- Bread has got bad press in recent years and a diet containing white bread, which usually contains sugar and a lot of salt is not good for any of us. The list of ingredients in bread is growing all the time, as producers try to make bread cheaper and with a longer shelf life.
- The basic ingredients for bread are flour, yeast, water and salt. The basic ingredients for wholemeal or soda bread should be flour, buttermilk and breadsoda. Neither of these breads require sugar, calcium carbonate, mono and diglyceridses of fatty acids, calcium propionate or any of the numerous other ingrendients found in bread today.
- The sugar in processed bread is possibly the least of our worries. The increasingly long list of other ingredients could have more far reaching health implications in the future. The variety of bread and the varying levels of carbhoydrates in them makes it very difficult to know what we are eating. For example an average sized crossant contains about 25g of carb, but contains more fat than other breads, so the carbs will be broken down at a slower rate than a similar sized bread roll. Naam bread is very high in carbs (30 – 90 g depending on the size) and if eaten with rice (usually white) it requires a huge amount of insulin to process. Naam bread is not a good choice for anyone trying to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes.
- White bread releases its energy quickly which results in raised blood glucose (BG). Wholemeal/whole grain/soda bread on the other hand provides good slow release carbohydrate (carb) which when combined with lean protein and fat is a good choice for everyone. The addition of seeds or other healthy fats and fibre enhances the health benefit of the wholemeal.
Name
Quantity
Carbohydrates
Bagel
1
40g
Bread roll
1 x small/large
15g/35g
Brown soda bread
100g
45g
Croissant
1
25g
Naan bread
small/large
30g/90g
Sliced
medium/large
15g/20g
Bagel
Qty: 1
Carbs: 40g
Bread Roll
Qty: 1 x small/large
Carbs: 15g/35g
Brown soda bread
Qty: 100g
Carbs: 45g
Croissant
Qty: 1
Carbs: 25g
Naan bread
Qty: Small/Large
Carbs: 30g/90g
Sliced
Qty: Medium/Large
Carbs: 15g/20g