Bread, Bread, glorious bread...?

The most common question I get asked is “will bread make me fat?” my answer is, WHITE bread WILL make you fat, WHITE bread WILL put you at greater risk of diabetes and just in case there are any doubts....... WHITE bread is NO GOOD for you!

The Australian Dietary guidelines recommend we eat 4-8 servings of grain (cereal) foods daily to help meet the recommended daily intake (RDI) of 30grams of fibre per day. Other breads such as Wholemeal/Grain/Rye and sourdough have substantial amounts of fibre and health benefits and are least likely to cause weight gain or other health issues.

The problem with White bread is that it’s made from highly refined flour milled from a part of the wheat kernel called the endosperm (where starch and gluten are found and contains only minimal amounts of vitamins and minerals). White bread is a refined carbohydrate which causes a spike in blood sugar levels and it also delivers a high amount of energy with very little nutrient value; this leads to weight gain, increase risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and other nasties like heart disease and cancer.

The ONLY time I would recommend white bread over wholemeal/grain is if someone had an upset stomach or diarrhoea, white bread is easily digested and less likely to aggravate an upset tummy.

Wholemeal bread is made from the entire wheat kernal including the endosperm, the bran (skin layer of kernel and contains large amounts of B group vitamins and fibre) and the germ (sprouting section of the kernel which contains higher levels of fat, B group vitamins and small amounts of quality protein).

Wholemeal breads are higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals such as zinc and niacin than white bread. The extra fibre can aid digestion transit time helping to protect against bowel cancer and also lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The addition of the bran and germ in wholemeal bread results in a drier texture and slightly different taste which some people may not like, especially if you are accustomed to soft, fluffy, white bread.

Also it’s worth noting that not all wholemeal breads are equally as healthy, real wholemeal breads use flour where the whole wheat kernel has been milled altogether, others use wheat flour and then add the bran and germ back in, this second process has been seen to causes blood sugar level spikes which are even higher than white bread, so before purchasing wholemeal bread, check that wholemeal flour is placed before wheat flour in the ingredients list.

Grain bread is usually produced using white flour with added kibbled (chopped up) grains; some health conscious manufactures use wholemeal flour instead of white.

There is an overwhelming amount of positive health benefits associated with grainy bread. It is high in fibre, digests slower and has a low GI which will keep you fuller for longer as well as helping you stay regular (and by regular I mean loo time, if you catch my drift). It has the ability to reduce the risk of metabolic syndromes which are precursors to heart disease, diabetes and stoke. Whole grains can also protect against gallstones and look after gastrointestinal health; basically it does the reverse of white bread.

Rye Bread is made from the rye grain and consists of both dark and light rye which varies in fibre content, with darker rye being higher in fibre. Studies show those who eat rye for breakfast are fuller longer and have a steady level of insulin (protecting against insulin resistance and diabetes)

For anyone trying to lose weight, rye has the ability to regulate appetite and the fibre in rye is known to be rich in non cellulosic polysaccharide which binds to water, leading to a quicker and greater level of fullness.

Sourdough bread has been touted by some as the healthiest bread choice; it contains amino acids, B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium as well as aiding in the bioavailability absorption of other minerals. Sourdough bread is made using ‘wild’ or natural yeast and lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli) which are also found in milk and yogurt. Traditionally no baker’s yeast is used, this could benefit those with celiac disease or gluten intolerances. Studies have shown the fermentation of sourdough eliminates the toxins from gluten which attack intestinal mucus causing discomfort and pain in those who are gluten intolerant.

Now that you know about the popular types breads, we go back to the question “will bread make me fat?”

I know a lot of people cut bread from their diet once they go on a weight loss kick but cutting out bread altogether could be working against your weight loss plan.

Studies show that when bread is included as part of a low calorie diet, it resulted with greater diet compliance, helped with feelings of fullness and satisfaction and the extra fibre of wholemeal/wholegrain can suppresses hunger. So why would you cut out something good for you? Don’t buy into the no carb hype, it’s all about eating the right type of bread in moderation.

So what should you look for when buying bread?

There is massive range of breads and brands out there but the 4 most important pieces of information to look out for are the Sugar, Fibre, Sodium levels (found in the nutrition panel) and the ingredients.

Most breads have different serving sizes, so make sure you use the per 100grams column for comparisons of sugar, fibre and sodium.

Sugar – the less the better. Most breads contain 2grams of sugar per serving (that’s half a teaspoon!)

Fibre – choose the brand which contains the most fibre for the type of bread you like.

Sodium – The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a maximum daily sodium intake of 1600mg. Most breads contain 300-450mg per serving, that’s about ¼ of your recommended intake from 2 slices of bread.

Bread is a product which has a large amount of ‘hidden’ sodium, the bread industry has pledge to gradually decrease the amount of sodium but in the meantime, you should be looking for a brand that contains the least amount.

Ingredients – For wholemeal or grain breads, you want to buy breads that list whole wheat flour and not just wheat flour (wheat flour is just a fancy name for white flour) or enriched wheat flour as the first couple of ingredients. Also if buying wholegrain bread looked for breads with a higher percentage of kibbled grain.

For those who were brought up on white bread, I totally understand that making the switch to a ‘brown’ bread can be hard. Wholemeal bread is dry, multigrain is crunchy, sourdough is well sour and rye taste funny..... it takes constant repeat exposure and time to adjust your taste preference. So work your way up to it, maybe have wholemeal/grain and white on alternate days, make a half -half sandwich, one slice white, one slice wholemeal.

If you I can’t persuade you to make the swap to wholemeal or wholegrain then I suggest choosing a high fibre white bread like Wonderwhite Hi-fibre loaf which has almost triple the amount of fibre, a third less sugar and pretty much the same amount of sodium as Helga’s Traditional White bread.

Lastly, bread is not the root of all weighty woes, it’s a great way to meet your fibre, iodine and folate needs, just keep in mind what how much, what type of bread you’re eating and what you’re putting on it. If you’re layering up your wholemeal wholegrain bread with deep fried chicken schnitzel, cheese and mayo, chance are you will put on weight – but it’s not the bread’s fault.....

Quick nutritional comparison of popular breads.

Nutritional Information per 100 grams of Coles Bread
	White Bread	Wholemeal	Grain
Energy (cal)	250	235	257
Sugar (g)	3	2.4	1.7
Fiber (g)	2.7	6.4	4.2
Sodium (mg)	400	400	400

Nutritional Information per 100 grams of Helga's Bread
	White Bread	Wholemeal	Grain	Light Rye
Energy (cal)	247	226.5	261.4	247.1
Sugar (g)	3.6	2.4	2.5	2.5
Fiber (g)	2.4	5.2	4	4.1
Sodium (mg)	492.8	462.7	500	489.7

Nutritional Information per 100 grams for Tip Top Sunblest
	White Bread	Wholemeal	Grain	Raisin Toast
Energy (cal)	253	246	262	296
Sugar (g)	2.4	3	2.5	17.7
Fiber (g)	2.7	6.5	5	3
Sodium (mg)	400	400	400	345
*Sunblest wholemeal bread is made from Wholemeal Wholegrain flour
BIG THUMBS UP!

Reference:

CalorieKing Australia. 2011.

Gastroenteritis - Upset Stomach. Univeristy of Wisconin Health Services. 2008.

Cereal and Wholegrain foods. Better Health Channel. Victorian Government. 2011.

Bowel Cancer Prevention Fact Sheet. Bowel Cancer Australia Website. 2010.

Graham T. Sourdough Bread Has Most Health Benefits. University of Guelph. 2008.

Pietnen P et al. Intake of Dietary Fibre and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in a Cohort of Finnish Men. Circulaation. 1996.

Rosén L AH, O Blanco Silva L, Andersson U , Holm C, Östman EM, Björck IME. Endosperm and whole grain rye breads are characterized by low post-prandial insulin response and a beneficial blood glucose profile. Nutr J. 2009.

Isaksson H, Frediksson H, Andersson R, Olsson J, Aman P. Effect of rye bread breakfast on subjectibe hunger and satiety: a randomised controlled trial. Nutr J. 2009.

Lopez HW, Duclos V, Coudray C, Krespine V, Feillet-Coudray C, Messager A, Demigne C, Remesy C. Makring bread with sourdough improves mineral bioavailability from reconstituded whole wheat flour in rats. Nutr. 2003

Gobbetti M, Rizzello C. Giuseppe, DiCagno R, DeAngelis M. Sourdough lactobacilli and celiac disease. Food Microbiol. 2007

Di Cagno R, De Angelis M, Auricchio S, et al. Sourdough bread made from wheat and nontoxic flours and started with selected lactobacilli is tolerated in celiac sprue patients. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004.

Loria-Kjohen V, Gomez-Candela C, Fernandez-Fernandez C, Perez Torres A, Garia-Puig J, Bermejo LM. Evaulation of the usefulness of a low-calorie diet with or withour bread in the treatment of overweight/obesity. Clin Nutr. 2011.