Whether this is because of the popularity of low-carb diets or because of the push for wheat-free living I've never been sure. But bread seems to be regarded as the demon preventing weight loss by many.
So I thought I'd do the research on bread to find out if this is true, and so you can make your own mind up about whether or not it should form part of your balanced diet.
As far back as the late 70's researchers were looking at the effects of bread on weight loss. One group (Mickelsen et al, 1979) found that college males eating a low calorie diet that included bread lost on average nearly 9kg in 8 weeks. The authors suggested this may be because bread was a filling food but not high in calories and as such could help to decrease overall calorie intake.
Let's have a look at how filling it is, its calorie content and various other factors which might help you decide if the 'slice is right' or whether you'll use your loaf and avoid it in future.
Wheat and gluten allergies and intolerance
Let's start here as it's a good place to begin having received much coverage in recent years. According the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), Coeliac Disease, the main form of wheat intolerance is thought to affect somewhere between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,500 people in the UK. The truth is that the real number is unknown, but it is thought that only 1 in 8 with the condition are properly diagnosed.
Coeliac disease is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in all wheat products including bread. It is also found in barley and rye and so breads of this variety will also cause problems for anyone with this condition. The problems that occur are damage to the small intestine and a knock-on effect of difficulty digesting food, causing diarrhoea and malnutrition. It occurs in people genetically predisposed to the condition when they eat gluten containing foods.
Allergy to wheat itself seems harder to define. It appears at present that there is no clear agreement as to whether or not this truly exists. It is recognised that people report allergies to wheat, with symptoms ranging from fatigue to bloating and inability to lose weight. The British Nutrition Foundation suggest that this may in some instances be caused by a psychological aversion to wheat, or in other cases it may be that people are wheat sensitive but that this is not always defined as an allergy. Read more about the BNF's take on wheat intolerance, allergy and Coeliac disease here.
To ignore many people's feelings about how they response to bread would be to do them a disservice. Allergy UK say that wheat and other cereal allergies are most common in the first few years of life and usually resolve themselves. Symptoms include allergies type reactions like asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, abdominal pain and loose stool. They say that some suffer immediate reactions to eating wheat, whilst others responses may be delayed over 24-48 hours. Some can suffer severe reactions to wheat after exercise. You can read more about this here.
So what can you do if you suspect you have an issue with wheat?
1) DO NOT GET TESTED BY AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPIST. This is nothing against these individuals, but if you really do have an allergy you need to see a medical practitioner who can arrange for allergen testing that is proven such as blood testing or patch tests, not sticking your feet in water and seeing what colour it turns.
2) If you think you have wheat sensitivity, you can speak to your GP about trying an elimination diet. This is where you remove wheat products or whatever you suspect to be causing the problem for a period of time, note the response and then reintroduce them back into the diet. This can be challenging as some appear OK with rye and barley but not wheat whilst others may struggle with all. True elimination diets can be challenging as many foods contain wheat, including beer! On the plus side though, an elimination diet may help cut a few unwanted calories! It will be important during this to ensure you are still getting the nutrients your body requires so work with a medical practitioner and/or a qualified nutrition professional such as a dietitian to ensure this. Oats, buckwheat, quinoa and even popcorn may be suggested as alternative grains at this time.
THE VERDICT: those with Coeliac Disease should definitely avoid most if not all bread. Others may have sensitivity to one or more types of grain found in bread, and should work with a medical practitioner to test this and find solutions.
Glycaemic Index (GI)
Those of you who've read my Facebook page and blogs before will have seen bits on GI. If you haven't then in very simple terms, the GI of a food relates to how quickly the sugars in it are released into your blood. The faster the release the more likely you are to store it away as fat. Foods are classed as either low GI (slow release and generally a good choice), medium GI or high GI (less desired or certainly less often). High GI foods eaten regularly can cause energy fluctuations, weight gain and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
So how does bread stack up on the GI front? Well, that's a harder question to answer than you might imagine. There are literally thousands of types of bread being made in bakeries across the world every day and when you look at the lists of bread tested for GI you'll find some are classed as low, some as medium and some as high.
But it's simple isn't it? All wholemeal breads are low GI and all white breads are high? I wish it was. Typing in 'bread' into http://www.glycemicindex.com provides 318 separate results, with some white breads coming out low, some medium and some high with the same true for wholemeal variations too. Bear in mind however that when the GI of foods is tested, it is compared against a control food; sometimes this is pure glucose but others use cheap white bread!
Of course GI doesn't tell the whole story. The Glycaemic Load of a food multiplies its GI by the amount of carbohydrates in it. So for example, eating a whole loaf will have a greater effect on your blood sugars than a slice regardless of the GI.
THE VERDICT: the GI of bread varies greatly from loaf to loaf. Wholemeal bread is not always lower than white bread, although cheap white breads do tend to have a high GI as they are highly refined. Check the labels as some loaves will list the GI these days. Anythings less than 55 is low GI, under 70 is medium and above is high. Eating in moderation controls the effect of the overall GL of bread; a few slices have a smaller effect than an entire loaf.
Calories
How many calories can you find in a slice of bread? Guess what, that depends on the slice. Here's a rough guide to calories per slice:
Rye thin slice - 70
Brown or white bread - 60-80
Wholemeal pitta - 75
French bread - 90
Garlic bread - 200
I think you can see from this list that garlic bread certainly isn't the future! Sorry Peter.
Of course bread often isn't eaten on its own. If you're going to consider the calories you might need to add on the butter, jam, peanut butter, Marmite, marmalade, eggs, chicken, cheese and pickle, ham, sausages, bacon, mayonnaise or whatever else sits on top of or between the slices.
THE VERDICT: Calories depend on the type of bread, how much you have and what you have with it. Portion control is a key part of any weight loss programme so whilst bread certainly isn't a particularly high calorie food in most cases, eating too much of it day after day can play its part in weight gain.
Nutrients
As far as nutrients go, bread generally doesn't score particularly highly but it does contain a few important ingredients. Obviously it's a good source of carbohydrate but it also contains a reasonable amount of protein too. There's also a small amount in each slice of calcium, magnesium and iron, as well as sodium. The latter is required by the body but we tend to get too much anyway and this can increase our risk of high blood pressure. You won't find huge variations in these nutrients between wholemeal, rye, or pumpernickel bread.
One thing that you will find a fair amount of in a loaf is fibre. Roughage as it is sometimes also known is important for us to make us feel full when eating, help digestion and removal of waste and in controlling levels of cholesterol in the body. Unrefined wholemeal, rye and spelt bread are all good sources of fibre and can help you get your daily requirements. Combined with other grains like rice and quinoa, couscous, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and the like you should get your full requirement of both soluble and insoluble fibre each day.
On a personal note, I use rye and wholemeal bread to help me feel full. I find that meals containing just meat or fish with vegetables don't cut it for me, I need carbohydrates to feel full or else my stomach can feel empty and ache. Other grains like whole grain rice work for me but nothing as well as bread. I also find that after hard exercise when my stomach can be a little upset with me for my exertions, bread can help to alleviate pain.
THE VERDICT: Bread offers a good source of fibre and small amounts of other nutrients. It does contain a reasonable amount of sodium, which should be limited in the diet to ensure good health. Small amounts of bread combined with other healthy foods can help to meet the dietary requirements of most.
So what have we learnt?
- Bread isn't right for those with Coeliac disease. Some may also have wheat insensitivity and should work with medical practitioners to see if this is the case. Alternative grains like rye, spelt, oats, buckwheat, quinoa or corn may or may not be better tolerated. Each individual needs to discover what works for them.
- The GI of bread varies greatly; if it's listed on the packaging you can opt for low GI versions to help with weight management in the long term. The GL of bread depends on the GI, the size of the loaf, slice and how much is eaten. Like all other foods, bread should be eaten in moderation.
- Bread isn't high in calories, but what you add to it can obviously increase the energy intake and limit your chances of weight loss. Eat bread and the additional spreads in moderation and remember, garlic bread is high in calories and should be eaten in small amounts or infrequently. The same applies to other breads you'll find in takeaways.
- There are a small amount of nutrients in bread that can contribute towards a healthy diet. It's a good source of carbohydrate and fibre but can be high in sodium too, which should be limited due to risks of elevated blood pressure.
I hope you find this little slice of the debate useful and it goes some way towards helping you to find your own balance. If you use your loaf you'll be well on the way to maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy body.
Yours in health,
Paul
