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Date:         Sat, 3 May 2003 11:34:27 -0600
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: Great inventions of the world
Comments: To: THX0001@AOL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

George,

I know where-of you speak when you speak to the goodness and flavor of well made bread. I'm a diabetic, and as such my body has lost the ability to regulate my blood sugar. And one of the keenly felt losses in my life was having to give up good bread ......at least that is what I thought until I learned to how to think about bread and what to watch out for.

That white sticky goo sold in most stores these days will just about do anyone in. That stuff is the worst!! As a diabetic obviously I have to be careful about my carbohydrate intake, be it granulated sugar, fructose, or something a little more subtle, like popcorn, or breads, carrots (just not to many at one sitting). The key was to divide everything into carohydrate or protein. Easily done. If it moves it protein, not a problem for a diabetic unless there are kidney problems to go with it. And if it grows in the ground its carbohydrate.

If it's carbohydrate, is it refined or is it in the raw state? Is white or does it have color. If refined, like sugar, flour, pasta, etc, it's probably going to be white as well and it will convert directly to sugar in the body which a diabetic can't regulate. If it's naturally white, like potatoes, that to goes directly to sugar, and again no regulation. Blood sugar goes wild. However, if its dark, like ground rye, there will be enough fiber present to really slow the absorbtion of any carbs present so that a diabetic doesn't get a sugar spike, which is what causes damage to the body. It varies a lot from one diabetic to another, but I have found by being really selective about the kind of breads, the ingredients, etc. I can have some breads without my blood sugar going crazy. I always have to be careful of how much bread I eat at any one give time, as well as what kind of bread.

One slice of that cheap white stuff you get at the store and my blood glucose goes nuts. Yet I can eat a large heavy slice of a dark brown bread, like a rye, or mixed rye and cracked wheat and all I get is I little bump in the sugar level. Again it's how much at one sitting, and how much fiber is in it to slow the absorption of the carohydrate. Diabetics must be very cognizant of such things otherwise bad health things happen.

One factor in the bread thing for me, and your post touched on it......and that is the quality of the bread. Some of the best, most healthful bread I ever ate, even for diabetics, was some bread made by some good Mormon friends of mine in Alaska. They were big into bread, and there was not a fat member of the family. They kept a variety of grains on hand in 100 lb bags, and once a week the Dad with the aid of the kids, would get the weeks bread-making instructions from Mom, and get out the home mill and grind the grain accordingly. Used a mill that actually had milling stones in it. wouldn't use anything else. The stones ran slower, didn't get hot, and as a consequence, preserved the flavor in the grain. The lady would make up the dough from that days grinding and cook the bread that day for the rest of the week. You have not lived until you eat bread baked from flour ground the same day. Best bread I ever ate.

Good bread can be made and cooked at home. And there are homemade bread recipes for breads diabetics can consume, if done so with care.

And what has all this to do with Volks wagens and Vanagons? Well, Vanagons, not much. But my friend had a gaggle of kids, like five and he had a nice splittie parked in his driveway that he hauled them around in.

Regards,

John Rodgers

George Goff wrote:

>In a message dated 5/3/03 2:46:09 AM, kimbrennan@MAC.COM writes: > ><< In my opinion the greatest invention in the world is bread (taking a >near inedible object and turning it to a wonderful confection.) Others >may argue for beer >> > >Kim, > >I would have never thought of bread as an invention, more of a gift from the >gods. Still, how right you are. Atkins be damned! I'd give up sex before I >would give up the pleasure of sinking my teeth into the crust of a good bread. > >The truly sad thing is that in this country, good bread is not easily found. >When the last decent bakery in our small burg was driven into bankruptcy by >the purveyors of that stuff wrapped in polyethylene, we were forced to take >matters into our own hands. Fortunately, my Sweetheart, who among other >things has a BS in Food Science, got a Hobart N50 mixer and a brick-lined >oven then went to town refining her art of breadmaking. It's like keeping a >Vanagon running; the end justifies the arduous means. > >By the way, I think the invention beer might have been the result of a bread >sponge gone awry. > >George > > >


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