Everyday Systems

I know that No S does not restrict bread eating with your meal and of course in moderation, but I wondered what others thought about the big deal that Enriched flours found in bread, pasta, crackers, etc. process differently in your body and that could be affecting your weight loss/gain.

I found this online:

What does "enriched" mean? Enriched flour is flour in which most of the natural vitamins and minerals have been extracted. This is done in order to give bread a finer texture, increase shelf life and prevent bugs from eating it (bugs will die if they attempt to live off it).

Why is enriched flour bad? When the bran and the germ (the parts of the wheat that contain vitamins and minerals) are removed, your body absorbs wheat differently. Instead of being a slow, steady process through which you get steady bursts of energy, your body breaks down enriched flour too quickly, flooding the blood stream with too much sugar at once. Your body then has to work hard to absorb the excess and stores it as fat. This causes quick highs and lows in your blood-sugar level which can lead to type-two diabetes and obesity. All this and you’re not even getting close to the amount of nutrients that whole grains contain.

Whole grains Whole grains are richer in dietary fiber, antioxidants, protein (and in particular the amino acid lysine), dietary minerals (including magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and selenium), and vitamins (including niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin E).

Health benefits By eating whole grains you reduce the risk of some forms of cancer, digestive system diseases, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Don’t be fooled There are many products that seem healthy on the front but in reality they are not. If the bread you are buying says “soft wheat†or “multi-grain†make sure you still read the ingredients. Most of these breads are primarily made with enriched flour. Even if the word “enriched†is not there, if it does not say “whole†then it’s the same junk. Don’t get fooled by color either. Even if it’s brown, unbleached wheat flour is still missing the bran and the germ that contain essential nutrients as well as the fiber that aids digestion.

Look for products that say 100% whole wheat.

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Over the weekend I went out twice where there was technically a bread basket. I ate the bread with my meal and I had more than one small piece. I was so scared about what this bread would do to me later, but I couldn't stop eating it, especially with the herbed olive oil to make it taste extra yummy.

I wouldn't worry about eating it one time, but I totally agree with that link. It matches some of the things I've read in the past about enriched flour and other simple carbs. That's one of the main reasons why I've switched to mostly using whole wheat flour when I do my baking, and that's why I eat whole wheat bread 99% of the time.

Here I am talking about eating "real food" and at least half of the flour products I eat are from enriched flour -- and I don't worry about it at all. Truly, I think it's really only an issue if most of the food you eat is overly refined and processed and there's little in the way of nutrients and fiber in your diet.


I find it's something that only Americans (or maybe English speakers) worry about. The Italians and French don't worry about the bread (or pasta) they eat. Just Americans.

This is exactly why the bulk of my breads consumption is wholegrain and wholemeal based products or unprocessed rice.

I think the current advice is to go for a balance of whole grains and enriched white flour products. I eat whole grain bread at breakfast and white with lunch. Dinner often doesn't include bread/pasta/rice, but if it does, it's the white stuff. Not only do I not like the taste of whole grains, they sit very heavy in my stomach. Not heavy in a pleasant "gee, I feel satisfied" way, but heavy in a "it feels like I've got rocks in my stomach" sort of way. I also eat a lot of vegetables, legumes and fruits.

I mix them. Whole-grain breads most of the time (and I like making my own) - but I won't turn down a good baguette. Brown rice. Barley (LOVE barley). White pasta (oh well).

I figure they fall into the "20" group of the 80-20 rule as applied to eating. (As in, eat decent food at least 80% of the time, and you won't have to worry too much about the other 20. Eating decent food 80% of the time is actually harder than it sounds.)

KCCC wrote:I mix them. Whole-grain breads most of the time (and I like making my own) - but I won't turn down a good baguette. Brown rice. Barley (LOVE barley). White pasta (oh well).

I figure they fall into the "20" group of the 80-20 rule as applied to eating. (As in, eat decent food at least 80% of the time, and you won't have to worry too much about the other 20. Eating decent food 80% of the time is actually harder than it sounds.)

I like the 80/20 idea, but it bothers me that we even think about it. I think we've gotten over-concerned about food being good/bad. Well, at least those of us who THINK about it!

wosnes wrote:

KCCC wrote:I mix them. Whole-grain breads most of the time (and I like making my own) - but I won't turn down a good baguette. Brown rice. Barley (LOVE barley). White pasta (oh well).

I figure they fall into the "20" group of the 80-20 rule as applied to eating. (As in, eat decent food at least 80% of the time, and you won't have to worry too much about the other 20. Eating decent food 80% of the time is actually harder than it sounds.)

I like the 80/20 idea, but it bothers me that we even think about it. I think we've gotten over-concerned about food being good/bad. Well, at least those of us who THINK about it!

Maybe so... but we're so surrounded by "food cues" for "edible food products" (as opposed to real food!) that it's kind of necessary to be a little mindful.

And I'm trying to monitor a small person and teach him good habits as well, so that's the best way I've found to articulate the balance to him...

I don't think those things are "bad" as much as I think they're "not to be eaten in excess." It may not seem like a big difference, but it sounds different in my head.

Not to mention that most of these "foods" didn't even exist 50 years ago.

Edit: Make that 20 years ago, even 10 years.