On the Menu: Good Carbs at House of Bread

“Carb” is not a four-letter word worthy of a bad reputation. Sometimes it gets caught in the parade of magazine covers, social media and TV shows that feed us constant advice about what it means to eat right. But carbs, short for “carbohydrates,” are a major nutrient and important source of sustained energy. Despite all the debate about diets, carbs deserve special consideration.

It should be a welcome relief to know you don’t have to decode carb content or worry about bad carbs baked into the House of Bread Bakery Cafe menu. Our healthy and nutritious bread is made with natural, high-quality ingredients. There are no fake fillers baked into the loaves. Let’s break down two of the basics of our most basic recipe, Grandma’s White Bread.

• White flour comes up in a lot of carb-heavy conversations, often as the bad guy. House of Bread’s white flour is unbleached and milled at a low temperature to retain the vitamins and minerals. The bulk of the wheat berry is the white flour portion, and the hard bran is removed through sifting. So, it appears white rather than tan but it is not bleached white as is found in some commercial breads.
• Honey is an ideal substitute for sugar, as honey has nutritional value beyond just calories. Honey is also a much healthier replacement for the high fructose corn syrup which strips your body of nutrients.  Nature’s perfect sweetener is nutritious, delicious in its raw form and is also a natural preservative.

The same standards of quality apply as we add ingredients for other recipes. Whole wheat, bran, walnuts, cranberries, zucchini, pumpkin? Yes! They are all players in the ensemble of good carbs, and just a few of the good ingredients in the wholesome foods available at House of Bread Bakery Cafe.

Good carbs come loaded with benefits for your body, which means not all carbs are the same. When people talk about good carbs, they are referring to complex carbohydrates, which are broken down slowly in the body and do not cause blood sugar level spikes. They keep you fuller, for longer when you eat them.

If you’re having trouble remembering how to tell the good from the bad, the main rule of thumb is to avoid processed foods and refined sugars. The biggest building blocks of a healthy diet—fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains—are all considered to be good carbs that offer more than sugar. The Healthy Plate from Harvard School of Public Health is a great resource for exploring the main foods in each of these categories. You’ll get a good dose of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in each bite.

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