Fast forward six or seven years: I just found myself hunting down a bread machine on our local buy/sell/trade site because I was silly, gave ours away after one failed attempt, and now have decided to start reading ingredient lists on packaged foods and sent myself into a tailspin over my latest loaf purchase.
Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on the back of your bread? I mean, really looked at it? Because I have to admit that I had not. I mean, I had glanced at the nutritional chart before but never really paid attention to that LONG list of additives, preservatives and other ingredients. My preferred loaf of bread (100% whole wheat, mind you) contained such delicacies as high fructose corn syrup, sugar, soybean oil, calcium propionate, citric acid and soy lecithin...what is all this stuff? And 4 grams of sugar in a single slice of bread? That means my kids are getting 4 grams of sugar before I even put peanut butter and jelly on the bread, and 8 grams if I give C a whole sandwich instead of a half sandwich.
To really understand why I'm shocked by this, I'll break down the math for you - according to the American Heart Association (AHA), children ages 4-8 with a daily caloric intake of 1,600 calories should consume no more than about 3 teaspoons of added sugar a day. One teaspoon of sugar equals about 4 grams of sugar, so C should be consuming no more than 12 grams of added sugar A DAY. And if she's hungry and I give her a whole sandwich, I'm giving her 2/3 of that intake before I even put anything on the bread! Add in the peanut butter (look for an upcoming blog about this favorite spread in our house) and jelly (even a low-sugar option), and her sandwich itself has used up her entire sugar allowance for the day.
Enter our new favorite kitchen appliance - the bread machine. I was totally intimidated by this thing when I brought it home a week ago, but after playing around for a few days I've mastered such yummy creations as 100% whole wheat bread, whole wheat pizza dough, whole wheat crescent rolls, whole wheat bagels and most recently, whole wheat flaxseed bread. It's easy, cost-effective and quick, and the results are AMAZING.
The newest member of our family
So here's the best part - I'm now part of this underground club of bread machine owners that I didn't even know existed. I got this thing, told one or two people, and suddenly homemade bread recipe swapping has become a daily occurrence in my world. Apparently everyone has a bread machine but no one talks about it (at least that's my latest theory), but I'm refusing to not share the knowledge with everyone - IF I CAN BAKE A LOAF OF BREAD, ANYONE CAN DO IT! For real, it's SO easy to do and the results are delicious. Plus, I know exactly what I'm feeding my family now, and that's worth every minute and dollar spent.
Today's lunch delicacy - whole wheat flaxseed bread
Do you have a bread machine? If so, what are your favorite recipes? I'll be posting a few of our new favorites in some upcoming blogs when I start to delve into what in the world I'm feeding my family that doesn't include sugar. In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you if you're already a member of "the club." And if you aren't, head over to your local thrift shop, Goodwill or buy/sell/trade site - membership is only about $15 and well worth the initial investment.
P.S. In case you are curious about recommended added sugar intake for adults, the average woman should consume no more than 6 teaspoons (24 grams) a day and the average man should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) a day. So next time you bite into that turkey sandwich, you may be using up 1/3 of that intake in bread alone. Food for thought!
0 comments:
Post a Comment