January 12th, 2025
Last night we celebrated Saja’s 17th birthday at a wonderful Indian restaurant, LUFU NOLA, which she selected for the occasion. By all measures, it was one of the finest dining experiences we have had since coming to the city. All the food was exceptionally prepared and the service was fantastic. Avoiding sugar on this menu was relatively easy. I am sure I would be a healthier human just by rotating through their menu on a regular basis. However, I have not discussed bread on this blog before and LUFU had three types of amazing bread on the menu.
The first was just a classic naan bread, a leavened flatbread cooked in a Tandoor (or clay oven) and served as a staple in every Indian restaurant, the perfect accompaniment to some curry or lentils. They also had a garlic naan, which we ordered and it did not disappoint. The other type of traditional bread is Bhatura, which they advertised as a “puffed bread and semolina”. What they didn’t advertise it as, as Wikipedia describes, is a” fluffy deep fried leavened sourdough bread.” Tit conjured up hints of fried dough from a carnival, just a much lighter version so despite promising myself just to taste it, I found myself going back bite after bite and eventually going for the last bits of the garlic naan as well.
Today, I certainly felt a bit more sluggish and slow which begs the question of sugar and bread. Bread contains carbohydrates that break down into simple sugars (glucose) in your body and can cause a spike in blood sugar, particularly white bread. Sourdough bread has a lower glycemic index and takes longer to digest to is better than white bread. Sugar is a much more concentrated source that is rapidly absorbed by the body, thus the sugar “rush” and inevitable subsequent crash. So while sugar is clearly worse than bread, I think it will be important to recognize how to handle bread while I am on this journey.
In changing any habit, it is nearly impossible just to stop a habit. Most often, a habit is being replaced by a different habit, and hopefully a better one. Authors Charles Duhigg and James Clear have written extensively and compellingly about habits so I won’t expound too much here. The simple idea is that I have developed a pattern, or cue as they would call it, to get something sweet after a meal. I need to replace that with a different choice. So far my replacement behaviors have been apple with peanut butter- not bad or chips- not good. Last night, it was finishing off the Bhatura and Naan bread. While a step in the right direction, an even better replacement behavior would be a walk with the dog or a cup of tea.
So for now, while my sugar cravings have certainly reduced the number on the scale, as proven today at the gym- even after tennis and the sauna- have only slightly moved. More work to be done for sure!