These days, restaurants have replaced bread with lettuce wraps and cauliflower crusts to offer “healthier” options. While these are great substitutes, they also vilify bread. Most fad diets and health “gurus” offer a disparaging opinion on bread, mainly because of its high carbohydrate levels. However, in some cases, the benefits of bread can outweigh the carbs. Besides, our bodies need those carbs to function correctly. The right type of bread — a low-fat bread packed with nutrients — can be a healthy addition to a balanced diet. Here’s what dieticians and health experts say about the most nutritious types of bread.

Why Bread Isn’t Bad

You won’t find low-carb diets with bread on the menu, but here’s the catch: we need carbohydrates, and bread is a great way to get them. Carbs are the body’s primary energy source for brain and nervous system function. So why the bad rap? Eating too many carbs has adverse health impacts, including increased weight, blood sugar levels, risk of diabetes, and other diseases. For these reasons, many consumers seek to reduce their bread intake.

However, not all breads are created equal. The American Heart Association has weighed in on the debate about bread, stating, “Concerns over carbs, sodium, and gluten sometimes overshadow what can be a simple, tasty way to add important vitamins and minerals as well as fiber to daily meals.” Some breads are even fortified with essential vitamins and minerals such as iron, riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin.

Whole Grains Come Out on Top

From Italian ciabatta to Southern-style cornbread or a New York bagel — there are hundreds of tasty bread options. However, some bread types should be limited to special occasions (like dessert) because of high sugar or sodium content. There are a few types of bread you can feel good about, and one option reigns supreme: whole grain bread.

Whole grain breads provide the best of both worlds, with lower calorie and fat levels than other breads, an average amount of carbs, and plenty of health benefits. Whole grain flours are made using all parts of the kernel, the bran, germ, and endosperm. These whole kernels include protein, fiber, B vitamins, phytochemicals, vitamin E, and other healthy fats. Whole grains stand out from other breads on store shelves because they’re darker in color, have visible grain kernels, and are less fluffy. When bread is refined, the germ and bran are removed, which results in a lighter, fluffier flour (think pre-sliced white bread), but with less nutritional benefits and more calories and carbs.

Types of Whole Grain Bread

“Whole grain” is a broad category. Consumers have many choices when looking for a healthy type of bread. The most popular type of whole grain bread is whole wheat, but plenty of other whole grains can be made into bread flour, including oats, buckwheat, barley, brown rice, sorghum, millet, quinoa, and amaranth. Aside from barley and wheat, these grains are gluten-free, making them an excellent choice for those sensitive to gluten.

Whole Wheat

Of all the types of whole grain bread, whole wheat is the most popular and readily available. The average slice of whole grain bread contains around 81 calories, 14 grams of carbs, and four grams of protein. In comparison, a slice of white bread has more calories and carbs with less protein, containing around 98 calories, 18 grams of carbs, and three grams of protein. If you prefer the taste of white bread over whole wheat, look for 100 percent white whole wheat bread (made with albino whole wheat grain). It is the same nutritionally as whole wheat bread and tastes more like white bread.

Sprouted Whole Grain Bread

To increase the nutrition benefits, opt for sprouted whole grain bread, which boasts the same benefits as whole grain but is made with sprouted grains (soaked grains that have begun to grow). When grains sprout, they are more easily digestible, and the body better absorbs the nutrients. Dietician Lisa Valente, M.S., RD, recommends sprouted whole grain to her patients, “The one type that always stands out to me as a good choice is sprouted grain bread,” citing their high-protein and low-sodium content. Check the bakery, natural food, or freezer sections if you can’t find sprouted whole grain bread in the regular bread aisle.

The Truth About Multigrain 

Not all multigrain breads are whole grain, so breads labeled this way require more legwork from consumers. Ensure you read the ingredients because the grains used in the flour might not be whole grains. Sally Kuzemchak, M.S., RDN, explains, “And ‘multigrain’ sounds amazing, but just means it’s made with multiple grains — none of them necessarily need to be whole.” If the grains are whole, they will be listed on the label, as seen in Dave’s Killer Bread Organic 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Bread. Whole grain multigrain breads are a great choice to add diversity to your whole grain intake.

The Bottom Line

Bread can undoubtedly be included in a balanced diet, so don’t shy away if you don’t have to. Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University, sums it up nicely: “A leaf of lettuce will have a couple of calories, where a slice of bread will have 100-something calories. But will you have the same amount of vitamins and minerals in a leaf of lettuce that you will get in a slice of bread? No.” When choosing bread, remember to opt for healthier types, such as whole grains, to reap the nutritional benefits while enjoying a tasty meal.

Plenty of us have our heads buried in our phones these days, whether scrolling through social media, browsing aimlessly on Amazon, or spending hours playing Candy Crush. It seems no one is immune. We use our phones for everything. But what happens when we become addicted to them? 

We can’t completely cut phones out of our lives, because we need them for professional and personal communication, so it’s unreasonable to tell someone to “just shut it off.” Sure, we can say we’re going to “limit social media time to X hours a day” or “turn off the phone at eight o’clock every night,” but to actually implement these goals is difficult. Instead, there are a few realistic steps to reduce screen time and cultivate a healthy relationship with your phone.

What Is a Phone Addiction?

Cell phone apps were designed to be addictive. Former Google design ethicist Tristan Harris points out that some features, such as “pull to refresh,” intentionally mimic slot machines and other addictive casino games. It keeps users wanting more. Even if you manage to ignore these psychological cravings and put the phone down, the break probably doesn’t last long. “If you disengage, you get peppered with little messages or bonus offers to get your attention and pull you back in,” explains Natasha Schüll, author of Addiction by Design. It makes kicking the habit nearly impossible.

With the world at our fingertips, pulling away can be extremely difficult. The Addiction Center estimates that over six percent of the population has a phone addiction. Some signs of phone addiction include lying about smartphone use, getting up at night to check the phone, neglecting other duties, and getting irritated when phone use is interrupted. Overusing phones can disrupt our relationships, productivity, and mental health. Here’s how to reduce your screen time and prevent falling victim to a phone addiction.

How to Kick the Social Media Habit — No, Really

It’s the most common complaint of phone overusers. Our brains love social media. Viewing our friends’ Facebook photos or watching funny TikToks activates the brain’s reward center as dopamine (a feel-good chemical) is released. Social media’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down — 69% of adults and 81% of teens use it. But curiously, we log in repeatedly, even if our last browsing session left us angry, irritated, or anxious. This is because, like gambling, the results of social media browsing are random, and we become addicted to the high points. 

“When the outcome is unpredictable, the behavior is more likely to repeat. Think of a slot machine: if game players knew they never were going to get money by playing the game, then they never would play,” explains psychologist Jacqueline Sperling, PhD. She goes on to use image posting on social media as a comparable example to gambling. “One does not know how many likes a picture will get, who will ‘like’ the picture, and when the picture will receive likes. The unknown outcome and the possibility of a desired outcome can keep users engaged with the sites.” 

Unfortunately, many of us stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues via these platforms, so simply deleting them isn’t easy. Instead, try turning off notifications. This way, you won’t be pinged whenever someone likes a photo, comments on your post, or adds you as a friend. The next step is to decide how often you’ll check your apps daily to reduce screen time further. Set a number and stick with it.

After a few weeks of practice, the urge to constantly check social media should subside, and you won’t be glued to every “ding” your phone makes. If this doesn’t work, delete social media apps from your phone but keep them on a less portable device, such as a tablet or computer. This way, you can still check your accounts, but you won’t have access to them 24/7. They do say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Replace Bad Phone Habits With Good Ones

Phones get a bad rap these days, but they aren’t the real problem; it’s how we use them. They can also be fantastic tools for learning and productivity. Replace your social media “doomscrolling” with something more fruitful to boost your mood instead of sinking it. Check out the app store (especially free apps) to exercise your brain. Learn a new language, enjoy guided meditation, read books, listen to music or podcasts, or play brain games like crossword puzzles or trivia. You’ll feel better about how you spend your time, and you’ll learn something new.

Put “Do Not Disturb” to Good Use

Social media notifications aren’t the only things popping up on phone screens during all hours of the day. Emails, group chats, news, text messages, and more bombard us even when it’s time to sleep. An underutilized tool is the “do not disturb” setting. It silences calls, alerts, and notifications without turning off cellular service in just a few taps. You can still use your phone but won’t be notified of incoming messages or calls until you turn the setting off.

On iPhone, this setting is a moon icon and can be set for one hour, “until this evening,” or “until I leave this location” (which comes in handy during business meetings or dinner dates). On an Android device, the icon looks like a circle with a horizontal line through it. You can also customize these settings by choosing the notifications you’ll still receive when it’s engaged. For example, head to an iPhone’s “do not disturb” settings and select “sleep focus.” You can then choose what people and apps are still allowed to notify you at night, and anyone or anything not selected will still be silenced. Parents love this setting because their kids can still contact them during an emergency, but annoying social media notifications or emails won’t disrupt their sleep.

Set Up Tech-Free Zones for a Digital Detox

This recommendation sounds scarier than it is. Being connected to everyone 24/7 is a perk and a pitfall of modern life, but sometimes, it’s best just to put the phone down. Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to turn your phone off the entire time you’re at home, so a more reasonable option is to assign a few phone-free (or even tech-free) rooms. 

The best rooms to go tech-free are the bedroom, dining room, and family room. You’re enjoying downtime and spending time with loved ones in these spaces. This way, you can be fully present. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a digital detox such as this has several mental health benefits, including stress reduction and sharper focus, and it also improves our social interactions. And one more suggestion — invest in an alarm clock to keep your bedroom tech-free. This way, you’ll roll over in the mornings to turn off the alarm and not be tempted to check emails or social accounts immediately.

Fortunately, talking about mental health is no longer taboo, but even still, it’s a complicated subject to navigate. This is especially true if you aren’t quite sure how or why you feel a certain way. If you happen to feel like you’ve checked out of everyday life, whether you’re socializing less, experiencing constant anxiety, feeling numb, or “doomscrolling” every evening, these tips might help you. These feelings, along with a host of other bothersome symptoms, can be signs of something called “functional freeze.”

Responses to Stressors

When faced with stressors, our bodies can respond in a few different ways. You’ve likely heard of fight-or-flight responses, which are natural reactions driven by your sympathetic nervous system, the mode that prepares your body for danger. However, these aren’t the only two sympathetic nervous system responses. There are two other reactions, “fawn” and “freeze.” Our response to stressors can be any of these four options or a hybrid of several.

Of these responses to danger, “fight” and “flight” are self-explanatory. The less-talked-about “fawn” involves submitting to or trying to appease the source of danger. “Freeze” is also not often discussed, but it is among the most popular responses. When someone freezes in the face of stress or danger, their body goes into an involuntary pause. Think of the actors’ reactions in Jurassic Park freezing as a Tyrannosaurus rex approaches. Unfortunately, freezing manifests itself in all sorts of ways — and it doesn’t take a dinosaur to trigger it.

Functional Freeze

Functional freeze is a less obvious state of emotion that impacts sufferers mentally and physically but without showing the classic symptoms of textbook anxiety or depression. It isn’t yet a clinical term, but it’s gaining traction in the world of mental health because so many of us experience this phenomenon. It’s a stress response that causes you to freeze mentally, physically, and emotionally while still going through the motions of daily life. If everyday tasks, meeting up with friends, and texting back have become taxing, you might be experiencing functional freeze. 

Also referred to as being on “autopilot,” functional freeze isn’t a total shutdown. Sufferers retain basic levels of function without causing concern to those around them. However, those suffering in silence feel the difference, but they can’t pinpoint what’s wrong. “People are able to engage in kind of the bare minimum basic functioning, so still going to work and engaging with others, but performance may slip,” explains psychologist T.M. Robinson-Mosley. Stress, burnout, and unresolved trauma are the most prevalent sources of functional freeze.

Signs You’re in Functional Freeze

There are several telltale signs of functional freeze, although it does look different for everyone. If one or more of these situations describe you, you could be in functional freeze.

You Can’t Shake Constant Anxiety 

Do you feel like something terrible is always about to happen? This unwarranted sense of impending doom can be debilitating, and with no discernible cause, pinpointing the source and fixing it seems impossible. This ongoing, low-level anxiety is a hallmark of functional freeze. 

You Procrastinate

You let daily chores, work assignments, self-care activities, and other tasks fall by the wayside, even though you want and need to do them. Procrastinating becomes your go-to, resulting in things piling up and making you even more anxious. Binge-watching television and scrolling through social media are two of the most popular forms of functional freeze procrastination.

You Avoid Socializing

Weekends of canceled plans or dozens of ignored calls and messages could be a sign of functional freeze. When you’re in freeze mode, your need to isolate yourself from others skyrockets, and you’ll be more introverted than ever. This can also look like “crashing” or shutting down when you return home from work or social functions.

You Feel Exhausted

If you can’t seem to bring yourself to the gym even though you know you’d feel better, you could be in functional freeze. Even everyday physical activity, such as walking your dog or taking out the trash, can be jarring. You find that you want to stay inside on the couch, even though it ultimately makes you feel worse. 

You Lack Emotion

Things that once made you feel excited or happy now fall short. If your emotions feel muted, it could be a functional freeze. This is because as you disconnect from social connections, daily tasks, and everyday life, you feel disassociated from yourself and your surroundings as anxiety continues to build. The one emotion you probably do feel is a sense of being overwhelmed.

How to “Unfreeze”

It’s important to remember that functional freeze is not a permanent state. With the right strategies, you can overcome it and regain control of your life. To “unfreeze,” you must activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which allows the body to transition from sympathetic mode into a calmer, more relaxed state. Get back on track with these helpful tips.

Get Moving

Not only is exercise good for your physical health, but it’s just as beneficial for mental health. Stress relief and improved mood are just the tip of the iceberg regarding the benefits. Light activities, including stretching, yoga, or walking, can soothe your body. Some sufferers of functional freeze have found success in joining gyms, classes, or even local running clubs. A defined workout routine allows you to build your daily schedule around it, making you more likely to make time for it. 

Slow Down

We know what you’re thinking — “You just told us to keep moving!” — but maintaining a healthy lifestyle and positive mindset is about balance. Deep breathing and meditation are proven to deliver many physical and mental benefits. They can be done anywhere, anytime, making them accessible to anyone stuck in functional freeze. Breathing exercises and meditation raise awareness of your mind and body connection, allowing you to be in touch with your emotions and surroundings and help ease feelings of dissociation that functional freeze can cause.

Go Outside

Breathing fresh air and reconnecting with nature is proven to reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels (a stress hormone). It also provides a change of environment, which can help snap you out of your couch-dwelling session. Research shows that one hour a day of “grounding” — walking barefoot in the grass — can boost mood and promote relaxation.

Get Organized

Making to-do lists, journaling, following a schedule, and other forms of daily organization can help you fight functional freeze. Setting goals will help increase your motivation and build healthy habits to help pull you out of freeze mode. 

It’s essential to be aware of and manage the symptoms of functional freeze. Not only are they disruptive to daily life, but they can manifest further, resulting in other forms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. If you find yourself struggling to “unfreeze,” talk to a trusted mental health professional for help.

Feature Image Credit: Karolina Kaboompics/ Pexels