Alternative to bread

Im in search of a bread alternative that is KID FRIENDLY!

They are used to me at least having tortillas for them to put pb and j on. But I'm really torn about buying another package tonight.

Why don't we have bread? Because I can't eat it, and I don't want them to learn that it's an "ok" choice. This decision is based on information from my health coach.

"It's a carbohydrate that when broken down will turn to glucose causing your body to release insulin making it very difficult to lose weight. This will not help you reach your goals. "
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Replies

  • leahraskie
    leahraskie Posts: 260 Member
    Everything that has carbs gets turned into glucose, not just breads, that includes vegetables and fruits. The super low calorie tortillas that are like 60 calories are decent but they are kind of expensive for a package of them.

    Anyway, you could still have bread, most slices have 110-140 for 2 pieces so 55-70 calories for a slice. Tortillas break down in the body the same as bread btw.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    Im in search of a bread alternative that is KID FRIENDLY!

    They are used to me at least having tortillas for them to put pb and j on. But I'm really torn about buying another package tonight.

    Why don't we have bread? Because I can't eat it, and I don't want them to learn that it's an "ok" choice. This decision is based on information from my health coach.

    "It's a carbohydrate that when broken down will turn to glucose causing your body to release insulin making it very difficult to lose weight. This will not help you reach your goals. "

    Glucose is the body's fuel - and there isn't anything wrong with insulin unless your levels are out of wack i.e diabetic (sorry to all the diabetics for being flippant) - health coach huh? How about trying a certified dietician?

    And there isn't anything wrong with bread - there's a reason it's called "the staff of life".
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    I can't imagine a health coach saying that, as the above posters are correct. All carbs are broken down to glucose eventually. Sugar, white bread, white rice, etc. are broken down more quickly than whole grain carbs.
  • farmers_daughter
    farmers_daughter Posts: 1,632 Member
    Um he's given me his credentials but I don't have them off hand, he's thru a workplace screening program. I figure one, he's fit himself, two he's gone to school for this thing, he' obviously knows more than I do. I have no where else to turn, I can't talk to my doctor about it unless I want to pay the entire $250.00 visit. Insurance doesn't cover anything with weight. Edit - that would include a dietician as well. Anyone who does anything with weight control, is out, unless they can charge something reasonable.

    I have to avoid all whites, bread, pasta, rice potatoes...etc. Artificial sugars anything processed, soybean, fructose, oils etc....

    I think what he's trying to do is get my eating super clean, work on quality of food, then I can slowly add things back as I learn how they affect my body. I think anyways.

    I just have to figure it out, because I'm not putting my girls thru a life of learned unhealthy habits.
  • MeganAnne89
    MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
    But eating whole wheat bread is healthy...?

    I understand that he told you that he doesn't want you to eat those things but that in no way shape or form means that carbs are bad for people. Certain people do have digestive disorders that can make it very hard to process those foods, but that doesn't mean that they're bad for everyone else.

    Can I ask what were his reasons for telling you this?

    Do you suffer from some sort of gluten intolerance?
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
    Um he's given me his credentials but I don't have them off hand, he's thru a workplace screening program. I figure one, he's fit himself, two he's gone to school for this thing, he' obviously knows more than I do. I have no where else to turn, I can't talk to my doctor about it unless I want to pay the entire $250.00 visit. Insurance doesn't cover anything with weight. Edit - that would include a dietician as well. Anyone who does anything with weight control, is out, unless they can charge something reasonable.

    I have to avoid all whites, bread, pasta, rice potatoes...etc. Artificial sugars anything processed, soybean, fructose, oils etc....

    I think what he's trying to do is get my eating super clean, work on quality of food, then I can slowly add things back as I learn how they affect my body. I think anyways.

    I just have to figure it out, because I'm not putting my girls thru a life of learned unhealthy habits.

    I'm so confused. Did this 'coach' tell you to cut all these things out?! Poor advice, I'd really question his credentials. What's important for your girls to see is that you can, and SHOULD, enjoy everything in moderation. Make healthy decisions 80% of the time, exercise, and have a fun, anything goes dinner each week. Don't demonize food choices or put yourself down in front of them.

    So now that THAT is off my chest-- I love love corn tortillas. I'm not a bread fan in general (unless it's baked or in the form of a pizza crust), but put something in a tortilla and I'm all over it!

    You can do peanut butter on celery sticks, wrap lunch meat around cheese sticks, make diy lettuce wrap stations, or make your own tortilla pizzas. Healthy eating should be the norm so lead by example and make it fun! Introduce them to sweet potatoes which you can slice and bake into fries that they can dip in low sugar maple syrup or ranch dressing or you can make chips out of them. Air popped popcorn tossed with some mini choc chips, cinnamon and sugar, or a bit of butter and salt is a great snack. Blend steamed cauliflower 1/2 and 1/2 with mashed potatoes--you literally will not be able to tell a difference. There's a cool gadget that turns your veggies into spaghetti--zucchini is a great stand in in a lasagna recipe or with a low fat meat sauce with some cheese.

    Pinterest is an amazing place to find creative, healthy food choices that kids can help make and enjoy.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    Please, please, please do your own research before you deny your children of all delicious breaded things! Bread is not unhealthy.

    Pretty please? :flowerforyou:
  • farmers_daughter
    farmers_daughter Posts: 1,632 Member
    Please, please, please do your own research before you deny your children of all delicious breaded things! Bread is not unhealthy.

    Pretty please? :flowerforyou:
    But with all that I've read that isn't riddled with advertisements (that's frustrating :grumble: ) it is. It's one of the bad carbs, there are good carbs, but it's a bad one. Says the person who as a child I swear had a slice of bread with EVERY single meal.
    So how do you know?? And with that said too, how do you know it's not "labeled as wheat" but essentially white processed bread.

    Trust me I LOVE me my bread!
  • AnnaCVis
    AnnaCVis Posts: 5 Member
    Unless you are allergic to gluten, bread is healthy in moderation. It can be high in calories, but it's not bad for you unless you're allergic.
  • farmers_daughter
    farmers_daughter Posts: 1,632 Member
    I'm so confused. Did this 'coach' tell you to cut all these things out?! Poor advice, I'd really question his credentials. What's important for your girls to see is that you can, and SHOULD, enjoy everything in moderation. Make healthy decisions 80% of the time, exercise, and have a fun, anything goes dinner each week. Don't demonize food choices or put yourself down in front of them.

    So now that THAT is off my chest-- I love love corn tortillas. I'm not a bread fan in general (unless it's baked or in the form of a pizza crust), but put something in a tortilla and I'm all over it!

    You can do peanut butter on celery sticks, wrap lunch meat around cheese sticks, make diy lettuce wrap stations, or make your own tortilla pizzas. Healthy eating should be the norm so lead by example and make it fun! Introduce them to sweet potatoes which you can slice and bake into fries that they can dip in low sugar maple syrup or ranch dressing or you can make chips out of them. Air popped popcorn tossed with some mini choc chips, cinnamon and sugar, or a bit of butter and salt is a great snack. Blend steamed cauliflower 1/2 and 1/2 with mashed potatoes--you literally will not be able to tell a difference. There's a cool gadget that turns your veggies into spaghetti--zucchini is a great stand in in a lasagna recipe or with a low fat meat sauce with some cheese.

    Pinterest is an amazing place to find creative, healthy food choices that kids can help make and enjoy.
    Yes he did, at first it was to limit them to the point where they were eventually gone.

    If I'm allowed to do everything in moderatoin I suck at it. I always over estimate, so then I go back to measuring, and counting every little thing to stay in the green....and that has driven me insane, and to do stupid things like skip meals or two or three...in order to have a danged calorie laden avocado, or somedays a calorie laden cookie. I don't wanna be that either.

    And I do have a zuchinni spagetti maker on teh way. Cutting the little strips with a knife wasn't fooling my kiddos, I think we'll all like this little gadget. It means spaghetti again!!! Which they LOVE!!!!

    And we already do the sweet potato fries in the good ketchup.

    Ugh just so frustrating.
  • mrs_j_smith
    mrs_j_smith Posts: 24 Member
    :noway:
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    You're going to screw up your kids way more telling them bread/carbohydrates are bad. Trust me. Demonizing a food screws up a kid's relationship with that food. You're off your gourd if you think your kids will never go to an event outside of the home that has bread, tortilla, cake, etc.

    Also- you'd just going to add it all back in at the trainer's discretion? Won't that REALLY mess up your kids? Mom says bread is bad but a week later she's eating whole wheat toast? Mom says brown rice is bad but in a month we get to eat it again?

    Teaching healthy habits has to do with providing lots of healthy options (and some less healthy ones). Everything in moderation. Because we don't live in a bubble.

    Otherwise, in 15 years you kids will be on MyFitnessPal in a tearful post about how their coworkers bring donuts to the office and they go through guilt binge cycles because their loving mother forbade whole grains, much less the occasional treat.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,412 Member
    ALL THINGS IN MODERATION!!!! Sure it is good to avoid white breads, white sugar, white rice etc. Lean toward the whole grains, brown rice etc. Whole grain breads, cereal etc taste better too. Don't deny yourself (or your kids) the occasional (gasp) Mickey Ds. In my case I know I would never make a life long habit of avoiding breads and meat. Keep the portions and frequency down and EVERYONE can be happy. BTW Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta.
  • sparacka
    sparacka Posts: 137 Member
    Rather than tell you to feed your children bread (your kids = your business, IMHO), I will share this link for flax bread. I made it earlier in the week and am delighted with how it turned out. My kids ate PB&J on it and it went over well enough. Good luck to you!

    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breads/r/flaxbasicfoc.htm

    ETA: I have turned the food pyramid upside-down and it's working splendidly. I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but have strong suspicions about the cereal companies & the US government being in cahoots.
  • leahraskie
    leahraskie Posts: 260 Member
    Please, please, please do your own research before you deny your children of all delicious breaded things! Bread is not unhealthy.

    Pretty please? :flowerforyou:
    But with all that I've read that isn't riddled with advertisements (that's frustrating :grumble: ) it is. It's one of the bad carbs, there are good carbs, but it's a bad one. Says the person who as a child I swear had a slice of bread with EVERY single meal.
    So how do you know?? And with that said too, how do you know it's not "labeled as wheat" but essentially white processed bread.

    Trust me I LOVE me my bread!

    Whole grain breads where you can see the flecks and chunks of grains aren't processed white bread. Wheat bread is basically white bread with a little more of the outside of the seed left on it, it's slightly healthier but not much. However, that said, these less processed breads have more calories because that bread is dense.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index

    I assume what your food person is going off of would be glycemic loads, he's trying to get you to eat low glycemic load foods. If you moderate what you're eating, like eating 1 piece of bread twice a week isn't going to kill your diet by any means and if your children are safe in their weight they should be fine eating it as well.
  • joepage612
    joepage612 Posts: 179 Member
    I mix flaxmeal and water and they spread it on wax paper and put it in the microwave. it makes kind of a bread-cracker thing.
  • mike_ny
    mike_ny Posts: 351 Member
    Try Wasa crisp bread. They're made with rye, fairly low in calories and carbs, and are great with peanut butter or whatever on them. Despite being a healthy choice, they're very crunchy, so kids should enjoy them too.
  • ebyrnes66
    ebyrnes66 Posts: 15 Member
    Please, please, please do your own research before you deny your children of all delicious breaded things! Bread is not unhealthy.

    Pretty please? :flowerforyou:
    But with all that I've read that isn't riddled with advertisements (that's frustrating :grumble: ) it is. It's one of the bad carbs, there are good carbs, but it's a bad one. Says the person who as a child I swear had a slice of bread with EVERY single meal.
    So how do you know?? And with that said too, how do you know it's not "labeled as wheat" but essentially white processed bread.

    Trust me I LOVE me my bread!

    Okay, you keep suggesting that nobody here possibly has the correct understanding of how bread works, but how are you qualified to make that judgement either? Whole wheat is a complex carb. If you think simple carbs are evil (which is a misinformed view that doesn't take into account our body's need for quick energy, or the many other factors that go into the nutritional profile of a given food) don't have them around. Whole wheat is not a simple carb, and different than white bread in that regard. How do I know it's not "labeled as wheat but essentially white processed bread"? I am not an illiterate, and I know how to read a nutritional label. If it's white bread masquerading as whole wheat bread, you will be able to tell that from the ingredients. Look for 100% whole wheat/grain bread, and you're good to go. Still don't trust that? Make your own bread from whole wheat flour, and you'll have an alternative that has minimal processing/ingredients involved.

    You should be raising your children to understand that a healthy diet includes anything in moderation. Certain foods are better for you, and you want them to be the core of your diet, but no food needs to be off limit to them entirely. Children especially have different nutritional/caloric needs than adults, and benefit from a fully balanced diet (that includes carbs), as they need the energy due to their growth. My mother did the same thing as you, and demonized certain foods when she was on a given diet (Atkins being when bread became a taboo in our house) and it left me with very messed up perceptions of food that have led me to the point I am today, 20lbs overweight despite having already lost 25lb. Do not accidentally give your children an eating disorder because you or some guy with god knows what understanding of the science behind nutrition have suddenly decided to redefine what is healthy and what is not. Bread did not make me or anyone else overweight, a bad relationship with food is the case for like 80% of us. And guess what, all the weight I've lost was done with an exorbitant (even to the point I'll admit it's not that healthy) amount of bread involved.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    Please, please, please do your own research before you deny your children of all delicious breaded things! Bread is not unhealthy.

    Pretty please? :flowerforyou:
    But with all that I've read that isn't riddled with advertisements (that's frustrating :grumble: ) it is. It's one of the bad carbs, there are good carbs, but it's a bad one. Says the person who as a child I swear had a slice of bread with EVERY single meal.
    So how do you know?? And with that said too, how do you know it's not "labeled as wheat" but essentially white processed bread.

    Trust me I LOVE me my bread!

    Okay, you keep suggesting that nobody here possibly has the correct understanding of how bread works, but how are you qualified to make that judgement either? Whole wheat is a complex carb. If you think simple carbs are evil (which is a misinformed view that doesn't take into account our body's need for quick energy, or the many other factors that go into the nutritional profile of a given food) don't have them around. Whole wheat is not a simple carb, and different than white bread in that regard. How do I know it's not "labeled as wheat but essentially white processed bread"? I am not an illiterate, and I know how to read a nutritional label. If it's white bread masquerading as whole wheat bread, you will be able to tell that from the ingredients. Look for 100% whole wheat/grain bread, and you're good to go. Still don't trust that? Make your own bread from whole wheat flour, and you'll have an alternative that has minimal processing/ingredients involved.

    You should be raising your children to understand that a healthy diet includes anything in moderation. Certain foods are better for you, and you want them to be the core of your diet, but no food needs to be off limit to them entirely. Children especially have different nutritional/caloric needs than adults, and benefit from a fully balanced diet (that includes carbs), as they need the energy due to their growth. My mother did the same thing as you, and demonized certain foods when she was on a given diet (Atkins being when bread became a taboo in our house) and it left me with very messed up perceptions of food that have led me to the point I am today, 20lbs overweight despite having already lost 25lb. Do not accidentally give your children an eating disorder because you or some guy with god knows what understanding of the science behind nutrition have suddenly decided to redefine what is healthy and what is not. Bread did not make me or anyone else overweight, a bad relationship with food is the case for like 80% of us. And guess what, all the weight I've lost was done with an exorbitant (even to the point I'll admit it's not that healthy) amount of bread involved.

    1st post? Bravo!
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
    We don't eat bread at home (two of us have gluten intolerance and it's too complicated to make two batches of everything). Instead of bread we make a lot of sandwiches as lettuce roll-ups, open-face sandwiches on a rice cake, or simple serve things like egg-salad or tuna salad bento-style in silicone muffin cups with lots of fruits, veggies and dips on the side. We use spaghetti squash for spaghetti and zuchini for lasagna. If you google "paleo lunches for kids" they'll have lots of non-bread, kid friendly alternatives. That said, I've found that if we don't include some grains at least once a day (oatmeal in the morning, rice or quinoa for dinner) the kids get ravenously hungry. Good luck!
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
    Yes he did, at first it was to limit them to the point where they were eventually gone.

    If I'm allowed to do everything in moderatoin I suck at it. I always over estimate, so then I go back to measuring, and counting every little thing to stay in the green....and that has driven me insane, and to do stupid things like skip meals or two or three...in order to have a danged calorie laden avocado, or somedays a calorie laden cookie. I don't wanna be that either.

    And I do have a zuchinni spagetti maker on teh way. Cutting the little strips with a knife wasn't fooling my kiddos, I think we'll all like this little gadget. It means spaghetti again!!! Which they LOVE!!!!

    And we already do the sweet potato fries in the good ketchup.

    Ugh just so frustrating.

    If you think you went insane just trying to eat the foods you enjoy in moderation, it will be even worse not being able to eat them at all.

    Besides, with a really strict diet, you're going to end up rebounding very soon. You're going to gain back all the weight you lost and probably even more.

    I suggest you keep trying to eat in moderation. You will fail, and often, but just keep at it until you can manage to gain control. It took me MONTHS to get used to eating in moderation. There's no counting how many times I failed. But eventually I finally learned how to control myself. Now instead of having the entire box of pizza, I can have just a slice or two. And that's a much better alternative to not being able to eat the foods I enjoy at all.
  • summer8it
    summer8it Posts: 433 Member
    Your children are growing, so since you are interested in nutrition, please do some research into optimal nutrition for growing children. Nutritional needs for growing kids are very different than nutritional needs for adult women who need to lose weight!

    That said, my son loves to eat lettuce wraps instead of sandwiches. We roll up turkey, cheese, etc. in large leaves of romaine or green leaf lettuce. It's one of his lunchbox staples... along with granola bars, pretzels, and other items that I only eat in moderation because I want to maintain my weight.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Bread is kid friendly.
    I went through a stage where I really questioned different types of food (milk, grains, etc)
    I was trying really hard to feed my growing family well!
    Conclusion for me: it was totally unnecessary and not correct! Bondage! I do wish we could always have raw milk!
    I did have a good take-away from the whole experience....I really learned to expand my menu options. I can make any style of meal, from raw vegan, sprouted breads, to BBQ feast! It's so fun and delicious! We eat vegetarian or even vegan meals, or grainless sometimes....depending on the weather, our mood, what we have on hand.
    Personally, I would never deny my family delicious grains, or any other type of food. I don't think that is healthy.
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
    Umm your doctor is off his rocker. All carbs turn into glucose. And your body is supposed to produce insulin to metabolize it. I mean what the heck? Beans, potatoes, carrots, fruits....it doesn't matter, it all turns into glucose. Glucose fuels the body and brain.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    I was going to say lettuce, but then I saw it was for your kids. Pb&j would be gross on lettuce. Give them bread. Buy the lite high fiber kind so they're getting fiber. I lost over 60 lbs eating veggie burgers on hamburger buns every day for lunch when I first started getting serious, and I know I'm not special.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    searching for recipe...
  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    I know I'm going to be truly hated for saying this.
    But I happen to like your health coach.
    He's balancing your diet according to your health matters
    rather than your calories.
    We wont die without bread. A burger can taste as good without
    bread or a bun. (I know you probably don't eat burgers).
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    I know I'm going to be truly hated for saying this.
    But I happen to like your health coach.
    He's balancing your diet according to your health matters
    rather than your calories.
    We wont die without bread. A burger can taste as good without
    bread or a bun. (I know you probably don't eat burgers).

    No she won't die without bread. But if her kids like it why can't they eat it?
  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    Just spotted the vegan bread. I'm stealing that recipe.
    I'm not a vegan, but that bread sounds amazing....
  • Lyndonbearsmommy
    Lyndonbearsmommy Posts: 1,083 Member
    Try Wasa crisp bread. They're made with rye, fairly low in calories and carbs, and are great with peanut butter or whatever on them. Despite being a healthy choice, they're very crunchy, so kids should enjoy them too.

    Is that in the regular bread aisle?