The body utilizes nutrients best when they prepared in their natural state. With this knowledge, you can see that a baked potato is more nutritious than French fries. Once the potato is chopped up and deep fried in oils, not only does it contain fat, it contains trans fat – the most unhealthy kind! When it comes to bread and pasta, they are usually made with bleached flours and are heavily processed. It is the process that makes the food less nutritious. With that said, whole grain breads and pastas are more nutritious than their bleached counterparts. 

Also, many people overeat foods, whether they do so intentionally or not. Overeating refers to the act of consuming more calories than your body requires at the time. All one has to do is go out to eat to discover the huge portions served. If you overeat any food, your body will store the excess as fat for future needs (that is, assuming you don’t overeat again, and assuming you are active enough to utilize it as fuel). Another way to contribute to fat gain is to load up on extras. We often ignore the fact that we put sour cream, butter, cheese and salt on our baked potato. We just blame it on the potato. We put tons of ranch dressing on our salad and say “I eat salad everyday.” We put tons of jelly on our bread and say we don’t eat sweets. The little things add up. Don’t eliminate the nutritious item in favor of the sneaky extras. 

Bread, just like anything else, is fine in moderation. Cut down on processed foods in general, and you’ll find that you’ll get healthier and lose bodyfat, too.

Want an alternative to processed breads? Ezekiel bread is used by a lot of athletes who are concerned with their bodyfat. It’s actually made without flour! Check it out here http://www.foodforlife.com/.

Copyright © 2007 by A.M. Birmingham, ISSA CFT