We know that wheat, the main ingredient in bread, is addictive. The more we eat it, the more we need to eat it. But it is not just the wheat in bread that is hurting us. Bread often contains a host of other Poor Food ingredients as well. Let’s take a closer look:

Top 10 Poor Food Ingredients in Bread

1. All wheat, even whole grain or sprouted, contains gliadin, gluten, lecitins, and amylopectin A.
2. Sugar and Sinister Sugar Substitutes, including high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, aspartame, sucralose, honey, evaporated cane sugar, and agave nectar.
3. Trans fats, including partially hydrogenated oils and mono and diglycerides (a fancy way of sneaking trans fats into foods using legal loophole).
4. Soybean oil and/or canola oil (GMO alert).
5. MSG (Criminal Chameleon) under its numerous obesity-inducing aliases.
6. Potassium bromate – potentially carcinogenic iodine thieving Banned Bad Boy.
7. Azodicarbonamide – asthma-inducing Banned Bad Boy also found in yoga mats and sneaker soles.
8. Soy lecithin (GMO alert).
9. DATEM (Diacetyl Tarataric Acide Esters of Monoglycerides). Another dough conditioner used to improve volume and uniformity. It is considered safe by the FDA, but a 2002 study on rats showed “heart muscle fibrosis and adrenal overgrowth”.
10. Artificial colors and preservatives (including the likely carcinogens BHA and BHT).

If you think about it, bread is just a delivery system for other, more nutritious foods like meats and cheeses. After all, the grains are processed and stripped of their micronutrients. So, wouldn’t it make sense to consider a different delivery system, perhaps ones with fewer naked calories? Why not try a lettuce wrap? Not only are they really trendy, popping up on numerous restaurant menus, but they are easy to make, and you can use just about anything you may have left over from the night before. You don’t have to lose any of the convenience of the grab-and-go sandwich, either. Choose lettuce with big leaves such as iceberg, romaine, or red leaf to create the sturdiest of wraps. Don’t forget, because lettuce is one of the Terrible Twenty, choose organic when possible.

Here are three great lettuce wrap options to satisfy everyone in the family

1. The Club – Turkey, bacon, shredded lettuce and tomato.
2. Taco Salad – Grass-fed ground beef with organic taco seasonings, freshly shredded cheese, avocado, and salsa. Add a side of sour cream for dipping!
3. The Roman – Grilled chicken, cheese, chopped cucumber, and tomatoes in homemade Caesar salad dressing

*Always remember to use Rich Food ingredients