Some thoughts on bread:
I love bread. When it comes to real food (not desserts and sweets), bread is my favorite food. I was raised on it and I have definitely some unfinished sonnets dedicated to it.
Before this woe, I was an indesrimintate bread addict. I'd eat any type of bread and as you can imagine, the calories added up and the satiety wasn't there. Since this woe, I went off bread for a long, long time. Its calorie density and it also being a trigger food for me, I avoided it completely and would not bring it into the house. A loaf of bread is a like siren's song to me and I'm not going to let it go stale. Before the woe, all sorts of spreads and sandwich fillings abounded. My favorite was feta cheese with fresh tomato. I also loved the vegan fake meats and cheeses. Also, a Greek tomato salad with feta cheese, olive oil, and a huge hunk of bread to sop up the oil...Oh. My. God! That would probably my last meal choice.
Ok, now after many years of avoiding bread, I have made my peace with it and eat it once again. I have become very discriminate about it however. I'm not going to waste my bread allotment on something subpar. I've tried every "healthy looking" packaged bread I can find—including many "fresh" sourced from local bakeries. None pass my muster. Most have way too much salt. I am very salt sensitive. They're are also too processed—not enough whole ingredients for my liking. The Ezekiel and other "health food" breads, spelt, etc are not breads to me. They taste like...I don't know what. Why bother? I'd rather eat potatoes or rice and not pretend.
My solution for my bread fix? An excellent local bakery. Some of their breads have oil, others have nuts and seeds as well, but they are all filling, freshly baked, very whole grain, dense breads with oats, rye, wheat berries, etc. And the sodium is under control. I buy the loaves sliced and freeze what I don't eat. Slices can be microwaved and/or toasted and they're damn good that way. A loaf usually lasts a week.
I will not bake my own bread. Having that smell in the house for hours and a hot loaf out of the oven? That's a recipe for disaster. Arugula's dogs would have no chance with me in the house.
Now as to petero's comments, yes, a loaf of good bread can be a great option for a meal or two. We can certainly do worse out there. I've done this on hikes and bike rides at times. With water and some mini carrots on the side, it can be very filling and calorie density appropriate (sounds like a prison food but for me, it's heaven). It's not something I'd eat every day but nothing wrong with it once in a while. It can make for a nice change of pace.