Carbohydrates have often taken the limelight in the world of diets and bread would be one of the carbs that people are regularly prepared to completely avoid in their search for weight loss. From a food science aspect bread is a carbohydrate and could be exchanged for potato or pasta or rice or cereal or fruit. Carbohydrates are our bodies preferred source of instant fuel – almost immediately they pick our blood sugar levels up, provide us with energy and give us appetite control. Bread has been consumed by mankind for thousands of years – long before the obesity epidemic appeared.
For those who do wish to include bread as a source of carbohydrate here are a few notes of interest:
- The heavier a loaf of bread the denser the product and therefore the higher the kilojoule content
- It’s now difficult to buy a sandwich slice thickness bread – the commonly found options are toast and more recently, super thick. This is just reflecting the ‘up-sizing’ trend of portions around us
- Paleo style breads have a high seed and/or nut content and are amongst the highest kilojoule breads on the market
- The thinness of flat breads or unleavened breads such as wraps can mislead you into presuming they are also low in kilojoules They have the usual bread ingredients and kilojoules, but without the raising agent. A typical wrap often has the kilojoule content of 3 – 4 slices of bread
- If you feel ‘gassy and bloated’ after consuming bread, it may be the level of fibre or the type of fibre. A smoother texture such as a wheatmeal bread may solve the problem
Bread is a quick, convenient carbohydrate and can certainly be enjoyed in a weight management setting.