The idea for us has been that foods that are white, such as ordinary pasta or rice, digest quickly. Quick digestion brings more a jolt to the insulin production and use system. White bread and beer are two foods that bring such a jolt effectively. Sometimes, we eat whole wheat bread, which is slower and harder to digest and that lifts blood sugar less. Too much blood sugar running around in the body can lead, in the long run, to very dire consequences, such as amputation of an extremity or blindness.
We generally test our blood sugar every morning before eating anything. Our physician uses the standards 100 to 125 is a 'pre-diabetic' state and 126+ is diabetes. We are normally able to keep our blood sugar levels below 126. However, we very much enjoy French bread and ciabatta. In the right form, it is very difficult to resist lusting after a bite or two, especially along with plenty of butter. Of course, we realize that the butter has saturated fat and while it does tend to slow down the digestion process, it also has as high a calorie content per unit of weight as any food.
I like to stress the fact with myself that we don't buy these breads very often. That is completely true. As with most lusts, the magnetic draw fades quickly. You are looking at a loaf or a roll and the contours and colors are simply great. You can taste the bread (and butter) in your mouth before doing anything. In fact, my imagination is such that I can see a lovely loaf in my mind before going to the store. I know it is there, waiting for me. But, after one actual bite, reality tends to whack me hard. Is this really all that delicious? That same reality, plus the ever-present phenomenon of diminishing returns, where the 2nd bite is not quite as wonderful as the 1st, the 3rd is still less mesmerizing than the 2nd and so on, usually result in half a loaf or more not getting eaten. In a few days, the bread gets stale and loses its charm. Why was I so bewitched, anyhow?
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
