Bread is a staple food across the globe and remains an essential part of many diets. However, with the growing trend toward low-carb eating, debates have emerged about whether consuming bread daily is healthy—especially considering the wide variety available, such as white, whole wheat, and sourdough breads.
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Bread contains important nutrients like fiber, protein, natural sugars, B vitamins (thiamine, niacin, folic acid), and minerals such as iron and zinc. Still, its high carbohydrate content can sometimes lead to a feeling of hunger shortly after eating.
Nutritionist Kristie Roth recommends opting for whole grain bread, which promotes a longer-lasting feeling of fullness due to its high fiber content—one slice provides about 7% of the daily recommended intake. She also suggests combining bread with protein sources—such as sprouted grain bread (made from grains like wheat, barley, and quinoa soaked until they begin to germinate)—to further enhance satiety.
Multigrain bread is also considered a healthy choice, offering 5 to 7 grams of fiber per slice, compared to around 2 grams in standard whole wheat bread. Fiber is known to help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
Ilana Natker, from the Grain Foods Foundation, highlighted the importance of grains as a major source of dietary fiber, warning that eliminating them from one’s diet may lead to a significant fiber deficiency.
Natker also emphasized the value of folic acid, a vital vitamin for pregnancy. Women on low-carb diets may not get enough folate, increasing the risk of giving birth to babies with neural tube defects—a group of birth defects affecting the brain and spinal cord caused by improper closure of the neural tube in the early weeks of pregnancy (typically between the third and fourth week after conception).
For those who exercise regularly, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) recommends including bread as part of a balanced diet—provided there’s no wheat allergy or intolerance. The NHS considers whole grain and brown breads excellent sources of energy, while noting that white bread contains vitamins and minerals but less fiber. Therefore, it’s better to choose high-fiber varieties when possible.
In terms of heart attack prevention, the NHS encourages adopting a Mediterranean-style diet, which includes more whole grain bread, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, and fish, while reducing meat consumption. Fiber-rich diets, they note, help lower blood pressure and promote overall health.
That said, nutrition experts caution that high-fiber foods, including bread, may cause side effects like bloating and gas. Gradually transitioning to a fiber-rich diet may help reduce these symptoms. In such cases, white bread or sourdough may be easier to tolerate.
It’s also important to note that bread can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar, which poses a challenge for people with diabetes who need to carefully manage their insulin levels.
Roth concludes by stressing the importance of avoiding labels like “good” or “bad” foods. She encourages people to read nutrition labels to choose the bread that best fits their needs, emphasizing that bread can be part of a healthy diet—especially when paired with healthy fats or lean protein sources.
— Daily Mail
