Wednesday, March 13, 2013

No More Store Bought Bread!

Too Much Sodium in our Diets!

Last week a friend of mine and I were having a discussion on low sodium diets.
I'm watching now that I had a blood pressure scare.
She told me that bread had a huge amount of sodium in it which surprises most people.  It did me!
After all, bread doesn't taste salty!  But sodium is also hidden in the preservatives.
I found this online.
Bread is the biggest offender of sodium in our diets!

Top 10 salt culprits:

Where are Americans getting the sodium in their diets? New government data shows about 40% of sodium consumption comes from these 10 food categories:

1. Breads and rolls (7%).
2. Cold cuts/cured meats (5%).
3. Pizza (5%).
4. Fresh and processed poultry (4.5%).
5. Soups (4%).
6. Sandwiches like cheeseburgers (4%).
7. Cheese (4%)
8. Pasta dishes such as spaghetti with meat sauce (3%)
9. Meat mixed dishes such as meat loaf with tomato sauce (3%)
10. Savory snacks including chips and pretzels (3%).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Sooooo, now that I'm supposed to keep an eye on my sodium intake, 

I am definitely going to be baking my own bread.  

I used to do it about 15 years ago.  

I went a whole year without ever buying store bought bread.
After all, I do have a bread maker!!
I started today.


I looked on the two loaves of bread I had here.  The one had 220 mg of sodium in one slice and the whole wheat one had 170 mg in one slice!
Yes, my bread will have sodium too but . . . see end note.

Here's my loaf.  My house smelled wonderful all afternoon while this was baking.

I let it cool . . .( well it was a little warm) . . . and sliced it.
The center is nice and soft and the crust is crunchy.  Just right!


Then I put some home-made jam on it and enjoyed!!
No store bought bread has that wonderful yeasty taste.

As an added note:
Yes, this homemade, bread machine bread does have sodium.  

The salt you add is necessary to have a good raised loaf.  

I'm going to try and cut the salt in half next time to see what happens.  

*The one added good feature in making your own bread though is that you don't put all those 

chemical preservatives in there!!!

Shirley
Linking up with Foodie Friday:


8 comments:

  1. wow does that bread look good, even if your sodium levels were perfect you should always bake that wonderful bread, the smell of it must be incredible...wish I were there having some warm bread and jam....yummy

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  2. I once had a bread maker and made my own bread only it didn't look like yours, mine was awful but I only eat a little bread now a loaf lasts about a week and a half.
    Merle.....

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  3. Your bread looks so much better too then store bought. sandie

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  4. I've been making mine (in a bread maker) for the last three or four years - SO much better than the other stuff! I do lower the salt quantity too, but found half quantity is a little too low, I do 2/3's for a good loaf.

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  5. Did you by chance see the special on CNN about food? Dr. Weil referred to grocery store bread as fake bread. He said they have processed it so heavily that there is no nutritional value. They add so much salt and sugar and my nemesis, soy lecithin to make it palatable. Sorry to go on…. I was forced to start making my own because I am sensitive to all the additives. Turns out I can make my own and it is better for me. Thanks to people like you we have alternatives. This looks delicious.

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  6. Oh my goodness! That bread looks so delicious! :)

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