Why should you avoid "soft" bread?
on 11/17/15 8:17 am
My NUT was looking at my diet plan and she asked me why I can't have bread but can have a piece of toast. I did not know the reason...I was surprised she didn't know. I assume it has something to do with the consistency or texture rather than for nutritional reasons? Maybe it gets clogged up in stomach??
I avoid bread since it has too many carbs and empty calories but was wondering why they specifically say "soft bread" is off limits or may cause problems, yet toast is fine. I also see a lot of posts that say high fiber tortilla wraps are OK. But isn't that also soft?
Anyone know the medical reason why it is to be avoided?
It's my understanding that the soft doughy stuff expands in your sleeve, so toasting it removes that doughy expanding property. My husband and I just take out the insides of table bread if we're out to eat and just have a little crispy crust if we just HAVE to have a little taste. It's heavy though, even just the crispy crust, so I don't really eat it very often.
Surgery Date: 12/9/14 - Highest Weight: 349 - Surgery Weight: 305 - Current Weight: 137
Goal reached in 13 months - 212 total pounds lost including pre-op
(M1: -20) (M2: -18) (M3: -11) (M4: -11) (M5: -14) (M6: -1) (M7: -18) (M8: -7) (M9: -15)
(M10: -13) (M11: -7) (M12: -10) (M13: -10) (M14 -6) (M15: -7) - 168 lbs lost post-op
I'm not sure how far out you are, but I can't have any bread, even toast. I can have saltines and, next stage, I can have a low carb tortilla. I'm only 8 weeks out, though, so that may be the difference.
The way I understand it, the rising properties of bread (the yeast part or whatever) cause the bread to expand in our stomachs which and fill us up too quickly on empty calories and it can also clump and cause a blockage.
I'm at 5 weeks post-op. My nutritionist gave me a list of things I can eat at each stage. I am in "soft foods" stage per my office. It says on my list I can have crackers and toast all must be 100% whole wheat. She told me that soft doughy breads expand and make you feel full and you won't be able to get all the nutrients you need. I use %100 whole wheat wraps that I found in the Mexican food store. They are about 5g carbs and 60 calories. I toast them in the toaster oven to make them crispy and not soft and doughy, plus they are smaller than regular wraps. Best wishes!
See - this is why NUTS advice should be taken with a grain of salt. They know nutrition but they don't understand the new anatomy of your body...what it can handle or not handle.
Soft bread tends to roll up into a ball. It fills up your stomach very quickly with crappy carbs and calories. It doesn't leave room for anything else and it can make you feel AWFUL! IT tends to swell and expand and that is bad news. Well-toasted bread is more crumbly and doesn't ball up.
But fair warning: I tried toast a few weeks out and promptly threw it up - the first time I'd ever thrown up.
Until you are in maintenance, my advice would be to avoid ALL bread. For the tiny amount you can eat it has little nutritonal value in comparison to protein sources that you should be focusing on.