Food rules: Should anyone tell you how to eat your bagel?

How do you want to eat your bagel?

Back when carbs became nutrition enemy #1, bagels were banished from many a menu. Then they slowly made somewhat of a comeback but only if the insides were completely scooped out. Bagels with their guts ripped out became the norm.

But as pendulums are apt to do, people are being now told, by social media influencers,  to absolutely NOT scoop their bagels.

And it’s not because the insides of bagels are so nutritious. No, it’s due to the backlash of many being preached to about the strict rules of carb eating.

But who should be telling you whether or not you should be eating the entire bagel or a scooped one?

The answer is YOU!

You need to figure out what it is about your bagel choice that you love. Is it the chewy or crusty exterior? Or are there tons of seeds coating the outside? My choice is definitely one with a very chewy exterior and packed with a ton of sesame seeds.

Maybe your favorite is a soft bagel with the exterior and interior very similar in texture.

And how big is your bagel? Over the years, the sizes of slices of bread along with bagels and rolls, like so many other foods, became victim to portion distortion. A slice of bread, according to nutrition tables of yesteryear, used to weigh in at around  one ounce.

Now check out the photo of this bagel. At over 8 ounces, that would be the equivalent of 8 slices of bread.

If that’s what you want, then you should have it. But if it’s the outside that you love, then you can also enjoy it with some of the insides scooped out. Or not.

When I make sandwiches, I love to pack them with all kinds of vegetables. And while I have been told, at various times in my life that I have a big mouth, it still can be very messy to eat a very large sandwich.

So I have been known to scoop some of the bread from the interior when I’m making a sandwich. For example, when I make a sandwich on a whole grain baguette,  in order to fit all the veggies in, I cut out a significant portion of the interior.

But I don’t waste it. Instead I have a container in my freezer with various bits and pieces of whole grain breads and when I need some breadcrumbs, I grind these up in my food processor.

But I am choosy about when I do this as some sandwiches do need the interior to maintain their integrity. If it’s a juicy sandwich and you scoop out the insides, the whole thing may fall apart. I think you would agree that that’s not very enjoyable when you end up with more on your clothing than in your mouth.

The bottom line is that you should make the choice.  Do you want to scoop your bagel or roll or do you want to eat the inside as well? If it’s a regular selection, make an informed decision and find out what’s in your selection.

And then enjoy however you choose to eat your food!