The History of Bread
It is estimated that the first bread was made around 10000
years BC or over 12,000 years in the past. This bread was
more than likely flatbread, similar to a tortilla, made
simply of ground grains (flour) and water that was mashed
and baked. The first tools and implements used in the making
of bread are dated to about 8000 years BC.
Egypt is attributed with popularizing the art of making
bread. Egyptians are considered to be the agricultural pioneers
of the old world, probably benefiting from interactions
with Samaria. The closed oven was invented circa 3000 BC
and allowed for more varieties of bread to be produced.
It is around this time that leavened bread is first described,
that is bread, bread with yeast added so that it would rise
during production. Refined grains were considered superior
and therefore were prevalent in the higher courts, so the
poorer populations used barley and sorghum in their breads.
Around 1000 BC the Mosaic laws were introduced. These laws,
in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, contained instructions
to the nation of Israel regarding proper food preparation.
When the Hebrew people fled Egypt during the legendary Exodus,
they were forced to make unleavened (flat) bread in their
haste. Leviticus declares a feast commemorating the exodus
using flatbread. Bread is a common symbol of bounty in the
bible – Leviticus 21:22 declares, “He shall
eat the bread of his God.” When the people of God
were lost in the wilderness, they were fed manna, which
was described as bread from heaven. The Christian Savior,
Jesus Christ, is called the “Bread of Life”.
The bible also gives one of the earliest recipes for sprouted
grain bread. It reads, in Ezekiel 4:9-17: “The thou
also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils,
and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and
make thee bread thereof, according to the number of days
that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety
days shalt thou eat thereof.” While more than a year
of nothing but this bread sounds like quite a marathon diet,
analysis of products today using the same recipe show that
it was a well-balanced, nutritious bread that yielded plenty
of protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and healthy fat.
In 400 BC, around the time when Socrates was providing
sage dietary advice, Plato imagined an ideal world. In this
world, men would live to a ripe old age. Their main source
of sustenance would be whole grain bread from local wheat.
168 BC saw the establishment of baker’s guilds in
Rome. Bread even played a major role in politics when, in
40 BC, as part of a campaign, it was decreed that bread
should be freely distributed to every male adult.
In 1202 AD, English laws were passed to regulate the production
of bread. While many people are aware of the differences
between whole grain (brown) bread and white breads, few
realize that it caused quite a stir in 1307 when the white
bread bakers and brown bread bakers split to form separate
guilds! It was not until two centuries later, in 1569, that
the guilds were reunited and called the “Worshipful
Company of Bakers.”
As early as 1826, the whole grain bread used by the military
was called superior for health to the white, refined bread
used by the aristocracy. In fact, the term refined today
comes from this fact. Before the industrial revolution,
it was more labor consuming (and therefore costly) to refine
bread, so white bread was the main staple for aristocracy.
This made them “refined”.
In 1910, Americans were eating 210 pounds of wheat flour
every year. The commercial bread-slicing machine was invented
in 1912 by Otto Rohwedder, and unveiled in 1928. The 1930s
saw the United States pursue a diet enrichment program to
begin fortifying breads with vitamins and minerals after
their discovery in the late 1920s. In 1941, calcium was
added to help prevent rickets, observed in many female recruits
to the military. In 1956, it became the law to enrich all
refined breads. By 1971 consumption of white bread had dropped
to around 110 pounds per year, but by 1997 (possibly due
in part to the low fat, high carbohydrate craze and the
food pyramid) consumption was up to 150 pounds – still
60 pounds shy of the fit, trim Americans at the turn of
the century.
Types of Bread
There are many types of bread. This is by no means an exhaustive
list.
In the most basic form, grinding grains, adding water,
and heating it produces whole grain flatbread. Whole grain
bread is similar, only yeast is added so that the bread
rises. White bread starts out similar to whole grain bread.
The grain is processed, however. The hard, outer portion
of the grain is stripped, removing fiber and many vitamins,
minerals, and healthy fats that are naturally available.
The remaining portion is ground to a fine powder, the enriched
with a generic spray of vitamins and minerals. This is then
used to bake the bread.
Since whole grains are not sweet, sourdough bread is simply
wheat bread with no sweetener added. Once a sweetener is
added – often high fructose corn syrup in commercial
breads, but typically brown sugar, honey, or molasses in
fresh baked breads – it becomes the typical bread
you are used to buying.
Varieties such as oat, barley, rye, kamut, triticale, millet,
and even rice bread are simply variations using different
grains other than traditional wheat. Sometimes seeds and
spices are added, creating varieties such as basil, garlic,
onion, or cinnamon bread.
Sprouted grain bread has increased in popularity in recent
years. Traditional bread is made from ground flour from
the hardened kernel of grain. Sprouted grain bread involves
soaking the grain and allowing it to sprout. The sprouted
seedlings are then mashed together and baked. Sprouting
allows the enzymes in the grain to convert some of the carbohydrates
and fats to vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Due to
the changes that take place, sprouted grain bread typically
is higher in protein, fiber, and certain vitamins and minerals
than regular bread. It is also less refined and processed
than even stone ground wheat bread, so it has less of an
impact on your blood sugar.
Bread and Nutrition
Many commercial types of bread are highly refined. Enriched
breads have the original nutrients stripped out and replaced
with inferior, often lesser quantities of standard vitamins
and minerals. Some companies will try to produce wholesome-looking
bread by adding grains to the outside, even when the main
ingredient is enriched bread. High fructose corn syrup is
often added as a sweetener.
The first thing to look at when purchasing breads is the
ingredients list. Look for breads where the very first ingredient
is “whole grain” or “stone ground”
rather than “enriched” (even if whole grains
follow the enriched flour ingredient). Look for natural
sweeteners like molasses or honey over high fructose corn
syrup. Preferably, the sweetener and salt should be last
on the ingredients list. If you consume high quantities
of bread or keep the bread refrigerated, it will last longer
and you can purchase fresher varieties that do not contain
additives or preservatives. The most basic ingredients list
will look like this: whole-wheat flour, water, salt. There
should be a few grams of protein and fiber per slice –
low protein and/or fiber is a sign of excessive processing
that has stripped these nutrients, and implies that the
other nutrients will be missing as well.
Rye bread typically contains moderate portions of protein
and fiber per slice. A 100-calorie slice will contain a
few grams of protein, a few grams of fiber, around 20 grams
of carbohydrate, and decent amounts of calcium and iron.
The addition of flaxseed increases protein and fiber (for
the same 100 calorie slice) but also adds trace amounts
of health, unsaturated fats.
There are actually some amazing bread recipes that can
be very beneficial for the bodybuilder. A variety of bread
called “Men’s Bread” by French Meadow
Bakery contains the following: Organic whole wheat flour,
filtered water, organic flaxseed, organic pumpkin seeds,
organic oat fiber, organic low fat soy flour, organic wheat
flour, organic sesame seeds, organic raw sprouted fava beans,
organic sunflower seeds, organic millet, organic pea protein
isolate (non-GMO), organic wheat flour (wheat germ restored),
soy germ isoflavone concentrate (non-GMO), organic sprouted
quinoa, organic sprouted amaranth,
organic sprouted kamut, wheat gluten, organic sprouted barley,
organic sprouted oats, organic sprouted wheat, unrefined
sea salt.
This power-packed ingredients list provides a 100-calorie
slice of bread with essential fatty acids, 5 grams of fiber,
and 8 grams of protein to only 11 grams of carbohydrate.
It is abundant in over 13 vitamins and minerals. Compare
this to a typical slice of white bread, which contains no
fiber, trace amounts of protein, and double the carbohydrate.
Summary
Bread has been around for ages. While trends such as low
carbohydrate nutrition or low fat dieting come and go, bread
is here to stay – people “earn their bread”
or “bring the bread home” and are constantly
looking for the “best thing since sliced bread”.
Before eliminating bread from your program, consider the
many types of bread that are available and decide if there
is one that suits your needs. Bread can increase your protein
intake, add fiber to your diet, refill you muscles by supply
quality carbohydrate in addition to healthy fats, vitamins,
and minerals. People are always looking for the next great
protein or power bar. Why not try a slice of bread?
>>
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