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Plenty
of ways to love bagels
April 27, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Unlike
biscuits and cornbread, one breakfast bread is a relative
newcomer to the South: bagels.
It wasn’t until the mid ’80s that I could find
them here in the Carolinas, as they began showing up with
the influx of folks from the North.
For the uninitiated: Bagels are dense, chewy, donut-shaped
rolls. The dough is boiled in water, then baked, giving bagels
a glossy crust. Some bagels contain bits of fruit or are sprinkled
with cinnamon and sugar, but they aren’t nearly as sweet
as a donut.
Most bagels have no added sugar at all.
Most bagels are also egg-free and close to, if not completely,
fat-free. That is, of course, unless you add cream cheese
or cream cheese plus lox (a thin, cured salmon filet), a Jewish
tradition.
Other reasons to like bagels:
* They’re tough and portable. They pack easily for school
or office and don’t go to mush in a bookbag.
* They come in a wide variety of flavors. My personal favorite
is cinnamon raisin. Others: blueberry, banana nut, honey wheat,
rye, onion, sesame, poppyseed, “everything,” plain
and many others.
* They’re versatile. Kids and teens like mini pizzas
made by spooning tomato sauce over a sliced bagel half, sprinkling
on some grated, part-skim mozzarella cheese and heating them
in a microwave oven.
* The taste and texture are appealing. Don’t judge all
bagels by the frozen variety you may find in supermarkets.
The gold standard is an authentic New York bagel, big and
chewy.
* With few exceptions, they’re good for you. Chocolate
chip and cheese bagels aside, most bagels have substantially
less bad fat and sugar than do donuts and store-bought muffins.
Now for the downsides. There are a few, but they can be overcome:
* Oversized bagels have a lot of calories. New York-style
bagels and others can weigh 5 ounces and contain 350 calories.
In comparison, two pieces of toast likely contain less than
200 calories. If you’re watching your weight –
and who isn’t? – the difference is significant.
* Most are made with refined flour, so they’re on par
with white bread and don’t provide the nutritional benefits
of breads made with whole grains.
* Toppings can blow the benefits of the bagel. In New York
City, bagels are sliced and served with a thick slab of cream
cheese in the middle. Around here, a couple tablespoons of
cream cheese spread over two bagel halves add 100 calories
and 7 grams of bad fat.
So here’s how to make the most of a bagel:
* If you add cream cheese, use it sparingly. Skip the brick
and use a couple tablespoons of light or whipped cream cheese
instead. If you’re eating out, take the cream cheese
on the side rather than directly on the bagel. Alternate with
different spreads, too, including jam, honey, apple butter,
peanut butter, or hummus. You may be able to eat bagels plain,
especially fruited bagels and bagels dusted with cinnamon
and sugar.
* Buy whole wheat or multigrain bagels. In grocery stores
where bagels come in a bag with an ingredient list, choose
bagels with whole wheat flour listed as the first or second
ingredient. Ingredients are listed in order of predominance
in products, so those listed first or second are the main
ingredients.
* Watch portion sizes. Consider holding it to half if the
bagel is jumbo-sized.
* Steer clear of fast-food and restaurant sandwiches that
pile on the cheese and eggs. Whether they’re built on
bagels, biscuits or croissants, they’re loaded with
calories, sodium and bad fats. Bad news.
With those tips in mind, though, bagels can be a breakfast
– or anytime – basic and a healthy addition to
Southern tables.
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