By Matthew Clark
Recently I returned to Canada from a trip over to France and Belgium. The reason for the journey was to visit the World War One and World War Two battlefields which Canadian Armed Forces personnal had participated in. It was a sobering sight to see such famous battlegrounds as Dieppe, Juno, Vimy Ridge, St. Julien, Beaumont Hamel, and Passchendale. Until someone sees the actual landscape where these events occurred it is difficult to imagine the immense courage it would have taken to have fought with such determination under formidably adverse conditions.
Yet the vacation was not one of complete reflection. Along the way I got to sample some exquisite cuisine! In Ypes Belgium there was a wonderful store located in the town centre where mouth watering Belgium Waffles could be purchased, then consumed. France was a deluxe of pastry and bakery shops. Amiens, Arras, Albert, Cambrai, all can boast of delectable pastry and bakery establishments. Nevertheless Bayeux was my personnel favourite for tasting french morsels so pleasing to the palate. Not only was the food delicious, so was the customer service. Everywhere shop and restaurant employees broke into frequent smiles as they served my culinary requests. Addressing them in the simplest of French phrases caused them to cheerfully reciprocate in as much English as they could muster. In fairness this was the general experience throughout France. Supposedly Paris is the exception to this rule.
What really stood out about the bread and pastries was that while they were very pleasant tasting, the food did not leave the same bloated feeling which occurs so often upon consuming Canadian bread and sweets. When eating in Canada it often seems to me that eating a lunchtime sandwich has the same effect as devouring a full course meal. Digging into a fast food doughnut can have a similar result to pigging out on that birthday cake you bought for your daughters happy 18th but never gave to her because the icing on the cake was too tempting.
Is the sensation I was feeling real, or just the product of my imagination? An admittedly very quick effort at researching this issue suggests there is some evidence North American bread and pastry is not nearly as healthy as the variety(s) available in France. Writing for Fullscript.com on the American diet journalist Laura Dan claims that by definition the standard American diet consists of ultra processed food, added sugar, fat, and sodium. In terms of macronutrients this consists of 50% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 35% fat. In pastries and other sweets carbohydrates, sodium, and fats are even more pronounced. As a result 40% of Americans are considered obese. A 2022 Canadian Community Health Survey found 30% of Canadians are obese. (10 million total).
In a March6, 2021 article in greenlifephilosophy the author (Jennifer) sees North American diet health problems coming from 4 areas. 1) Type of wheat to make flour. 2) Glyphosate used in America. 3) Food additives. 4) Yeast and fermentation. In North America All Purpose Flour has 11% protein. Bread Flour has 13%-15% protein content. European Flour in contrast has 6%-10% protein content. As well North Americans, by the numbers, have a bias for White Bread which is stripped of bran and germ, thus losing the majority of nutrients. Glyphosate is a chemical which dries up the wheat. It is not in French bread. Fortunately it is not as prevalent in Canadian products as it is in the United States. Additives such as BHA and BHT are known to cause tumours in animals. Nevertheless government health agencies consider them safe.
A major advantage French Bread has over it's Canadian counterpart is the use of traditional yeast, better known as Sourdough. Sourdough Bread in Canada tends to be seen as a specialty food item. In Canada most breadmaking can be described as industrial bread, which uses quick rise yeast. This can have chemical dough conditioners. This yeast has very little fermentation. Bread is made quicker w1ith this product yet because the fermentation is minimal the result is a less healthy foodstuff than what one can get in France.
Obviously this is a very short analysis of the comparison between Canadian and French bread/pastries. Nevertheless it hopefully does leave one with food for thought. Next time you are visiting the bakery it would be wise to take an extra hard look at the Sourdough fermented bread or those exotic European pastries!
Research
Fullscript.com by Laura Dan
https://www.greenlifephilosophy.com March 6, 2021 by Jennifer
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