If you're looking for low carb breads, bagels or tortillas, this article might be of help to you......



A Closer Look At Low-Carb Breads

One thing many people following low carbohydrate diets miss most is bread and bread products like bagels and tortilla rounds. To meet the growing demands of low-carb dieters, a number of companies have begun to fill the void and offer a selection of low-carb breads, bagels and tortillas that come very close to "the real thing."

Not all of these products, however, are worth the cost or taste that great. Let's take a look at some of the products available.

Wrap it up!

La Tortilla Factory has low-carb tortillas and, after three re-formulations, has created an excellent tortilla. They now come in different sizes (regular and large) as well as several flavors (e.g., whole wheat, original, green onion). These are great for wrap sandwiches, tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more.

Each tortilla is made from 100 percent whole wheat flour and has just 3 grams of net carbs. They only keep well for a few days unless you put them in the freezer. Before doing this, open the package and place a sheet of wax paper between each tortilla, so you'll be able to take out one or two at a time without disturbing the ones remaining in the freezer.

Not everyone seems to like them -- either you really like them or you don't. The biggest complaint I've heard is about the smell -- out of 10 tasters, 3 didn't like them but 7 did.

Sandwich anyone?

Nature's Own 100 percent Whole Wheat Bread and Nature's Own Low-Carb Bread -- the 100 percent whole wheat bread from this company has long been low carb (though it never was labeled that). The miracle is that it has only 7 grams of net carbs, can be found in most every grocery store and is the price of a regular loaf of bread.

Very recently, Nature's Own came out with an officially "low-carb bread" -- and yet another miracle -- it has 5 grams of net carbs and is not overpriced either. Low-carb dieters LOVED this bread. Why? It is simply THAT good! It's baked fresh daily and is WAY less expensive than other breads. Tasters also commented that the slices are big and the bread feels "real."

The next bread we tested was from Synergy Diet. These breads are available in a variety of flavors: rye, pumpernickel, sourdough, wheat, white and more. They're already baked and arrive at your door fresh, so be sure to freeze the loaf so it will keep longer than a few days. These loaves are a bit pricey, but worth the cost considering how good they taste. Each slice is a nice size and two slices make a good sandwich with just 4 grams to 6 grams of net carbs per slice. Tasters agreed the breads are even better toasted.

Atkins Bake Mix is an acceptable flour substitute that allows you to make bread, rolls, pancakes, muffins and cookies that are low carb.

How the item you bake tastes depends on how dependent the original recipe was on flour (the more originally required, the more obvious the taste of the Atkins Bake Mix will be). We liked the muffins and cookies made with the mix, but did not care as much for the pancakes and breads we made with it. It also works well as the first step in dredging meats (as one would traditionally use flour) to make fried chicken and the like.

A better option is the Atkins Quick & Easy Bread Mixes. How do they taste? It really depends on how you make them! From the bread machine, you'll get much better results than if you make the dough and have to knead it, wait for it to rise, knead it again, wait for it to rise again and then bake it. Each time we made it conventionally it came out a bit dense for our liking. The bread machine provides a much better result with these mixes.

Overall, they taste good. They are much denser than traditional flour-based breads, but they toast well and taste good. Like many of the low-carb breads, they don't keep well if left out, so place finished loaves in the refrigerator or freezer after they've cooled. Atkins Quick & Easy Bread Mixes come in three flavors: Caraway Rye, Sourdough and White. Each may be made in the oven or in a bread machine.

Check out your supermarket for low-carb bread from Arnold. It got mixed reviews with some loving it and others preferring one of the above breads. Since it's easily available in your supermarket, it's easy enough to give it a try.

Bagels anyone?

Synergy Diet Bagels come in eight flavors: plain, sesame, onion, blueberry, cinnamon raisin, garlic-onion, chocolate chip and poppy seed. You can't help but find a bagel for your taste! These bagels are the sixth generation of low-carb formulas, and we think they're the best yet. They're not too dense, like many low-carb bread options, yet they're chewy and crisp as a bagel should be. They're excellent toasted!

Since they arrive fresh at your door, they don't keep long if they're not kept in the freezer. Once they arrive, be sure to package and freeze, so you can take them out one at a time to use as needed.

Thomas is now putting out a low-carb bagel, which is available in your supermarket. Reviews were mixed but since these are so easily available it's easy enough to try them yourself.

Spice up your low-carb plan a bit and try one of these breads or bread products. You're bound to like one of them!

Dr. Nancy Tice is a psychiatrist with extensive experience furnishing medical information and writing articles for online services. She did her medical training at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. She moderates her own support group called "Rx for Success," writes articles for the eDiets newsletters, holds online meetings and answers questions in our Expert Interaction section.