Does White Bread Make You Fat?

If you want to avoid gaining weight, you must reduce your white bread consumption. Alongside reducing your intake of other high-glycaemic carbohydrates that can affect metabolic health.

Undoubtedly, there are certain foods that you should avoid including in your diet or at least reduce their consumption. For example, plenty of studies have shown how harmful it can be to consume high carbohydrate products in large amounts. In this article, we’ll be talking about specific food: white bread. Does it make you fat?

You probably already know that gaining or losing weight doesn’t depend only on the food you consume. It also depends on the caloric balance. Nonetheless, there are other aspects that can influence this. For example, the profile of the microbiota or your muscle mass percentage. However, certain products can promote overweight and obesity to a greater extent.

For one, white bread is a poor quality food

A lot of nutritionists have previously recommended this food for many years. Today, however, that has changed. In fact, most individuals see white bread as poor quality food. The reason for this is that it’s composed mainly of refined flour, an ingredient that increases blood glucose and insulin resistance.

Moreover, according to a study published in The Indian Journal of Medical Research, regular intake of high-glycemic carbohydrates is linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In the past, the carbohydrates in bread were categorized as complex sugars, but that’s different nowadays. The flours in bread are processed to the point where they cause an effect on blood glucose similar to that of table sugar.

Its regular consumption does make you fat

White bread alone isn’t going to make you fat if you eat it in moderation. However, if it’s part of your usual diet, it could affect metabolic flexibility and increase insulin resistance. In this way, your body would lose its ability to use fats as its main source of energy, which would lead them to accumulate all the time.

Now, the lack of the metabolic flexibility we’re talking about here has been shown to be closely related to obesity, according to research published in the Cell Metabolism journal. For this reason, practicing physical exercise is crucial, as it increases the body’s ability to use fat as its main energy substrate.

Reducing carbohydrate intake is a priority

It’s essential that sedentary individuals reduce carbohydrate intake in their diets, especially those with a high glycemic index. These nutrients increase insulin resistance and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

On one hand, carbohydrates are great for exercising, in fact, they’re the main fuel for many athletes. However, people who don’t play sports don’t need the energy provided by sugars on a daily basis.

Furthermore, we must note that moderate complex carbohydrate intake has a positive impact on health. Likewise, health professionals advise us to significantly reduce the consumption of white bread. This food is related to a greater risk of being overweight, especially when it’s part of a hypercaloric diet.

There are foods much more beneficial than white bread

Perhaps you’re used to including white bread in your diet. However, it’s vital that you bear in mind that there are many other better options such as legumes, for example. These foods contain low-glycemic carbohydrates, as well as protein and minerals essential for health.

Another option would be to consume tubers to satisfy carbohydrate requirements. These foods have a lower caloric density and a considerable amount of vitamin C, an essential nutrient to ensure proper immune function.

What we’re trying to make you see here is that white bread consumption can be completely avoided. Believe it or not, its impact on the pancreas is similar to that of simple sugar, so its harmful effects on the body are proven. Although it’s a very characteristic product of the Mediterranean diet, we advise to reduce its consumption or simply eliminate it completely.

Finally, even worse than white bread is pan loaf. This product is ultra-processed since it contains simple sugars, trans fats, and additives in its composition. All these substances can worsen a person’s state of health and promote the development of complex and metabolic pathologies in the medium term. Remember, you should base your diet on fresh foods.