As I skipped past the bread aisle in Nob Hill, something
suddenly dawned on me. I couldn
’t remember the last time my mom and I actually purchased a loaf
of bread.
As I skipped past the bread aisle in Nob Hill, something suddenly dawned on me. I couldn’t remember the last time my mom and I actually purchased a loaf of bread. In fact, the suggestion is almost laughable. Bread? What would I do with that? Certainly I could never possibly digest refined white flour.
And we’re not the only ones who’ve abandoned our longtime tasty white flour friends. It seems that within hours the entire nation decided white flour was the devil. I glanced down the archaic, empty aisle and for one guilty second stared longingly at a loaf of cinnamon raisin swirl bread.
I could see the sadness in that loaf of bread. It called out to me, “Don’t you remember those early Sunday mornings we spent together? Can you really turn your back on everything we’ve had?” But I ignored the cinnamon bread’s fatal plea and headed straight for the Meat Department instead.
I started wondering why supermarkets even have a bread aisle. Small children pass by it in fear, grabbing onto their mother’s arm for protection from the mysterious “fluffy stuff” in plastic bags. Cobwebs are beginning to form over the Wonder Bread that’s not so wonderful anymore.
Bread has become a thing of the past; toasters are now being used for footstools or have been carelessly tossed in the garage next to last years must-have-Stairmaster. Will the day ever come when I can eat a slice of toast without hearing about the harmful effects of carbohydrates?
Suddenly, my world has been turned upside down. Every other word shooting out of peoples mouths is Atkins diet this and protein that. The food pyramid, something relied upon as a sort of dietary Bible, is now completely wrong? Consuming 12 servings of bread and pasta a day would now be considered a sick and twisted death wish.
I can’t point out the exact day that potatoes and toast vanished from my life. All I do know is that I now instantaneously substitute them for cottage cheese and slices of tomato. Now, when I walk up to the counter at Super Taqueria, the woman immediately says, “I know, I know. No beans! No beans!”
And believe me, working at the Morgan Hill Bakery has been quite the challenge to my no carb diet.
After my confrontational run-in with the cinnamon raisin loaf, I felt it was only fair to go home and do some research about my newfound carbohydrate phobia, so that the next time I was confronted I’d have some valuable data to back my sudden aversion.
After getting the skinny on carbohydrates, my fears were confirmed. Refined white starch is as damaging as pure sugar. White flour has been striped of valuable nutrients, whereas whole grain breads are less processed and therefore provide fiber and important nutrients. Basically, white flour does nothing for your body other than effect your metabolic rate and it eventually becomes stored as fat.
Your body still needs carbohydrates for overall nutrition. The trick is deciding between “good” carbs and “bad” carbs. Good carbs include brown rice, wild rice, whole grains, veggies and fruits. Bad carbs would be things like white rice, white flour, white pasta, pastries, donuts, cakes, cookies, white breads and refined sugary cereals.
Statistics prove that the nation has wised up to the effects of white flour on your health. The average person ate less than 139 pounds of flour last year, which was the first time in nine years that the figure fell below 140 pounds. The best suggestion is just to choose wisely. Whole grain products and fruits and vegetables are a much better choice.
Another great thing about switching to whole grain foods is the fact that they are higher in fiber. Most Americans only consume 1/3 of the recommended 25-35 grams of fiber a day. A high-fiber diet has been shown to prevent diverticulosis, help lower cholesterol and possibly protect against certain types of cancer.
Another reason to avoid white starch and sugars is the sudden rise of diabetes. Including undiagnosed cases, authorities believe about 17 million Americans, nearly 6 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes today. And if the Center for Disease Control’s predictions are accurate, 45 million to 50 million U.S. residents could have diabetes by 2050, said Dr. Kevin McKinney, director of the adult clinical endocrinological unit at the University of Texas Medical Center in Galveston.
It can be difficult to avoid carbs and you don’t realize how many meals are centered around them until they become your focused enemy. But there are some delicious substitutes.
Instead of using noodles for spaghetti, my mom uses a “spaghetti squash” and I like it even better, and to top it off it actually has nutritional value for my body. And if you’re like me and can’t give up your love for bagels, go for a whole wheat or pumpernickel bagel instead, and only eat half.
My friend Leah’s mom has been on the Atkins diet and has created some amazing recipes. After sampling one of Mrs. Davis’ main dishes, you’ll forget refined carbs ever existed. Whenever Leah comes over after dinner she knows, without question, that she must have some sort of Tupperware container in hand, filled with Mrs. Davis’ latest creation, before she can get in the door.
To eat carbs or to not eat carbs? That is the question. I guess for me, I can either choose between giving up toast or wearing a one piece bathing suit for life and finding a guy who likes “full figured” women.
Chrissy Bryant is freshman at San Jose State University. She alternates weekly with Melissa Ballard in writing Teen Perspective. Contact Chrissy at ed****@*************es.com
