Yahoo News story about bread

[Guest guest]

With all of the postings about the evils of bread, I thought you

would be interested in this article just posted by the Yahoo News

Group. It was sent to me by a friend and I thought I'd share.

Jodi Z

Bread is Back! Or So Hopes the Industry

Fri Feb 4,11:48 PM ET Health - HealthDay

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Breadaholics, rejoice. Then pass

the breadbasket, please. Your favorite food is making a comeback, or

so hopes the industry.

Yahoo! Health

Have questions about your health?

Find answers here.

This week, the Grain Foods Foundation, a newly formed group of

milling and baking companies, launched a " public education " campaign

to fight back against the skip-the-bread trend linked to the Atkins,

Zone and other high-protein, low-carb diets.

" We're trying to get people to come back to common sense, " said Judi

, a dietitian and president of the foundation. " Fad diets may

work short term, but not long-term. "

Among their key points: grain-based carbohydrates aren't the problem

in obesity; diets that restrict whole categories of food such as

breads aren't feasible over the long term; and grain products are

good sources of vitamins, mineral, fiber and other healthy

substances.

The grain foundation is also hoping, of course, to boost stale bread

sales. The consumption of wheat flour, commonly found in bread, is

down -- from 147 pounds per person per year in the United States in

1997, to just 136 pounds in 2003, said .

While the campaign isn't meant to condemn any particular diet,

said, the industry hopes the public will realize the role bread can

play in a healthful diet.

Clearly, there is some educating to do, as a survey of more than

2,000 adults conducted for the foundation by Interactive in

late December suggests. Almost one in five women aged 35 to 44 said

they thought bread was fattening or unhealthful, for instance.

Americans' love affair with bread continues, although their passion

for grains seems to wane with age. While 64 percent of respondents

18 to 34 years of age said they loved bread, just 39 percent of

those 55 and up agreed.

And said that, despite claims to the contrary, eating bread

can even help folks lose weight. " Bread, especially whole grain,

does actually make people feel fuller sooner, " she said.

Other dietitians not involved in the campaign concede that bread has

a place in a healthy diet, but they also offered some caveats to

breadaholics.

If you're drifting back to bread, it's still all about portion

control, said Cathy Nonas, an American Dietetic Association (ADA)

spokeswoman and director of the obesity and diabetes program at

North General Hospital in New York City. " You still have to stay

away from the bread basket or at least manage it. "

Portions of bread are often huge and have gotten bigger in recent

years, Nonas noted. " A typical bagel is no longer equal to two

slices of bread, it's equal to four or six slices. "

Like other dietitians, Nonas and suggested that if you're on a

2,000-calorie-a- day diet, you should aim to eat three ounces of

whole grains (from bread and other foods) and three ounces of other

grains recommended by new U.S. Department of Agriculture (news - web

sites) dietary guidelines.

Whole grains means the grain has not been refined or processed. To

find them, the first ingredient on the label should say 100 percent

whole wheat or whole grain. Grains that are not whole, called

refined, are ideally enriched with niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, iron

and sometimes calcium, dietitians said.

To keep your bread intake within healthy bounds, Nonas tells her

clients to ask themselves; " Where is bread most important to you? "

If you love your morning toast, go for it. If you'd rather have

dinner rolls and could care less about toast, skip the morning bread.

" One slice of bread is a serving, " Nonas said. " If you are only

eating bread as your grains and you are paying attention to weight

control, you should have no more than six servings. " If you are not

trying to lose weight, have six to nine servings, she

suggested. " That goes quickly considering serving sizes, " she said.

Make half of your grains whole grains, advised Tallmadge,

a registered dietitian in Washington, D.C., and another ADA

spokeswoman. And she thinks mixing up a daily combination of oats,

rye and wheat is best.

" I worry about people who don't get any grains in their day, " she

said. But Tallmadge also stressed that moderation is key. On a

recent trip to the grocery store, she discovered that the seven-inch

submarine sandwich on sale included six ounces of bread. That's

roughly 480 calories, she said. " And that is the amount of bread you

should be eating the whole day. "

More information

To learn more about whole grains, visit the American Dietetic

Association.