Bread - Which One?

What are your parameters? These questions always come up, and they all have the same answer: Define "healthier" or "better", and then you won't have to ask the question.

Yeast needs some sugar. Do you have a problem with honey, or corn syrup, or cane sugar or whatever? Well then you have defined one of the parameters for your answer.

What about fiber/whole grains? Is this important to you, or are you fine with white flour? what about enriched? define this for yourself, and again; you are closer to your answer.

The point is; there is no objective answer to "which is healthiest/best", and there's a hundred subjective answers.

Take me; I have haemachromatosis and high iron. For me the answer to the healthiest bread is: Lowest calories, low iron. The amounts of fat, protein, and the kind of sugar to feed the yeast don't matter to me. This means wheat (not 100% whole wheat) or white flour, not enriched .. basically crappy white or wheat bread .. is healthiest .. *for me*.

The problem is; there's a lot of people who will tell you there is only one right answer - all our bodies work the same. While this is narrowly true, it's wrong because it ignores the fact that the human body operates in a very wide range of tolerances, and it is possible that everyone's "right answers" are widely varied, but within those tolerances.

Define your parameters, and the answer will become obvious.

exerciseforhealth wrote: »

"Bread is bread" - definately not accurate. There is a world of difference between cheap white bread with no nutritional value and whole grain bread with seeds and whole grains. Whole grain bread will sustain you for longer, keep the tummy rumbles at bay and provide you with plenty of iron and other keep your insulin level.

"No nutritional value" is what makes it healthier for me.

I have struggled with that as well. I try to get whole wheat or whole grain breads but I find the calorie count is really high on just about all bread. I have recently found a flax seed bread that is only 50 calories a slice but it is very dry and doesn't make a good sandwich. I have tried to find bread that is high in fiber and found that even those that say whole wheat or whole grain still have only 2 g of fiber. I have cut down on the amount of bread I eat for that reason, if I do want a sandwich I tend to use one slice and make half a sandwich.

I have started using corn tortillas instead of bread after seeing how many cals two slices of bread add to my intake.

darryn8 wrote: »

RodaRose wrote: »

Basically, bread is bread. Find one you like.
(I do not eat bread because I prefer to spend my calories on other things.)

This is so wrong nutritionally speaking. You want a true nutritional bread? Buy Ezekiel spouted grain bread. Arguably the healthiest bread. Just google it.

It's insanely expensive, like $6 a loaf at our grocery store. I don't believe "bread is bread" at all, but I think the Ezekiel people, Bible verses on the package notwithstanding, are laughing all the way to the bank.

sullus wrote: »

amdied47 wrote: »

Ezekiel bread in the frozen section, it is healthier and no sugar. For my sandwiches though I use the 2 slices for 35 calorie.

Define healthier .... (my feelings on ezekiel and white bread are clear in my profile)

sullus, your profile was awesome. I am not paying 5 bucks (or more) for bread i dont like, and my kids will not eat.