“Evil White Villains” - PART TWO – FLOUR and BREAD

Along with sugar, flour is another one of the most malicious obstacles to maintaining health.  Just like sugar, consuming white flour contributes to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and weight gain.  And, like sugar, white flour gives you those unneeded harmful carbs and gluten.

White flour spikes your blood sugar, just as sugar does.  You get that quick burst of sudden energy, but as soon as that disappears, your body is fooled into believing that you are hungry, even when you’re not.  White flour takes longer to digest, so instead of breaking down, your body stores it as fat, which in turn adds pounds to your body.  And, like sugar, white flour can cause tooth decay.

When we think of flour, we may think of baking, but also we think of breads. 

Many people believe that consuming wheat bread is a healthy alternative.  This is a myth, for the most part.  Wheat flour often contains hidden white flour in the ingredients.  Unless you’re eating 100% whole grain wheat bread, avoid the wheat as well as the white.  The 100% whole grain wheat bread may be a little more difficult to find.

 So, now what?  Does this mean we stop eating breads?  Do we stop baking all those yummy goodies, where the recipes call for flour?  Nope!  The good news is that there are numerous recipes for gluten-free, flourless breads, as well as unlimited recipes for some mighty sweet cakes, cookies, and other desserts.  Trust me, when I say “you will NOT miss white flour or sugar, once you begin eating healthy replacements”.  And, you will feel so much better.

 

First, let me tell you about what I’ve substituted for white and wheat bread.  Sprouted bread!  It’s flourless, diabetic-friendly and gluten-free, and I was completely shocked to discover it tastes delicious too.  When I first bought it a little over a year ago, I thought to myself, “I’ll give it a try, but I doubt I’ll be able to eat this stuff”.  I was pleasantly surprised and very satisfied with this bread, and still am!  The one I buy is Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Bread.  However, there are other acceptable healthy brands on the market.  I have tried the Trader Joe’s brand once, but I prefer the Ezekiel brand much better.  However, since we all have different tastes, you may prefer the Trader Joe’s brand.  Or possibly another equivalent brand.

Often you will find these breads in either the refrigerated section or freezer section of your market.  However, some grocery stores have it located on the shelves with the other breads.  Regardless of where you find it in your store, be sure to refrigerate (or freeze) it as soon as you get home.  It will last a long time.  If you don’t refrigerate or freeze it, chances are your loaf will get moldy in just two or three days.  I learned this the hard way, when I went to make a sandwich and discovered green fuzzies on the bread I had purchased and opened just three days before! 

 I'm guessing the healthy natural foods go bad quicker because they don’t have the preservatives to keep them “fresh”.  I’m learning that “fresh” is subjective when it comes to food.  "Fresh" doesn't necessarily equal "healthy".

 

Of the different types of Ezekiel breads, the other one I’ve tried is the Cinnamon Raisin, and it’s delicious!  It’s become part of my breakfast often.  

  

There are others with the Ezekiel label, such as Sesame, and also Flax, as well as English Muffins and Tortillas.  I haven’t tried these, yet, but plan on doing so soon.

And to my surprise, as I was surfing the internet for these photos, I discovered Ezekiel Waffles!!!  I'll be looking for these in my local store.

FYI - As much as it may look like it, this is NOT an advertisement for Ezekiel!  It just happens to be a personal favorite of mine. 

Here's a partial glance into ingredient information.  For more information, check out the manufacturer's (Food For Life Baking Company) website:  http://www.foodforlife.com/

Look for the same in other brands too.

Occasionally I indulge in some sourdough bread, probably more than I should.  I’m pretty sure I’d be better off if I gave it up completely.  I justify it by telling myself it’s the lesser of the bread evils.  There are some sourdough bread recipes that are healthy, but I haven’t tried them, yet.  They seem a little complicated for this simple gal.  But, if you are interested in trying them, just search for “healthy sourdough bread recipes” on Pinterest.  Make sure the recipe includes a sourdough starter.

 

OKAY, that was FLOUR and BREAD - Short and simple.

But, you say you want to bake?  Sure, no problem!  There are several alternative healthy flours.  Here are the ones I’ve used:

                    Almond Flour

                    Coconut Flour

                    Flaxseed Meal

                    Oat Flour

                    Peanut Flour

These are the ones I’ve become familiar with.  I’ve frequently used Almond Flour and Coconut Flour.  As with other healthy ingredients, sometimes adjustments need to be made.  For example, Coconut flour soaks up liquid much faster than other flours, so increasing liquid or decreasing the flour is necessary. 

I’ve even experimented with modifying my famous Pumpkin Bread recipe!  The original recipe calls for 3-1/2 cups of white flour and 3 cups of white sugar – UGH – sooooo unhealthy!  My first couple experiments came out okay – just okay.  I know there’s room for improvement.  I’ll be continuing with this experiment until I’m happier with the results.  When that happens, I’ll be posting the New Improved Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe.

I’ll get further into this later, by posting some yummy sweet baked goodies that I’ve already successfully made.  Even my hubby, who has a major “sweet tooth”, thoroughly enjoys my new healthy recipes! 

For now, I’ll be signing off and leaving you to ponder the information you just learned; and maybe you’ll consider making some healthy changes to your diet, like I have. 

I think it’s important to tell you that for most of my 68 years on this earth, my eating habits used to be rather unhealthy.  I was raised eating fried fatty foods, lots of sugar-laden treats, soda, only starchy vegetable (such as corn), rarely fresh foods, usually canned foods, no green vegetables, no salads, very little fruit, and just very poor eating habits.  It’s all I knew.  So any time I would hear someone speak of nutritious, wholesome foods, all I would hear is “blah blah blah blah blah”, and ignore it.  I was lucky that for most of my life, I felt good, didn’t gain weight and was rarely sick.  So it’s no surprise that I didn’t pay attention to the advice I had heard or read about – until it all caught up with me, and I began gaining weight and having medical issues.  The good news is that it’s never too late to make changes, and I’m so grateful I did!       

With Gratitude and Love,

Ginny