Bread!

To me, there's nothing better than bread.  I love it.  My Mom made us amazing homemade bread growing up and I still love it, however, I"m not the "make bread from scratch" kind of gal.  This is where my bread machine comes into play.  It's one of the ones that you add all ingredients, and 3 1/2 hours later is a small loaf of bread has been mixed, cooked, and is ready to be eaten.

I hope we're all over the notion that carbohydrates are bad for us.  It's true of refined carbs, (also known as sugar or very close to being sugar.)  But whole grains and carbs are essential to our good health.  I'm thinking that these three things are closely related:  the american idea that 'low carb, high protein= weight loss/health,' the fact that america is the most obese nation, and the fact that heart disease is the number one killer in America.  We also know that too much protein is, in fact, bad for us.  It puts strain on our kidneys, liver and heart 1.

One reason carbohydrates are good for us is because they have a lot of fiber.  "Fiber has been found to decrease incidence of cancer, decrease total cholesterol, and increase sensations of satiety.  When a food is in its natural form, there will be more fiber in it 2"-  Which is why we strive for whole foods.  I am testament that eating (whole grain) bread doesn't make you fat.  When I began a whole-foods, plant-based diet I ate granola everyday and lots of bread (and of course lots of fruits and veggies.)  I lost 8 lbs that I didn't know I had to lose.  I did it not restricting calories, but by eating a lot of food, and I was happy the whole time.

Yes, complex carbs make you happy!  A diet that is too low in complex carbohydrates can cause serotonin depletion and depression 3.  The best sources of complex carbohydrates are:  fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seeds, nuts, brown rice, millet, legumes, soybeans and soy products.

-Note that this 'nutritional information' that I present every now and then is just my opinion.  Snippets of information may not provide the complete picture and it's up to you to research on your own and be in charge of your own health.  What works for one person may not work for another.  I'm talking about the details (like my friend who is diabetic and couldn't handle sitting down and drinking a whole fruit smoothie at once.)  Of course a whole foods diet is good for everyone.

This is the recipe I use for whole-wheat bread (bread machine)

1 1/8 cups water

1/3 cup honey

1 Tbl non-dairy milk

1 1/2 tsp salt (I add with liquid so it doesn't kill the yeast)

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 Tbl vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Here is a list of  bread machine recipes, many of them vegan.  I think I'm making cherry-almond bread next!