The simple mixture of flour, water, yeast, and salt –bread -produces a complex story.  A prominent provision in history (loaves were found in Egyptian tombs), bread still weighs heavily into our diet and rises high within our social life, religion, and emotions.

In Tom Standage’s book titled An Edible History of Humanity, the author showcases a letter written by one of Napoleon’s soldiers that reads “If I met anyone in the woods with a loaf of bread, I would force him to give me half – no, I would kill him and take it all.”  Has your craving for carbohydrates ever caused you to attack your waiter who has yet to deliver the bread basket?

We are passionate about bread yet collectively confused over its nutritious value, especially in America.  In Fresh, a Perishable History , author Susanne Freidberg details the bread for health buzz in the late 19th and early 20th century, “In 1880, the chemist E.O. Atwater, founder of what became known as the New Nutrition  convinced many American scientists, policy makers, and social reformers that the ideal diet was one based on the cheapest and most compact fuels”. The recommendations: vegetables out and wheat flour in!  In 1925, Wonder Bread became America’s first sliced bread and a must-have in all grocery carts.  Fast forward to the 1960s and Dr. Atkins, whom induced carb anxiety in most of us, then the bagel and fat-free craze of the ‘90s…and a few more stops and go on the assembly line and you understand this continent’s commonly felt frustration.

So, should we break bread or ban it?

As a Nutritionist, I have a few recommendations that help conserve carbohydrate cash, while also allowing us to experience the life.

1.  When bread is not the central focus of a meal and is being used simply as a means of holding other ingredients, replace it with lighter options.  Romaine lettuce, Cabbage, and Nori make beautiful “sandwiches.”   With a lighter crust, the core is actually celebrated.

2.  If you truly need the taste of bread to satisfy daily (perhaps you enjoy almond butter and banana sandwiches or toast with organic butter and honey), I recommend Living-Grain bread, which is easily digested and free of chemicals and preservatives.  Ezekiel and Manna are two brands I favor.  Both are found in the refrigerator or frozen section of most supermarkets.

3. Make your own bread.  As M.F.K Fisher wrote in The Art of Eating “No yoga exercise, no meditation in a chapel filled with music will rid you of your blues better than the humble task of making your own bread.”  If you don’t have time to make it exactly from scratch there are fantastic organic mixes including Bob’s Red Mill and Cause Your Special.

4. Seek out high quality bread when going for the real stuff.  In a 10/11/2009 article in New York Times Magazine, baker Jeff Ford is profiled.  Ford takes such care in selecting pure, local, and organic ingredients that the author states, “Even a Manhattan nutritionist could probably polish off a loaf without bloating.”  Though I have not had the privilege of eating Ford’s bread, bakery bread is best.  Many chain-store brands’ ingredients include Potassium Bromate, which is categorized as 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

5.  When you go out to eat, follow this rule: Resist the bread basket, except if the bread comes out steaming hot and soft.  Fresh from the oven is when I indulge and enjoy a satisfying slice.  At most restaurants, the bread comes out cold and almost stale so keeping to this rule is effortless (unless you return to the warm/soft serving restaurant day after day!)

I understand that the bond with bread is strong.  However, understanding your relationship with bread and when you actually knead it (could not resist!), will help keep you satisfied and slim.