat some things that you love and, in order to make that happen, removing some of the things you love (not forever, no, but here and there - balance it out). Maybe today I don't have bread with my sandwich so I can have ice cream for dessert. Maybe tomorrow I have that bread, and I skip dessert that day. Asking for ideas for a different way to eat a sandwich that doesn't involve bread is totally reasonable, as long as the person isn't intending to NEVER EVER eat bread again.

With that said, my idea is to take all your sandwich insides and chop them into a salad instead :happy: .

??

No one's saying you get to eat exactly what you want all of the time. And moderation says you don't have to remove any of the things you love to eat (you can if you want). But you don't necessarily get to eat as much of it as you would like.

The point those of us who think this way are trying to make is don't make a sub-standard meal with some substitution that ruins the 'essence' of the meal. Doing that won't satisfy your taste for the meal you wanted anyway - so why do it? Just eat something else that is good and tasty, or eat less of the real thing.

Obviously, if making a substitution doesn't ruin your enjoyment of the food, make all the substitutions you want.

Nope. "Just eat the GD bread!!!!" actually DOES suggest that one should eat exactly what they want all of the time.

The OP specifically requested substitutions, which to me suggests that she's open to finding something that doesn't decrease her enjoyment of her food to the point that it wouldn't be satisfying. Tons of people jumped on her like that was the stupidest thing they'd ever heard. Sometimes, when your calorie goal is at the lower end of the spectrum (I don't know the OP's calorie goal, this is more of a general response to that attitude), or if your plan for the day includes larger/less balanced meals elsewhere, there isn't room for even "less" bread if you want to eat enough food at that meal and/or if you want to spend your carbs elsewhere. When you're in that situation, volume is equally important to satisfaction as food choice, so moderation becomes "sometimes you get to eat it, sometimes you don't." I'm not saying people shouldn't eat bread if they want to and it fits their goals for the day. I'm just saying that looking for options when it DOESN'T fit your goals is a perfectly fine way to approach things. The automatic response shouldn't be "OMG ewwwwwwwww substitutions are gross!! don't even bother. just eat less!!!" because that's not one size fits all.

FatFreeFrolicking

Eat the bread. Find better breads to eat, though. Good, healthy bread can be a part of any life..................unless you've got that gluten thing going on (like EVERYONE has that gluten thing.........hmmmm :yawn: )

I agree... Everyone seems to be "gluten intolerant" these days :noway:

You can thank hybridization for that :drinker:

ValGogo

Dark rye bread, especially the Russian kind. I particularly love "borodinsky", a sourdough bread. It's so rich one slice keeps you full for hours!

I grudgingly admit that I eat bread like it's going out of style. I know it's not because I can't control it, but because I'm self-indulgent and immature and have become unwilling to cut back. It wreaks havok with my insides becaseu it fills me up and gets me gassy and makes me feel like I want to explode. But oooohhh do I love it. Costco is like hell for me. I walk by the freshly baked mini ciabbatta rolls and the baguettes, oh, lord, it's like crack, baby!

User4428

I have to make a real effort to keep from eating all the bread I would like to. I swear I am driven to crave bread. It's a struggle but necessary to keep my sugar numbers in check. Lunch on a lettuce leaf is a better choice if you are diabetic or pre diabetic.

LoupGarouTFTs

Besides the cutting down on how much bread you eat, also get better bread.

What American's think bread is:

What actual bread is:

One slice of real bread fills you up, toast does not. Also, there are breads that use whole grains *omnomnom*. However, stay away from pumpernickel and sunflower bread. Those are super high in calories.

I don't think you are allowed to post porn on this site.....(Homer Simpson type drool)

I don't find any of those appealing. I eat Whitewheat bread because it has more fiber than the average white bread and it doesn't taste like dirt to me.

SunofaBeach14

Eat the bread. Find better breads to eat, though. Good, healthy bread can be a part of any life..................unless you've got that gluten thing going on (like EVERYONE has that gluten thing.........hmmmm :yawn: )

I agree... Everyone seems to be "gluten intolerant" these days :noway:

You can thank hybridization for that :drinker:

First world problems

LoupGarouTFTs

Eat the bread. Find better breads to eat, though. Good, healthy bread can be a part of any life..................unless you've got that gluten thing going on (like EVERYONE has that gluten thing.........hmmmm :yawn: )

I agree... Everyone seems to be "gluten intolerant" these days :noway:

You can thank hybridization for that :drinker:

First world problems

And if you live in the "first world," what's the issue with that? At least it's not condescension problems . . .

Actually, I think that you can thank the power of suggestion for everyone being "gluten sensitive." People look at their bellies after they've eaten and, instead of saying "I have food in my belly so it's pooching out," they think "my stomach is sticking out after eating bread--I've got a gluten allergy! Dr. FillInTheBlank on social media says so!" The same thing happened after kids were getting Ritalin to treat their disorders--all of a sudden everyone had ADHD kids.

MysteriousMerlin

I just aim for healthier bread and moderate my intake. Whole wheat, high fiber, low carb (like Healthy Life brand).

captmiddy

If you are trying to cut breads for lunches a little, you might consider getting a thermos and trucking soup or a large bowl for a salad. Personally I reduced my bread at lunch by using sandwich thins rather than full slices. They are 100 calories each and seem to have worked well for me. There are a lot of good portable lunch containers that can take pretty much whatever you want, from a bowl of rice to a full on multipart meal. Just be careful if you are taking these to an office that you are storing your food safely so you don't make yourself sick while trying to make yourself healthy.

If you are really doing a sandwich type thing, I would just find a way to fit bread in, because most substitutes just aren't worth it. If you have a microwave you can access around lunch your possibilities get much wider.

SunofaBeach14

Eat the bread. Find better breads to eat, though. Good, healthy bread can be a part of any life..................unless you've got that gluten thing going on (like EVERYONE has that gluten thing.........hmmmm :yawn: )

I agree... Everyone seems to be "gluten intolerant" these days :noway:

You can thank hybridization for that :drinker:

First world problems

And if you live in the "first world," what's the issue with that? At least it's not condescension problems . . .

Actually, I think that you can thank the power of suggestion for everyone being "gluten sensitive." People look at their bellies after they've eaten and, instead of saying "I have food in my belly so it's pooching out," they think "my stomach is sticking out after eating bread--I've got a gluten allergy! Dr. FillInTheBlank on social media says so!" The same thing happened after kids were getting Ritalin to treat their disorders--all of a sudden everyone had ADHD kids.

Anti-hybridization? Seriously? How anti-science can one be? Never mind. Don't answer that.

ErinRibbens

Wow, OP, I'm sorry this thread has so few legit answers in between all the bickering. I know from experience I had a hard time switching my mindset from toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, pizza or pasta for dinner to something a less carb heavy diet. I would never cut out bread entirely, but if you want to eat more protein and vegetables without increasing your calories you have to cut out something! :huh:

Do you have access to a fridge/microwave for lunch? If so you have a lot of options. You can make individual portions of things and freeze them to have later. Salmon or tuna burgers without the bun are great. Roast a chicken and you can make several meals out of that; on salad, or make chicken salad and eat it without a bun. Make a batch of soup and freeze in individual containers, soups are a great way to fit in a lot of veggies and protein without a ton of calories (depending on the recipe, of course!). Stir frys and curries are excellent, too. Or meatballs, you can make a batch and freeze them. Make a bunch of hardboiled eggs, and have a couple with some raw veggies and fruits and cheese or nuts if you need something that isn't reheated. Even if you don't actually eat Paleo (I don't!), you can find a lot of good bread-free recipes and ideas from Paleo cookbooks and blogs. my favorites are Nom Nom Paleo, Well Fed, and Against All Grains.

Hope this helps!

MrTolerable

Just eat the bread!!!! Goood gracious!!!......and we wonder why people have eating disorders!!!

LOL, I guess I have an eating disorder because I don't eat bread :laugh:

You clearly cannot think and rationalize correctly. It is very clear that the point of the ED statement was to say that we, as a society, have all of these fantastical ideas about what does and does not cause weight loss. People become so obsessed with these ideals that they (some people) form eating disorders. It is an unhealthy obsession to eliminate what you like from your diet and can lead to extreme diets.

Can you comprehend?

Holly smokes!!!

Play nice yo!

amusedmonkey

Although you will need to pry my bread from my cold dead hands, some meals and snacks I have can be considered as serving the purpose of bread.

For a small quick snack I user Ryvita high fiber crispbread, it come in many variations like sunflower seed, rye and oats, sesame.. etc. It's very low in calories: 9-40 per piece depending on the kind.

If you are both into wraps and sushi, you can use nori sheets as a wrap for 3 or so calories per sheet. It's not for everyone as it has a strong sea flavor (which is the reason I use it for some kinds of wrap).

MrTolerable

Although you will need to pry my bread from my cold dead hands, some meals and snacks I have can be considered as serving the purpose of bread.

For a small quick snack I user Ryvita high fiber crispbread, it come in many variations like sunflower seed, rye and oats, sesame.. etc. It's very low in calories: 9-40 per piece depending on the kind.

If you are both into wraps and sushi, you can use nori sheets as a wrap for 3 or so calories per sheet. It's not for everyone as it has a strong sea flavor (which is the reason I use it for some kinds of wrap).

nori sheets is a great great tip +1

CitizenXVIII

I wrap my normal sandwich stuff in a big lettuce leaf. Works for tacos, burgers, sandwiches, etc.

Please stop with the silliness, that is not an adequate substitute

Don't knock the lettuce wrap! I do it, not to avoid bread, but so I can eat more of the other things I like better than bread. I have a couple pieces of toast most mornings with my eggs, but I'll lettuce wrap a delicious sandwich so I can have more of the yummy insides. We had burgers at work a couple of weeks ago. Sitting down to eat, another employee asked me, "No bun means you can have two burgers?" Abso-friggin-lutely.

AnitaCRice

I wrap my normal sandwich stuff in a big lettuce leaf. Works for tacos, burgers, sandwiches, etc.

Please stop with the silliness, that is not an adequate substitute

Wait. Why is it silly for you? He is eating it and it's going in his body.
Apparently its working for him and it seems he is enjoying.

Please explain how is it silly for you.

A lot of people who are afraid of vegetables like to claim that "moderation" means eating tiny portions of the "good" stuff and apparently nothing else, no matter how hungry you are. Heaven forbid someone use a lettuce leaf or add vegetables to a stir-fry or pasta.

I'm huge on moderation and "making it fit", I just can't understand why "making it fit" doesn't ever incluce swapping in an egg white or a vegetable. Someone already went off on cauliflower.

So, so, so many times this. Every time I see one of these threads and I see all the "ew!! never substitute XYZ!! it will never be as good!!" responses, I see red.

Sometimes, I plan out my day, and I say to myself "self, with this plan, you're over your calories by 200 and your carbs by about 40. we need to cut something out. what shall we do?" Obvious answer is obvious: remove the bread from my lunchtime sandwich (or re-tool my lunch entirely) and replace it with something else.

Creating MODERATION means that sometimes you cut things out and sometimes you don't, and yet so many people seem to gloss over the first part of that statement. Yes, bread is magical and delicious. No, lettuce is rarely better than bread. But if I ate exactly what I wanted 100% of the time then my weight would still be on the way up rather than the way down. Moderation means continuing to eat some things that you love and, in order to make that happen, removing some of the things you love (not forever, no, but here and there - balance it out). Maybe today I don't have bread with my sandwich so I can have ice cream for dessert. Maybe tomorrow I have that bread, and I skip dessert that day. Asking for ideas for a different way to eat a sandwich that doesn't involve bread is totally reasonable, as long as the person isn't intending to NEVER EVER eat bread again.

With that said, my idea is to take all your sandwich insides and chop them into a salad instead :happy: .

Yes. This!

shapefitter

Besides the cutting down on how much bread you eat, also get better bread.

What American's think bread is:

What actual bread is:

One slice of real bread fills you up, toast does not. Also, there are breads that use whole grains *omnomnom*. However, stay away from pumpernickel and sunflower bread. Those are super high in calories.

Also, rich in essential omega 3, and vitamins? A healthy diet, should include bread, that are rich in fibre. Am I right?