Do you really need bread???

WifeMomDVM · February 2011

So, I've been wondering... what benefit is bread? I mean does it offer any fabulous wonder vitamin or nutrient that can't be found in other foods?

I've made the switch to 100% whole wheat sandwich bread, english muffins, wraps, pastas, etc... I'm trying to eat these things in moderation and am always going over on my carbs (I've noticed fruits have a lot of carbs).

My ultimate goal is to lose enough weight or body fat% to have my ab muscles show through my tummy a little or at least a flat stomach would be great. I've heard "bad carbs", white breads, enriched flours etc... contribute to belly fat. I'm wondering if the healthier 100% whole wheat versions do too?

Can you just live on meat and beans and fruits and veggies and cut out bread? Is there any benefit or is it harmful to cut 100% whole wheat starches out of your diet?

Just curious. Didn't know if I cut breads, potatoes, and pasta out if that would help my diet. I know I already need to eat more protein and am working on that.

Thanks for the input.

sabrinafaith · February 2011

Fiber is important, and you need carbs for fiber. You can eat high fiber crackers instead of bread. Or high fiber cereal. I have a sweet potato almost every night with dinner on days I work out.

amycal · February 2011

You must definitely do not need bread. If you eat enough fruits and vegetables you will get enough fiber.

Naomi91 · February 2011

Lemme tell you what most breads are made of: GARBAGE

haha look at the ingredients list. normally and endless amount of stuff I cannot even pronounce.

There are alot of other good starches out there though :] i would stick with maybe kashi products? or natural stuff like oatmeal

oatmeal is my favorite starch :]

i dont eat bread either. try wrapping your sanwhiches in crunchy lettuce... mmmhmm!

highdimension · February 2011

You don't need wheat in your diet. My husband has celiacs disease and can't eat gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. I switched over to eating a gluten-free diet as well and actually find that I have a lot more energy, am never bloated, and noticed significant weight loss (I lost the 50 lbs from having a baby due to a gluten-free diet). It's not the same as Atkins though. I still ate carbs like rice and potatoes, just not wheat.

Hope that helps.

blitz2011 · February 2011

I hope not! i haven't had bread in 3 months...

anovasjo · February 2011

Bread, no.
Carbs, yes.

305muscle · February 2011

bread its not necessary at all if you stop eating breads you will see changes way sooner

Naomi91 · February 2011

You don't need wheat in your diet. My husband has celiacs disease and can't eat gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. I switched over to eating a gluten-free diet as well and actually find that I have a lot more energy, am never bloated, and noticed significant weight loss (I lost the 50 lbs from having a baby due to a gluten-free diet). It's not the same as Atkins though. I still ate carbs like rice and potatoes, just not wheat.

Hope that helps.

ooh! this helps me

i am always bloated i swear. as soon as i eat carbs i get a round tummy

really got rid of bloating?

WifeMomDVM · February 2011

Ah ha! I thought so! Thanks everyone! From now on my carbs and fiber are coming from fruits and veggies (and maybe oatmeal).

highdimension · February 2011

Yes, I NEVER get bloated since cutting out wheat. Honestly, I don't think wheat is good for you, but it's difficult because it is in everything - soy sauce, sauces, dressings, soups. You have to substitute gluten-free flours and it's hard to eat at restaurants, but I find that it's worth it.

imperfectlyhere · February 2011

We eat all wheat producst for bread,pasta,etc but i rarely go over on carbs....i will never give my bread up just have reduced how much i eat.

Grokette · February 2011

You must definitely do not need bread. If you eat enough fruits and vegetables you will get enough fiber.

Amen!!

This is what I was going to say.

Grains are not vital to our health and well being and most times Grains are more detrimental to our health than helpful............

Grokette · February 2011

You don't need wheat in your diet. My husband has celiacs disease and can't eat gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. I switched over to eating a gluten-free diet as well and actually find that I have a lot more energy, am never bloated, and noticed significant weight loss (I lost the 50 lbs from having a baby due to a gluten-free diet). It's not the same as Atkins though. I still ate carbs like rice and potatoes, just not wheat.

Hope that helps.

With Atkins you eventually eat brown rice and potatoes. So in reality its not much different than Atkins.

I am gluten free also.

AnneMK5 · February 2011

I cut out all sugars and flours a month ago and am feeling fantastic. No more bloating and no more cravings for those bad carbs. It has been proven (for most people) that when you eat sugars and flours there is the same kind of chemical reaction in the brain as when an alcoholic has alcohol. That's why us food(sugar) addicts have those cravings to eat more bad carbs even when we know we're already full.

ThatDollSally · February 2011

Bread is not necessary, but don't take that to mean that carbohydrates aren't. There are necessary processes that your body needs carbohydrates in order to carry out. During the Atkins craze there was a girl in my area that went into a coma and died because her body couldn't do what it needed to. As long as you get those carbs from other sources you should be fine.

Grokette · February 2011

Bread is not necessary, but don't take that to mean that carbohydrates aren't. There are necessary processes that your body needs carbohydrates in order to carry out. During the Atkins craze there was a girl in my area that went into a coma and died because her body couldn't do what it needed to. As long as you get those carbs from other sources you should be fine.

I am not going to argue with you, I am going to state my point and keep it moving.

However, there is no way that someone died from eating 0 carbs. We can survive just fine with eating 0 carbs and be very healthy. Weird, maybe - but nothing unhealthy.

I know several people that eat 0 carbs, beef and water are about all they eat. Boring, yes - but they don't mind and they are more fit than ever in their life.

Please research the Inuit Tribe. They eat nothing but meat and fat. They are some of the healthiest people on earth.

The Inuit do, though, show us that an-all meat, zero carb diet has the potential to be healthy. It might even be desirable for certain people if (here comes the tricky part), as I said, they use organic range-fed whole animals – muscle meat, fat, organs, offal, stomach contents – to get the whole spectrum of fat-soluble nutrients and vitamins.

happymom1197 · February 2011

I don't eat bread often, however my children love sandwiches & wraps. Every now & then I have a craving for toast or
A sandwich. I have tried lots of " healthy" breads. What satisfies me & does the least amount of damage to my diet is healthy life low calorie bread. 35 calories per slice. Not healthy, per se. But it works for me:)

melleyd · February 2011

It definitely helps me to NOT eat bread, pasta, cereal and potatoes!! As far as fiber goes, if you are eating enough fruits and veggies, you will get plenty so you do not need to get high fiber crackers, etc. This is just what the food marketers are doing (adding fiber) because they know we don't eat fruits/veggies like we should! I don't eat much bread at all and i don't miss it one bit. Beans and nuts are very filling if you're still way too hungry not eating bread.

I do eat some oatmeal, it is quite satisfying and filling!

Sparklewolfie · February 2011

I binge on bread so have been trying to avoid it :laugh: good to know that it is not bad for my health! Rice is still hard to give up though

benitocereno · February 2011

I need bread, bread is delicious!

But no, like everything else you eat, there's something that can replace it.

get_it_gone2012 · February 2011

There are tonnes of ways to get around bread, haha!
Try whole wheat tortillas, or stoned wheat crackers (with lower sodium), or whole wheat pitas, or... and the list goes on.

freerange · February 2011

Heck yes, I need bread, can't live without it, that's why I don't do the Atkins diet.

But to answer your question, no you don't "need" bread, or anything else for that matter (other food) you can always get what you need from some other sourse, just look a Vegans they haven't all died from lack of animal protien. But there are healthy choices to be made, white=bad, if you can't dunk it in a glass of watter without it falling apart as you try to bring it back out,,,,,, BAD, if you can blind fold a friend and place a slice in their hand and they can't feel it,,,,,,,, BAD. If you drop a loaf and it breaks the kitchen tile,,,,,, GOOD.

Do you really need bread???

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