Why Restaurants Should Keep Their Bread. Pardon?

Oh, dear.

A rally of support to keep the bread basket coming to the table as part and parcel of a typical dining experience, from a recent article in New York Serious Eats.

Citing reasons such as “the key is everything in moderation”,  “bread can be part of a healthy diet” and, my favorite, “if you’re not one of the small percentage of the population with gluten sensitivity, whole grains are filled with nutrition benefits”, the article lists a few top chefs who’ve opted to keep, or reintroduce, this unfortunate mainstay back on to their menus.

I’d have to disagree wholeheartedly with the entire concept.

Park Paleo for a moment; even if one is not keen to avoid dairy or nix beans, there is absolutely not a single good reason why we, in a first world country, need to integrate bread into our diets.   Veggies contain an average of 7 – 11 times the fiber which you can absorb much more efficiently compared to the fortified stuff packed with anti nutrients you’d find in bread.

Gluten is not a good idea for anyone, and the hint that ‘only a small percentage of people have a sensitivity’ is quite inaccurate. In fact, the Celiac Foundation states that 1 in 133 people have a least a mild intolerance.

There is one exception for when I feel bread is of good use in a restaurant.

I recall a trip to Mexico where, at the breakfast buffet, beneath a tray of freshly cooked, pastured bacon, there was a layer of white bread to catch and absorb the great.

Yes, bread makes a good napkin.

Other than that, give it a pass.  Not only it is not a healthy choice to ingest, it will fill you up with nothing and leave less room for you to enjoy other more tasty and nutritionally packed options on the menu, like a juicy, rare steak or a lobster tail with seasonal veggies.

Bring on the protein and the greens, please!