BREAD!
When I was in Eastern Europe, I ate the best bread. It tasted so different from any bread I could remember eating in the US. I looked around and I saw the reason why. Farmers there, living and working the rich soils of the eastern steppes, were still using the work horse and manure to grow wheat, not big tractors, not insecticides, not chemical fertilizer and no GMO. Why? Simply, they could not afford it and still many cannot afford such farming equipment luxury and some may even prefer the traditional practice of farming- by sweat of one's brow. In eastern Europe, bread was and still is a staple. I miss going to the
bread kiosk, small little places where no more than 3 people could
squeeze in to grab the first of the fresh baked loaves off the shelves,
or out of the bins. Yeah, you could reach with your own hand and stick
whole loaf 'round or long' into a paper bag and take it to the cashier.
In some places, you could ask the clerk to select a loaf if they were
behind the counter (she wore gloves). When I was in the Ukraine in a
small village on the Bug River, a bread truck (the box on the truck was a
large warming oven) came zipping down the dirt road and all the local
women came running out to buy bread. They also baked their own and
churned their own butter. So, why buy more bread? Point being, bread in
Europe is a staple, it is life!
What appears as an anti- bread climate here in the US, in my opinion, is due to both the poor quality of bread and information that tells us that bread is bad because of the gluten. Gluten is a wheat protein and most people do not have problems with wheat protein. However, considering that wheat is being genetically modified, there is suspicion that it is changing the wheat protein - gluten. What Americans are not being told is that today's bad 'gluten' likely comes from genetically modified wheat.
According to research, the majority of experts recommend that you opt
for foods that are not genetically modified. The Western Organization
of Resource Councils reports that there are few studies that focus on
the safety of genetically modified foods, including wheat. Scientists
studying the possible effects of genetically modified foods warn that
they may cause new allergies and the resistance to antibiotics. In terms
of digestion, they may make it harder for your body to absorb nutrients
from food. Eric Herm notes in an article in "The Canadian" that studies
have shown that genetically modified wheat may actually cause digestive
problems because it is technically fake food rather than wheat in its
natural state.
*Read more at http://www.livestrong.com/article/550916-digestive-problems-and-gm-wheat/
What we can observe is that the gluten-free craze is something of a unique cultural phenomenon.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, etc. and is one of the
components that makes bread dough stretchy and and baked bread chewy.
For most people, gluten is a 100% safe, digestible, natural protein. But
an estimated 0.5 - 1% of the population has a condition called Celiac's
Disease, which basically means that their immune systems see partially
digested gluten as a threat and cause reactions in the small intestine
similar to a severe food allergy (severe inflammation, stomach pain,
diarrhea, severe gas buildup, etc.).
http://www.fitsugar.com/Surprising-Foods...
Still, some might be thinking ...Can we eat bread, should we eat bread? I recommend baking your own and using wheat flour that is not GMO. If you are not into baking, then ask around at local grocers if they sell non GMO bread as it is becoming more popular but it is expensive.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/flours/gmo-wheat.html
Not only is bread quality in America poor but so are many food items/products. If you can afford to buy USDA organic then I recommend you do. I also recommend that grow my own meats/veggies and even meats/poultry. However, if you cannot, try to make the best choices you can within your budget. Choice is what matters most. In fact, this is what United States Dept. of Agriculture suggests you do. Check out their site -
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-choices-health/diet-quality-nutrition.aspx
*If you have a gluten intolerance or celiac disease,
genetically modified wheat is not for you. Genetically modified wheat can
contain more gluten than regular wheat, which makes it even more damaging for
your condition. Ask your doctor about alternatives to wheat if you cannot
digest it. There are many other grains, such as oats and quinoa, that you may
be able to tolerate with a digestive disorder.
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