Most of the time I feel like we’re really making progress.  Patients are looking younger, losing inches, feeling better and decreasing their medications.  Still, not a day goes by that Angie, Barb, Chuck, Doris, Elijah, Fritz, or Gayle doesn’t tell me proudly that they have switched to “wheat bread.”  I thought I covered that, I say to myself.  I thought we discussed the fact that practically all bread is made from wheat.  That buying “wheat bread” is the same as buying “bread.”  That the word “wheat” means nothing in terms of good nutrition unless it is prefaced by the word “whole,” as in “whole wheat.”  That someone is trying to confuse you, and they are succeeding.  That’s when I feel as if I’m climbing a mountain with a Wonder Bread truck tethered to my backpack.

If nothing is working, no matter how hard you try, it’s time to reexamine the fundamentals.  So let’s go back to the beginning, and take a careful look at the words that are being used to sell bread. The goal here is to understand what you are choosing to eat.

When I enter a Subway, the sandwich maker asks me, “White or wheat?”  What are my choices again?  White bread or wheat bread?  But white bread is made from wheat.  And wheat bread is made from wheat.  Both white bread (always) and wheat bread (usually) are made from the starchy core, or endosperm, of a wheat kernel.  So what’s the difference?  Near as I can figure, the major difference is the color. 

I checked out the nutrition information for the white and wheat breads.  They both contain 200 calories, but white bread has less fat (0.5 versus 2.5 g), less carbohydrate (38 versus 40 g), less fiber (1 versus 3 g), and less protein (7 versus 8 g).  So how can they both have 200 calories?  Something isn’t adding up.  The only thing that white bread has more of is sodium, at 470 versus 360 mg. 

What is white bread?  It’s bread made from wheat kernels that have had their bran fiber coat and oil-rich germ stripped out.  What is wheat bread?  Same.  So why are some wheat breads tan instead of white?  Usually because they have had caramel coloring added.  What else can we learn about “wheat bread?”  Well, manufacturers use a variety of descriptive words to make bread seem better for you, including “enriched,” “unbleached,” and sometimes even “organic.”  “Enriched” was the name given to flour to which vitamins and minerals were added, after it became apparent that stripping grains caused anemia, beri-beri, and other nutritional deficiencies in the people who consumed them. 

The only time bread is really made from whole grains is when the first ingredient is WHOLE wheat or WHOLE grain flour.  The very FIRST ingredient.  Not the second.  Why is it important for you to know this?  Because there is virtually no place in a nutritious diet for refined (i.e., enriched, stripped) flour.  Yes, it’s that serious.  The standard American diet (SAD), based as it is upon refined flour, is one of the major contributors to the diabetes and obesity epidemics.

Now, just for the record, I will restate that folks should eat very little (if any) grain at breakfast.  I’m not saying that we should never eat refined wheat products.  I’m not really the “never” type.  Like Julia Child, I prefer moderation.  I think people can handle a little bit of refined flour now and then.  But not at breakfast, except on very, very rare occasions like your birthday, or your niece’s wedding brunch.  It just doesn’t make any sense to waste large amounts of insulin at the very time of day it works worst. 

Remember that some people need to be more strict about their intake of grains (like “wheat bread”) than others.  Who?  Those people who are 1) inactive, 2) more than 30 lbs. overweight, 3) pre-diabetic, or 4) diabetic.  This short list includes around 85% of Americans.  That means no toast, bagels, muffins, waffles, pancakes, cereal, biscuits, bread, grits, leftover mac & cheese, at all.  Even if they are made from whole grains.  Why?  Because grains are absorbed very rapidly, which raises your blood sugar quickly, which means that you need to release a huge load of insulin to catch the sugar.  And insulin works worst when we wake up in the morning.  We can’t afford to waste our insulin like that.  So don’t eat foods made from flour (which, as you have learned, is almost always wheat flour) for breakfast.  The remaining 15% of us can have a little bit, sometimes.  Not every day, unless we are very active.

As for “wheat bread,” don’t let anyone fool you.  Call it by its more correct name — bread– and switch to “whole-grain bread.”  Avoid it for breakfast always, and don’t eat it every day in any case.  Send me your questions if you’re still confused.

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And…now…finally…the results of our 10,000-hits Contest [even though we’re past 11,000 already!].  Thank you to everyone who sent an entry.  The stories you tell inspire and encourage me to continue to spread the word, teaching more and more about the difference between real food and manufactured calories. 

The grand-prize winner is: Maggie Henry, whose eloquent entry says it all!!  Maggie, claim your prize at www.sarvasoap.com.  Maggie’s winning entry is posted below, along with honorable mentions from ZW and Teresa Downum.  Thank you to all who participated.

**Grand Prize Winner**
In the last 5 years my life has changed dramatically. The documentaries about our broken food system and the adulteration of food in general have completely changed how I eat and feed my family. I now farm organically and grow all my own food. Grass-fed beef and pastured chicken, eggs, pork and goat are all I will eat. Crazy thing is what word of mouth has done. Lots of people want good clean food. I always gardened and grew our veggies but now I help feed my community.  Maggie Henry

**Honorable Mention**
Since receiving “Your Health is on your plate” emails, I take a closer look at what is on my plate and how much is on my plate. I have taken steps to reduce the amount of calories, carbs, cholesterol and sodium I put on my plate. I can now exercise up to 30 minutes a day and I feel better. My 8 pound weight loss and eating the right foods has given me a new confidence in myself; and being more in control of my health has empowered me to continue losing the next 42 pounds I look forward to losing!   Teresa Downum

**Honorable Mention**
As a teenager, my body has always been at the forefront of my mind, yet I was so misinformed about being healthy that I ate bars and 100 calorie packs and expecting things to change for me.  They didn’t.  However, a few months ago I read about the health benefits of a mostly whole foods, plant based diet and quickly became a vegan. I began going on more walks, eating more natural foods, and really coming to love the body I have.  In 3 months, I have only gotten a cold once and I have virtually no acne anymore.  This year in school, I started a club to teach grade school children, along with my club members about healthy snacks and food, so that young children can enjoy the foods they eat while never having to face the troubles that are involved with childhood obesity that often is followed into adult life.  ZW