PCOS Friendly Bread? Amy Plano, The PCOS Dietitian gives you the 411

by | Jul 17, 2017

PCOS Friendly Bread – Yes It Does Exist

I know what you are thinking – the word PCOS and bread should not even be in the same sentence. But guess what? That is where you are wrong ‘cysta!  I have been dying to share with one of my favorite PCOS friendly breads – Dave’s Killer Bread. Yup – I agree with you! Super, duper, cheesy name. But all situations aside I will let this goober get away with it as it just that good.

I feel like I must have read a review about the bread a while back. Shopping at Shop Rite in Milford, CT a couple of weeks ago – the bread seemed to jump out at me. The label is memorable for sure!  Most breads don’t have a long-haired dude strumming a guitar on the front of the package. SO I guess I am not super surprised I was drawn to it. Are you?  Of course – being the foodie that I am — I needed to try it. So, of course I bought all three different types that Shop Rite had.

Front of the label for Dave's Killer Bread - go get yo'self some.

Front of the label for Dave’s Killer Bread – go get yo’self some.

Dave’s Killer Bread Claim to Fame

Independent of its taste – which I will get to in a second — Dave’s Killer Bread has several great characteristics that make it one the few PCOS friendly breads I trust. Number one, the ingredients are all high quality. They only use USDA organic ingredients. They also claim all their ingredients are made from non-genetically modified seeds. It is important to note that the label claim “Non-GMO”claim is not yet supported by FDA. However, usually a third-party does come in verify the validity of this claim. So, you have to give Dave props for going through all that effort to do this.

Image of All the positive attributes for Dave's Killer Bread

Only Ingredients You Can Pronounce

Next, I promise, you can pronounce all the ingredients. In addition to being able to pronounce them – you easily can find what they are. I reviewed all the varieties of Dave’s Killer Bread and there was not one single ingredient I had to question. Below you can see the ingredients I took directly off a loaf of Dave’s Killer Bread – 21 Whole Grains & Seeds. Remember when purchasing bread you always want the word “whole” to appear within the first 3 ingredients. This signifies the ingredients are in fact made from whole grains and not processed. As you can see – this bread fits that criteria.

The Macronutrient Breakdown is Solid

PCOS friendly breads are hard to come by – but Dave’s Killer Bread makes it both easy and tasty to accomplish this task. Dave’s Killer Breads sells several different variety. But one of the things I like is there is an entire line of thin-sliced breads that deliver the same killer taste and texture in a smaller, lighter package. One slice of the regular bread has about 120 calories, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. While the thin-sliced variety only have 60-70 calories (depending on which one you choose), 12 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fat and 3 grams of protein.

I know what you maybe thinking – how thin is thin? Not too thin – I promise. I often cringe when people tell me they eat “diet bread” (the first thing that comes to mind is Sara Lee – yuck!) that is paper-thin. Why even bother? Put that crap in the toaster for too long – and you have a three-alarm fire. That is not at all what I am talking about.

In all seriousness, I did not even consciously buy the thin-sliced bread. I just bought what they had which happened to be the thin-sliced variety. I did not even noticed it was thin-sliced until it was all gone and I needed to go to the store to buy more! It was only then that I noticed that Dave even made what they would consider a traditional, thicker slice. I bought that too and it was as good – but not drastically different from the thin-sliced variety. So there is no need to “upgrade” to the big girl slice — unless you want the extra calories and carbohydrates.

Did someone say fiber?

You know how much I love talking about the benefits of fiber for women with PCOS. If fact, I think my patients want to kill me sometimes when I hammer them about meeting their daily fiber targets. Which for most folks is a whopping 28 – 35 grams of fiber per day. The average women only consumes about 15 grams – 50 % less than what is required. And we wonder why we are hungry all the time!?! Not only does fiber help keep us full, it also helps control blood sugar by promoting the liver to release blood sugar more slowly. Given that women with PCOS are more likely than not to have issues with their regulation of blood sugar and insulin there is no reason they should not be meeting their fiber goals.

Dave’s Killer Bread helps us get one step further to meeting our fiber needs. Each slice of Dave’s Killer Thin-Sliced Bread has 3 grams. So if you make yourself a pretty little sandwich you have yourself 6 grams of fiber. While, that may not seem like a lot – once you start adding all sorts of good-looking veggies to your sandwich you are well on your way to meeting your daily fiber totals. Round out the meal with some guacamole or humus with raw veggies and well what can I say – you’ve got yourself a nice high fiber meal.

Baby Got Omega-3s

Does the word Omega-3s ring a bell?  Remember a couple of weeks ago when we were chatting about all the amazing benefits of fats for women with PCOS? Well, if you missed it – or maybe just forgot click here to read more about PCOS friendly fats. Omega-3 Fatty Acids are a specific type of polyunsaturated fat that is essential to our body. This means our body cannot produce them – so we need to get them from the food we eat. Omega 3’s are most known for their role in reducing inflammation.Plus studies support that the right levels of Omega 3’s can reduce cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure, lowering your chance for heart attack, stroke or other cardiac event.

Dave’s Killer Bread is one of the few breads on the market to actually contain Omega 3’s that I know of. I imagine other exists – they have just yet to cross this girl’s path! Each slice of the thin-sliced variety has 130 mg per slice. While there is no finite recommendation for Omega 3 intake, it is fair to say that more is almost always better. While we would love to see people eating fatty fish that has Omega 3’s, I think it is fair to say this is not happening. So if someone can squeak in some Omega 3’s in – especially in an assuming source such as bread – I am all for it. Top your bread off with some grass-fed butter (Kerry Gold is my absolute favorite!) or organic nut butter and you just jacked up your Omega 3’s without batting an eye. Boom!

Dave’s Killer Bread Has a Killer Mission

I admit it – I am a sucker for a anyone or company who gives back. I don’t care what you are giving back – whether it be shoes, money, time, hugs or just smiles I think it is just great when people try to make some else’s life better. Companies like Toms Shoes, The Company Store and Good Spread have a place in my heart. Not to mention amazing people like Theresa on Pit Bulls and Paroles who rescues and finds homes for thousands of pit bulls each year. It is amazing how selfless companies and regular people alike can actually be. Especially in this day in age when everyone seems to be drinking their own flavor of hater-ade.

Well, the Dave’s Killer Bread company has an equally heart warming story. The company states that one in three of their employee partners has a criminal background.

At Dave’s Killer Bread, we believe everyone is capable of greatness and that a second chance can lead to positive lasting change. In 2015 we introduced our non-profit, the Dave’s Killer Bread Foundation, with the mission to inspire other businesses to become Second Chance Employers and affect positive societal change. “

They even have a foundation for reducing the negative impact of mass incarceration and recidivism in America.  Their foundation provides programs for businesses looking to adopt or improve these practices. I am mean honestly how cool is that?

Now the moment you have all been waiting for – how does Dave’s Killer Bread taste? I think it tastes pretty awesome!  If I were to use one word to describe the bread it would be ‘hearty’ yet not overly heavy and dense. Despite being a whole grain, Dave’s Killer Bread still retains a good deal of lightness. I found it soft with a very light sweetness. Obviously, depending on the variety you buy you may have more or less seeds. I found it was good on a sandwich and just as good on its own with butter or peanut butter. I even made French toast with it which came out quite awesome if I have to say so myself!

But just a quick word of caution – do check the expiration dates. The first couple of loaves we bought were killer literally. But the second batch seemed a little dryer – if not slightly stale. A quick little pop in the toaster remedied that. However, I might pull from the back of the shelve as most stores likely do first in – first out placing the older ones in the front.

So that’s a wrap for this week’s blog. Have you tried Dave’s Killer Bread? Or do you have a PCOS Friendly Bread you recommend? Please let our PCOS community know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!

Support for women with PCOS

Amy Plano PCOS Dietitian