Cheaper And Healthier Alternatives

Discussion in Food & Drink started by Sunflogun • Sep 8, 2015.

  1. Sunflogun

    SunflogunActive Member

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    What to put in the bread when we eat it? Much of what we eat is sugar based, but there are cheaper and healthier alternatives. Apart from the things we can do ourselves (home made jams for example), there are several cheeses that are really cheap and that are better. What do you put in your bread?
     
  2. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I think BLT sandwiches are great for this since you only really need a few strips of bacon and the rest are pretty much vegetables so I see it as seeing fairly healthy, or at the very least a little healthier than most other popular sandwiches. Peanut butter is also probably a good healthy option especially if you just make one yourself. I've seen some supermarkets that have the peanut butter dispensers where the peanuts are crushed fresh.
     
  3. Sunflogun

    SunflogunActive Member

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    BLT sandwiches are delicious that is true! Also, sandwiches with vegetables only can be pretty great as well, not for breakfast for me though, but as an afternoon snack just some tomato and lettuce are a great small meal.
     
  4. Ke Gordon

    Ke GordonWell-Known Member

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    I have recently become enamoured of eating tomato sandwiches. They are really excellent on white bread with mayo. I know white bread isn't the best, but this is a delicious sandwich, and is vegetarian. Some people will add lettuce, or cheese or avocado. However, just plain tomato in a sandwich is really quite good.
     
  5. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    I usually only buy the 99 cent or $1.99 freshly made Italian loaves from our grocers bakery when buying bread - as opposed to the bagged processed stuff like Wonder Bread of Pepperidge Farms breads. Even though it's white bread, it's fresh with no preservatives. And the Italian loaves tend to be more airy and not as dense as the processed pre-made breads, so I would imagine they are a bit lower in calories too.

    Beefsteak tomato sandwiches are fantastic, I usually have mine with a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper - that's about it. But I'm not opposed to spreading a little mayo instead, or even French dressing and some black pepper.

    Fresh guacamole is also great on toast, perhaps topped with some fresh diced tomato or pico de gallo if I have that too.

    Fresh tuna packed in oil, flaked and tossed with some fresh parsley, and diced onion, fresh ground black pepper, and a few splashes of hot sauce.

    BBQ pulled meat is also relatively healthy, especially if you make it yourself and drain off all the excess fat from the meat after roasting it, and before adding in your BBQ sauce. Plus if you make the sauce from scratch you can control how much sugar is in it.
     
  6. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    Whenever I would go on a diet, I have bread in my list. And the match for the bread is always butter and cheese. A nutritionist friend said that bread and butter is a popular term not because it is cheap but because it is one of the healthiest food there is. Do you believe in that? But I think buttered toast with poached eggs is a healthier menu because of the proteins provided by the eggs.
     
  7. Sunflogun

    SunflogunActive Member

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    I think it depends a lot on the type of bread right? I don't think white bread is considered to be very healthy, also, all white products are unhealthy. As for butter sure, it's OK in moderation, but it's not something particularly healthy I think.
     
  8. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    As everything I eat is always prepared from scratch with only totally natural foods - I never buy anything specially for sandwich fillings and although I generally don't use sliced bread and much prefer crispy rolls, baguettes, taco wraps or pitta pockets instead - as my take on sandwich fillings - is that if it can be eaten on a plate then it can be made into sandwich - my fillings are usually cheap, healthy and substantial - for example

    Chickpea/lentil burgers or falafel with herbs or grated vegetables - sandwiched between two pieces of crusty roll or baguette
    Roasted vegetable wraps - a bit like a roasted version of ratatouille topped with cheese
    Rice, pasta or potato salad leftovers - make a tasty crusty baguette or pitta pocket filling
    as do - Greek or Italian salads - and especially so when olive paste is used instead of butter or margarine
    Slices of leftover vegetable or potato based tortilla are an easy filling for any kind of bread
    Pesto goes with almost anything - but is especially good with roasted Italian vegetables or tomatoes and cheese
    as is Hummus - which can be used with anything from vegetables to meat or fish - its extremely tasty too - but especially good when used as a base or in place of mayonnaise with salad or tomato and pepper fillings
    Cold Bruschetta is another - guacamole wraps are pretty good too

    Although white bread and white flour are often demonised as being unhealthy - they actually aren't - as the only difference between good quality white bread and wholewheat brown breads - is that the latter contains more fibre and therefore tends to be more filling.
    There is however a difference when it comes to the ingredients - as bread with a short ingredient list - meaning not much more than - flour, water, yeast, and salt - is obviously a much healthier option - than highly processed bread with a long list of additives and preservatives
     
  9. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    I like the texture of wheat or multi grain bread much more than white bread. I eat two sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly and tuna fish sandwiches. Also a hamburger is a sandwich that I like. I am not a big bread eater so I don't make many sandwiches also I can't eat cold cuts or hot dogs unless they are beef with out having stomach problems.
     
  10. ellajanelle

    ellajanelleMember

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    There are actually a lot of healthy meat alternatives like vegetables such as sweet potato. Unbelievable as it may seem, it tastes so good when prepared the right way. It's great with fresh avocados :) When I have limited resources, though, I go for traditional tuna :)
     
  11. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    I don't have a habit of eating sandwiches made with bread at home. I will either eat a burger bought somewhere else, or I will just eat other kinds of foods, like pasta, salads and things like this. However where I live it is common to have bread with ham and cheese.
     
  12. purplepen88

    purplepen88Active Member

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    I find when making a sandwich it can be the toppings that make it tastes nice and fresh, so I make sure to have tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, onions. Then I'll use whatever protein I have in the house -leftover chicken, ham, turkey, canned tuna or salmon. I like my bread lightly toasted.
     
  13. Andrea Phillips

    Andrea PhillipsActive Member

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    I love bread...too much! I put avocados, veggie burgers, lentil burgers, battered tofu or eggplant and peanut butter and jelly. I do not eat white bread, only whole wheat. I also like cheese toast and cinnamon toast. I have been known to eat a vegetable sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded carrots, red pepper and sprouts, with a delicious dressing on it.
     
  14. watsadamen

    watsadamenMember

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    I think for the bread, whole wheat is healthier than the white variety. I like making my own sandwiches. A lot has already been suggested but I would also like to share my favorites. These include light mayo paired either with boiled egg, tuna or shredded chicken breast. I also add tomatoes or lettuce.
     
  15. Sunflogun

    SunflogunActive Member

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    I thought that the white looks they have make me believe they go through some sort of chemical process? Also, removing the most important nutrients from the bread doesn't seem a good idea.
     
  16. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    This is where looks can be misleading - as unless you are making your own bread or buying it from a bakery that only uses natural ingredients - the nutritional benefits of commercially produced white or brown bread are virtually the same - for the simple reason - that as the majority of brown breads sold in stores - are generally made from bleached white flour with coloring agents such as caramel or treacle, fiber flakes, sweeteners, emulsifiers, preservatives and other additives added to make it look healthy, rustic and brown - what you are actually buying - is in fact nothing more than white bread in disguise.

    Which is why when choosing the healthiest option - the ingredients are far more important than the color of the bread - and therefore as I mentioned previously - why bread with a short ingredient list - regardless of color - containing not much more than - flour, water, yeast, and salt - is obviously a much healthier choice - than bread that contains a long list of ingredients plus additives and preservatives.