flour-bob's red mill

The Whole Grain Story: Day 54 and 55

I met Bob Moore of Bob’s Red Mill many years ago when he took us on a tour at their Milwaukee mill. Bob believes that only a stone mill can create a superb whole grain flour. Using quartz millstones, Bob’s Red Mills uses this method of stone milling to produce whole grain flours. Stone ground flour ensures that the most nutritious parts of the whole grain remain, packing in the wholesome goodness of wheat.

In addition, millstones grind at a slower speed and cooler temperature than their high-speed steel mill counterparts. This way, there is less impact on the inherent nutrients and flavor of the grains. This may not seem like the easiest way to produce flour efficiently with modern technology. However, it is their passion to mill flour this way, and as passion goes, it is what feeds Bob’s Red Mill success today.

The first whole grain loaf of bread that came out of my wife Charlee’s oven on our five acre farm back in the 60s was the most delicious loaf of bread I can ever remember smelling and eating.

— Bob Moore

This success is seen at Bob’s Red Mill 325,000 sq. feet world class manufacturing facility and headquarters in Milwaukie, Oregon. It there that they produce thousands of products every day, with the same high quality, old-fashioned techniques that their customers have come to trust.

I stopped by their Whole Grain Store & Bakery to pick up loaves of freshly baked bread. I believe no Portland bread diet should ever miss the opportunity to give this special place a try. I do have to admit though, I never leave without buying bags and bags of different flours. My passion in bread baking at home has made me a regular to this store.

Strawberry jam with Bob's Red Mill spelt bread.

Strawberry jam with Bob’s Red Mill spelt bread.

It is truly a bread baker’s dream to shop in this store. You should definitely visit the next time you’re in Portland. You might even see Bob there visiting with customers or playing the piano.

Here’s what I ate on Days 54 and 55 of EB90:

Food Portion  Calories
Day 54
Bob’s Red Mills Spelt Bread 4 slices (52g) 800
Bob’s Red Mills 10 Grain Bread 3 slices (47g) 330
Bob’s Red Mills English Muffin Bread 3 Slices (42g) 300
Bob’s Red Mills Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie 1 cookie 210
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter 1 Tbsp 190
Nutella 1 tbsp 100
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Chocolate lemon cake 300
Pork Stew 300
Sauteed Spinach 1 C 48
Coconut water 2 C 100
Calcium Supp
Run -510
Total 2308
Day 55 
Bob’s Red Mills Spelt Bread 3 Slices (47g) 600
Bob’s Red Mills 10 Grain Bread 4 Slices (47g) 440
Bob’s Red Mills ENglish Muffin Bread 3 slices (42g) 300
Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Hash browns 300
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter 1 Tbsp 190
Nutella 1 tbsp 100
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Chocolate lemon cake 300
Quesadilla 1 slice 100
Kale (cooked) 1 C 33
Chicken noodle soup 2 C 250
Coconut water 2 C 100
Calcium Supp
Walk -200
 Total 2653

 

Egg Challah from the King's Kitchen and Bakery

Who’s the King? Day 52 and 53

Today at the International Symposium on Bread, Mike Pappas from The King’s Kitchen hosted our private bread tasting party. What is unusual about this bakery? The King’s Kitchen operates as a public restaurant, serving local, healthy, Southern cuisine and the profits and proceeds from “The King’s Kitchen” goes toward feeding the poor.

A delicious array of bread available for us to taste. Made from 100% natural levain.

 

In addition, The King’s Kitchen works with “The Restoration Program,” a five-part training program to employ, train and minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to the homeless, the poor, troubled youth, rehab graduates and other members of our community who need employment.

Mike Pappas is a traditional baker who wants to bring historical products, in a modern context, that meet global standards. At the tasting party, I got to try a bread he developed: 50% organic whole wheat flour that also has a bit of semolina, butter, fennel, anise, red wine vinegar, and mountain honey. It was delicious!

Mike told me he uses 100% natural, multi-grain liquid levain, “that has some other fun bells and whistles that I add to it.”

Mike Pappas from the King's Kitchen and Bakery

Mike Pappas, an Executive Chef, a Yeast Trapper, an On the Bench Baker, a Mature Pastry Maker and a Highly Developed Savory Chef, showcases the bread he baked for our private bread tasting party.

In other bread news, I have volunteered to take the title of Crumbassador for the Portland region! What does that mean? Well, Dr. Nedezhda Savova-Grigorvova, a cultural anthropologist has created a game called Bread without Borders.

After seeing so much hurt and conflict in the world, Dr. Savova-Grigorvova begin to wonder if there was a simple solution to bring unity and happiness.

She saw one way to unite people around the world with through something they have in common—bread.

Many countries see bread as way of friendship and sharing. So starting in the middle east and Africa, she hosted bread baking events across the globe until 7 years later it became the Bread House Network. Now, she is releasing the game Bread without Borders. Built from her knowledge and experience, it’s an educational game she knows will help individuals and communities.

We will be working with partners like the Wheat Marketing Center, and other local bakeries to play this game, and bring our local communities together. I just jumped at the chance that Team BAKERpedia could be part of this new wave of community development around bakeries.

Whole wheat 100% Levain from Mike Pappas

My favorite: a 50% organic Lindley Mills Whole Wheat (the other nearly 50% is Sir Galahad) that also has a bit of semolina, butter, fennel, anise, red wine vinegar, and mountain honey.

Here’s what I ate on Days 52 and 53 of EB90:

Food Portion   Calories  
Day 52
Whole grain sourdough 6 slices 600
Egg Challah 6 slices 660
Mozerella cheese 3oz 240
Apple 1 95
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Nutella 1 tbsp 100
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Handmade Beef Noodles 1 C 300
Total 2135
Day 53 
Whole grain sourdough 6 slices 600
Egg Challah 2 slices 660
Jim Little’s Croissant 50g 230
Fried Kale 1C 120
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Nutella 1 tbsp 100
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Chocolate lemon cake 300
Walk -240
Total 1910
David Deblauwe and Dr. Lin Carson

My podcast co-host, David Deblauwe and I tasting the fabulous bread (and goofing around).

 

Bread-heads, Bread-heads Everywhere: Day 50 and 51

It is the bread-lovers dream! This week Peter Reinhart from Johnson and Wales University hosted the first ever International Symposium on Bread. I was honored to be invited to this event and hang out with crazy bread-heads like myself. Peter is true to his vision in bringing together so many bakers, and lovers of the bread trade. It’s a great event that gathered bread experts, milers, agriculturists, bread historians bakers, and more.

The speakers were amazing!

Stefan Cappelle gave a talk, “The Future of Bread Lies in its Past,” about how we are re-discovering sourdoughs as a solution to more than just flavors by having a sourdough library.

the International Symposium on Bread

Bread Heads pack the lecture hall at the first ever International Symposium on Bread

A whole host of other topics were touched on like Dr. Ann Madden’s talk on microorganisms, “New Microorganisms from Strange Places for Better Breads,” Tom Gumple’s presentation “Innovation, Compromise and Real Life—Finding the proper Balance in a Multi -Unit, Growing Company, or Francisco Migoya’s “Insights from Modernist Bread—Shaping the Future of Bread through Science. The days were packed full of speakers, socials and Q&A Panel.

Peter Reinhart

Peter Reinhart, Executive Director, International Symposium on Bread

Puratos was the main sponsor of this event. So of course we got to taste phenomenal sourdough breads from them. I even got to tour their Sensobus!

Hats off to Eric and Tom from Panera bread. I was not expecting such push back from bread heads on me consuming so much bread. Eric questioned the philosophy behind me eating so much bread and was concerned that I was sending the wrong message to people who have diabetes. Again, to concur with Eric, this is not a diet meant for diabetics.

Though, I do think diabetics shouldn’t give up on eating bread. They should look for options like the Alvarado St. Bakery Diabetic Bread. In addition, Tom said what I’m doing is not anything new; it’s an exclusion diet. I agree with this too because what I have been doing is following the information that science has given me.

Here’s what I ate on Days 50 and 51 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Day 50 
Whole Grain Bread 6 slices (40g) 500
Whole Grain Baguette 250g 300
Bread from King’s Kitchen 6 slices 400
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Honey Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Chicken Salad 1 C 105
Salad 1 C 120
Fruit Salad 1C 150
Macaroon 2 200
Walk -200
Total 1975

 

Day 51
King’s Kitchen Rye Bread 4 slices 300
King’s Kitchen Ciabatta 4 slices 400
King’s Kitchen Egg Challah 3 slices 400
Puratos Whole grain roll 1 roll 150
Pesto 1 Tbsp 80
Mrs T’s Bloody Mary Mix 1/2 Can 35
Greek Salad 1 C 150
Dry Airline Pretzels 2 bags 160
Chicken skewer 1 200
Baklava 200
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam 1 Tbsp 20
Nutella 1 tbsp 100
Justin’s Almond Honey Nut Butter 1 Tbsp 190
Calcium Supp
Total 2385

 

scale- weigh-in-eat bread 90

Week Seven Weigh-in

week 6 weigh-in

Day 42 weigh-in.

 

Day 49 weigh-in

Day 49 weigh-in.

Weigh-in time again! As these two pictures clearly show, yes, you can maintain or even lose weight on a bread diet. Of course, exercise, the other food you eat, and how much you eat is important. That’s why I post my daily food and calorie logs, so you can see just how possible it is. Now if you will excuse me, I have some bread to go eat.

 

Eat bread 90

You’re Being Paid for Eating Bread: Day 47, 48 and 49

Someone said that to me today, to which I replied, “I wish, but don’t you think free bread is payment enough?” I mean, could I not be more thankful than eating the thing that I love the most at no additional cost to me! A loaf everyday? Honestly, no one needs to pay me for eating their bread, or to get a feedback on it.

If you’re in this industry baking bread, I know you do it out of the good intention of your heart. I’ve met all kinds of bakers through the years, and the most passionate of all of them are the bread bakers. They know the art, the science and how hard it is to truly bake bread and make a successful business out of it. Bread bakers are the most hardworking food manufacturers in the world.  With every bite I take from a bag of bread, I am truly thankful for their product that makes it all the way into our homes. Nobody needs to pay me for saying this.

Returning to Derek’s Spanish Inquisition yesterday, where he said I was overdoing it: well, maybe. Even my mom tells me I’m overdoing this diet. “No rice? Are you crazy?” She shakes her head in disappointment as I skip her very special Singaporean sambal fried rice. I feel the need to push this needle on eating as much bread as I can, so that I can persuade people on the fence that bread is safe to eat. There are too many people falling onto the other side with all the misinformation.

I need to make this information available so that that they can make an informed decision on the types of diets they go on. Derek also said that a high carb diet is hurtful to people, together with that much gluten.

Seriously.

Eating a high carb diet will not kill you (unless you are diabetic, you should stay away from a diet like this). It gives you plenty of energy to burn fat, and it reduces your cravings. Together with an active lifestyle (mine is about 35 mins of exercise everyday), a high carb diet is beneficial to maintaining weight.

Eating a total of 2 oz of gluten per day (there is about 2 tablespoons in a pound of bread) will not suddenly make you allergic to gluten. That is much less protein, than most paleo or keto diets, and much safer because it is a plant-based protein. Honestly, many dieters are downing bacon, hamburgers and sausages in larger quantities, and they are definitely not developing allergies to pork anytime soon.

This is not to mock people who are celiac or have gluten intolerance, but to provide the fact that gluten is a protein. Like any other protein in a normal active person, it doesn’t get preferential treatment nor is it singled out during digestion as a more problematic protein to digest. Gluten is a safe plant-based protein, and you should not be threatened by it.

I can go on and on about how bread can be part of a healthy diet. I hope bread companies can use the information that I share here to educate people on how safe eating bread can be. In addition, I’m not just one data point. I am an example of utilizing the information science has given me to help me guide my diet.

Use Science. It will make you love bread and carbs again.

I received a handful of Dave’s Killer bread today. In their new line of organic bagels, the Epic Everything and Cinnamon Raisin Remix bagels are seriously awesome. Haven’t tried it? Well, true to their brand, they delivered. Packed with 27 g of whole grains and 12 g of protein in each bagel, these bagels were epic-ly delicious!

Strawberry cream Cheese with the Cinnamon Raisin Remix bagel. eating bread

Strawberry cream Cheese with the Cinnamon Raisin Remix bagel.

 

Grilled Mozzarella Cheese on 21 Whole Grains and Seeds.

Grilled Mozzarella Cheese on 21 Whole Grains and Seeds.

 

Fried Egg and Cream Cheese on an Epic Everything Bagel.

Fried Egg and Cream Cheese on an Epic Everything Bagel.

 

Honey Oats and Flax French Toast with Maple Syrup and a side of bacon.

Honey Oats and Flax French Toast with Maple Syrup and a side of bacon.

Here’s what I ate on Days 47, 48 and 49 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Day 47
21 Whole Grains and Seeds 6 slices (45g) 720
Cinnamon Raisin Remix 1 bagel (95g) 250
Epic Everything 1 bagel (95g) 260
Mozerella cheese 3oz 240
Lemon Curd 2 Tbsp 120
Sauteed Spinach 1 C 48
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Fried Egg 1 78
Orange 1 orange 45
Berries &Mango Fruit Salad 1 C 120
Spring rolls 2 100
Bike & Walk -300
Calcium Supp
Total 2021
Day 48
DKB Honey Oats and Flax 7 slices (42g) 770
Cinnamon Raisin Remix 1 bagel (95g) 250
Epic Everything 1 bagel (95g) 260
Greek Salad 400
Egg (for French Toast) 1 78
Pizza 1/2 Slice 300
Banana 105
Bacon 2 strips 90
Lemon Curd 2 Tbsp 120
Butter 2 Tbsp 120
Apple 1 95
Coconut water 2 C 100
Bike -300
Run -500
Total 1888
Day 49
DKB Honey Oats and Flax 4 slices (42g) 440
21 Whole Grains and Seeds 3 slices (45g) 360
Cinnamon Raisin Remix 1 bagel (95g) 250
Sourdough bread 95g 200
Turkey sandwich 200
Philadelphia strawberry cream cheese 1 Tbsp 35
Lemon Curd 2 Tbsp 120
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Butter 2 Tbsp 120
Cobb Salad w Steak 600
Fruit Salad 2 C 150
Run -250
Total 2265

 

eat bread 90 eating lots of bread

Eating Lots of Bread Can’t be Healthy: Day 45 and 46

Here I am at the halfway point. It feels like I’ve been doing it forever because I’m so used to this diet now. A friend of mine, Derek, caught up with me and we talked about me eating lots of bread. “Surely, you’re not showing this diet you’re on is a healthy diet, eating this much bread can’t be healthy, and you can’t promote eating so much bread.”

Really? I can’t? It was time to tell Derek that he’s not getting the correct information from the correct source.

This is exactly why I went on this diet challenge, without this journey, I can’t prove my point: EATING BREAD DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT OR UNHEALTHY.  To further prove my point, I’m eating as much bread as a woman my age can humanly do. I believe Derek was trying to do an expose on my journey, and I wasn’t going to crumble under his questions. He is a strong believer in a low carb diet, which was the reason for his recent weight loss. We had a strong discussion on calories in and calories out, and I asked him to check out the calorie math that I have logged so far on my journey. I consume about 14,000 calories per week in total. After exercising an average of 35 mins every day, I was able to target about 2,000 almost every day.

There is no magic to this. I’m able to keep to my target weight, even after eating lots of bread every day because the math is right.

This is no secret. Nutritionists have practiced this method for ages. I’m not doing anything new, but try to fight the wrong keto and low carb information out there about bread.

Softgrain Sprouted Rye_eating lots of bread

Softgrain Sprouted Rye bread from Puratos.

Is eating lots of bread healthy?

“You can’t recommend this diet to anyone, it’s dangerous,” he said. Well firstly, I don’t recommend eating this much bread, because it takes a lot of effort to eat that much bread in a day and to maintain your weight. Secondly, I doubt if anyone is going to follow my steps to eat bread at every hour, it’s too troublesome, and definitely not a catchy diet to sell. I asked Derek why he thought it was unhealthy, and he said it was too high in carbs and so much gluten is not good for my health.

And there you have it, my friends. This information is roaming freely around the internet, yet there is no one to challenge it but on this blog.

While I’m trying to fight all this information about bread and healthy eating habits, I’m supported by the folks at Puratos, who sent me delicious crusty softgrain sprouted rye Artisan bread.  It took me 2 days to finish a loaf each. I love eating crusty artisan style bread. Thank goodness, this journey has it rewards, or I would have given up some time ago.

Reception EB90

At a reception with so many food choices. It’s easy to go wrong without my bread diet.

 

A healthy sprouted grain artisan loaf by Puratos.

Luckily, I brought my sprouted grain artisan loaf. Here, I ate it with about 1/2 Cup of Ceviche.

Here’s what I ate on Days 44 and 46 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Day 45
Sprouted Grain Bread 1 loaf 1100
Smoked Ham 4 Slices 60
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Ceviche 1/2 C 100
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Orange 1 orange 45
Justin’s Nut Butter 2 Tbsp 190
Bike -100
Coconut water 1 L 180
Calcium Supp
Total 2015
Day 46
Artisan sourdough 1 loaf 1100
Salami 6 Slices 180
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Butter 4 Tbsp 400
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Orange 1 orange 45
Papaya 1C 67
Steamed Brocolli 1C 30
Apple 1 95
Run -300
Calcium Supp
Total 2057

 

heart bread carbs weight loss good

Are Carbs Good or Bad for Your Weight?

We all have heard that carbs are bad when it comes to weight loss. It is no secret that eliminating  ALL carbs from your diet will show weight loss in the short term. But, do you know how important carbohydrates are to keep your body functioning? Let’s take a look at this BAD molecule so you can see why it is really BAD ASS!

Can I eat a lot of carbs and still lose weight?

Carbohydrates are nutrients whose main role is to provide energy to the body. Carbohydrates are classified into various groups, the main ones being fibers, starches and sugars which are found in foods. Being one of the basic nutrients of the body, carbohydrates are important to your health. They are found in various foods such as bread, milk products, vegetable products, fruit and grains.

The nervous system and the muscles are involved in all of your daily activities. They require higher amounts of energy to function properly. This energy is obtained from carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates also prevent proteins from being used as alternative sources of energy and aid in metabolizing fat.

In general, carbohydrates provide energy to the body through oxidation, they supply the body with carbon which is essential in the synthesis of cell components, serves as a form of stored chemical energy, and they are  part of the structures of some cells and tissues. Carbohydrates are classified into simple and complex carbohydrates.

Simple vs. complex carbs

Simple carbohydrates are those that that have only one or two sugars such as galactose which is found in milk products and fructose which is found in fruits. Those with single sugars are called monosaccharides while those with two sugars are called disaccharides. Simple carbohydrates are digested and absorbed quickly and easily. They have a huge impact on your blood sugar levels.

Complex carbohydrates  are polysaccharides and have three or more sugars. They are commonly called starchy foods and they include cereals, whole grains, bread, corn, potatoes, and peas among others.

carbs, weight, bread, simple carbs, complex carbs, diet

Health benefits

Carbohydrates have various health benefits according to an article by the Poliquin Group.4 Some health benefits of consuming foods rich in carbohydrates include faster loss of fat from the body, easy maintenance of the body weight, faster muscle recovery, reduced risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, reduced risks of type 2 diabetes when consumed as whole grains, and improved  overall well being.

Bread, especially when it is made with 100% whole grains, are very important because they provide fiber to the body.

These fibers improve the movements in the gastrointestinal tract by softening and increasing the bulkiness of stool. Fiber also provides relief from irritable bowel syndrome.

As Lin’s “Eat Bread 90” continues you can see that eating bread has helped her stay fuller, maintain her weight, and hopefully have regular GI movements! For all these reasons we believe carbs are not BAD. We believe carbs are BAD ASS especially in the form of bread!

References

  1. Shea, Lisa.  Carb Charts: Low Carb Reference.Kindle ed., Minerva Webworks, 2015.
  2. Ruud, Jaime S. Nutrition and the Female Athlete. Boca Raton, CRC Press, 1996.
  3. Owusu-Apenten, Richard K. Introduction to Food Chemistry. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press, 2014.
  4. “Seven Reasons To Eat Carbohydrates.” Poliquin Group. 16 Jan. 2014. 2017. http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/1100/Seven_Reasons_To_Eat_Carbohydrates.aspx Accessed 11 May 2017.
bread wheat whole grains

Grains are not for Human Consumption: Day 43 and 44

I usually don’t engage with negative criticism on social media. However, I’m on this journey to prove that bread and grains are safe to eat and should not be avoided. Therefore I have to address each and every negative comment that comes to me about them.

A self-proclaimed nutritionist attacked my post saying that he/she has studied nutrition for many years and found there are serious dangers in eating grains. Grains are not good for the body as we don’t digest them properly, especially in bread products due to the gluten. He/she ended with saying that Nutella (my favorite) has corn syrup which can cause cancer. This grain myth is so far from the truth.

Before you place judgement on this person’s non-scientific based opinions, I caution you to not shoot the messenger.

There is so much bad information on nutrition out there and many consumers are not getting the right information from the internet. What I truly believe is that this ‘nutrition’ information is contorted by companies/ professionals selling their new age diets and services. Google ‘grains are bad’ and you will find a holistic community that is fueled by the paleo and the dangerous keto diet.* The Paleo community is so banked on selling their books and diet plans that they will do whatever it takes. Including making grains and bread look bad, even though they are as benign as water.

grains whole grains eating grains

Getting honest about grains

I feel it is more important now than ever that my journey not be sponsored or endorsed by any associations, so I can provide an honest opinion on bread and grains. Hey look, I’m not going to ask the paleo, keto and low carb diet community to stop.

However, while you preach eating a diet that is torturous and not scientifically sound,* do not condemn safe-to-eat foods like bread and grains, which has been a safe sustenance for billions of people since the beginning of civilization.

So in response to this, I dug into bread that has a ton of grains and seeds – Franz® Great Seeds and 24 Grains and Seeds. #IdontWannaEatLikeACaveman

*The keto diet places extreme stress on the body. It must be medically supervised. The fact that your body burn proteins for fuel, it is not selective on which proteins it burns. Therefore, ketosis happens in your vital muscles, like your heart, kidneys, liver and intestines. While many holistic communities don’t talk about this danger, it should be known that the #1 advocate of the keto diet himself, Dr. Atkins, had cardiomyopathy and a suspected history of congestive heart failures.

Here’s what I ate on Days 43 and 44 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Day 43
Franz Twenty Four Grains and seeds 7 slices (45g) 770
Franz Great Seed 5 (28g) 400
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Coconut water 1 L 180
Smoked Ham 4 Slices 60
Strawberry Jam 2 Tbsp 100
Apple 1 95
Dark Chocolate Penut Butter 2 Tbsp 170
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Sauteed Spinach 1 C 48
Chicken wing 1 50
Orange 1 orange 45
Papaya 1C 67
Bike -100
Calcium Supp
Total 2025
Day 44
Franz Twenty Four Grains and se 7 slices (45g) 770
Franz Great Seed 5 (28g) 400
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Donut 1 150
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Ricotta Cheese 1/4 C 100
Steak, caramelized onions and sauteed mushroom sandwich 1 300
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Orange 1 orange 45
Berries 1C 90
Bike -200
Calcium Supp
Total 1995

 

sprouted wheat

Art, Science, Love and Sprouts: Days 40, 41 and 42

“It’s a little bit art, a little bit science, and a whole lotta love.” That is the baker’s creed at 20 Shekels. I received the Ezekiel, the Muesli and the Chocolate blackberry bread in the mail. Made from sprouted flour, they were very heavy and hearty breads that will take me 3 days to finish. 20 Shekels believe in baking all their products only from sprouted flour. So even their line of cookies are made from sprouted grains.

Their Ezekiel bread is based on a recipe found in the Bible that was given to the prophet Ezekiel as his only substance for 390 days. The Ezekiel bread, made from lentils, pulses and grains, has a complete amino acid profile. This bread is a perfect little nutritional package and 20 Shekels has fine-tuned the flavor perfectly. I can literally live off this bread for the next 90 days days of my journey if I wanted to. Seriously, I can.

Ezekiel Bread 20 Shekels sprouted bread

The Ezekiel Bread uses 6 key ingredients that makes this loaf a protein and nutrient dense loaf.

The  Muesli bread is also made with 100% sprouted wheat flour. Sprouted flour has a lower effect on blood sugar, and 20 Shekels has a loyal base of customers with diabetes. The breads that I tasted here were not too sweet, so I doubt if these breads would have a high glycemic index.

Muesli bread 20 Shekels sprouted bread

The Muesli has 4 different fruit and 6 different nuts that give it its savory and sweet profile.

I spoke with 20 Shekels’ owner Marni Atherton and she shared her passion for her breads with me. Each and every bread is crafted carefully to provide great nutrition that is aromatic. They just recently launched their on-line sales of bread and things have taken off.

20 Shekels fruit bread

The chocolate blackberry loaf is loaded with rich dark chocolate and tart blackberries.

This is due to the fact that her customers love that their breads are baked fresh especially for them. Batch baking each flavor allows 20 Shekels to cater to the demands of an ever-changing population of bread lovers.

Here’s what I ate on Days 40, 41 and 42 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
Day 40
Ezekiel Bread 5 slices 500
Muesli Bread 6 slices 600
Chocolate Blackberry Bread 2 slices 240
Coconut water 2 C 100
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Smoked Ham 4 Slices 60
Homemade Pesto 1 Tbsp 80
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Strawberries 20
BBQ Pork 4oz 420
Bike -100
Total 2160
Day 41
Ezekiel Bread 6 slices 600
Muesli Bread 5 slices 500
Chocolate Blackberry Bread 2 slices 240
Salami 6 Slices 180
Hummus 2 Tbsp 100
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Roasted Vegetables 30g 60
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Nutella 1 Tbsp 100
Blueberries 1/2 C 40
Coconut water 2 C 100
Dumplings 8 800
Spring rolls 2 100
Total 2460
Day 42
Ezekiel Bread 2 slices 200
Muesli Bread 2 slices 200
Homemade Pesto 1 Tbsp 80
Chocolate Blackberry Bread 7 slices 840
Peanut Butter 1 Tbsp 95
Yakisoba 1C 300
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Lemon Tart 1 slice 300
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Nutella 1 Tbsp 100
Blueberries 1/2 C 40
Coconut water 2 C 100
Run -500
Total 1995

 

whole grains , wheat, grains, grain

So Many Grains, So Little Time: Day 39

I remembered asking Dave Dahl why he created 21 Whole Grains and Seeds. His answer was that he wanted to pack as much nutrition as he possibly could into one loaf of bread. Dave’s Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains and Seeds has 5g of protein, 5g of fiber and 22g of whole grains per slice! You can get a whole day’s nutrition just by eating this loaf of bread.

21 whole grains and seeds by Dave's Killer Bread.

21 whole grains and seeds by Dave’s Killer Bread.

The proteins are from a combination of grains and seeds, so its amino acid profile is undeniably superior than any other breads. It is just an incredible loaf of bread packed with all the grains and seeds you can possibly imagine. No wonder it’s rated America’s Favorite Organic Sliced Bread (Source: IRI 2016).

This is an excellent bread for an active lifestyle. Especially for me this week, as I take my training outdoors to enjoy the start of sunny spring weather in Portland. I want you to know that eating 14 slices is not an easy task. It’s not the bread (because it is a really moist, delicious bread) but the task of eating and reminding myself to not stop eating throughout the day that is rather challenging to do.

On top of that, I had a brunch meeting (of Croissant and Cranberry Sourdough) which sent me into a bread overload today.  Fortunately, I had the chance to ride my bicycle and run outside.

Here’s what I ate on Day 39 of EB90:

Food Portion Calories
DKB 21 Thins 14 slices (28g) 840
Croissant 40g 171
Cranberry Sourdough 50g 200
Butter 2 Tbsp 200
Nutella 1 Tbsp 100
Apricot Sugar-Free Jam 2 Tbsp 40
Ham 6 slices 120
Carrots 100g 35
Hummus 2 Tbsp 100
Milk Chocolate 230 230
Calcium Supp
Bike & Run -200
Total 1836