How Much Bread Should You Eat Each Day?
Bread is one of the most popular foods in the world. But how much of it should we be eating? That’s a common question people ask themselves when considering their own diets.
Despite the fact that this food is linked to weight gain, the answer to this question may vary significantly, depending on the type of bread.
Bread and its association with weight gain
Bread is one of the foods that we eat the most of. Many people believe it contributes to gaining weight. However, the problem isn’t the bread itself, rather, the amount you’re eating, the type of bread and what other foods you’re eating with it.
The nutritional information on food labeling is key when we’re looking to control our weight. You must consider that there’s a huge variety of bread, and some provide more energy than others, while being low in calories. Many of these are ideal to maintain your weight and a healthy diet.
Nutrition experts recommend eating two servings of bread at most, per day, this is between nine and sixteen ounces. Nevertheless, this amount could change if you substitute traditional white bread with low-fat, whole grain or fiber-rich breads. Whole wheat is always recommended in strict diets.
Therefore, if you’re looking to lose weight, experts recommend eating no more than nine ounces of whole wheat bread per day.
Truths and myths
The crumb and the crust have the same amount of calories
Many people mistakenly believe that the crumb (or the soft part of the bread) contains more calories than the crust. Therefore, they throw away a large part of the crumb.
But in reality, the crumb and the crust contain the same amount of calories, since they’re both made out of the same ingredients.
Actually, one might say that the crust has a slightly larger amount of calories, because of the dehydration technique during baking.
Whole wheat or white?
A widespread belief is that eating white bread makes you gain more weight, than eating whole wheat bread. However, white and whole wheat practically contain the same amount of calories.
But whole wheat does contain more fiber, which helps you to avoid constipation. Fiber regulates your bowel movements and makes you feel full and satisfies you for longer.
Nonfat bread
Besides being higher in fiber, nonfat bread also contains less calories than white and whole wheat bread. It’s highly recommended for those who want to maintain their weight or lose weight.
Does eating bread make you gain weight?
Just like the other daily foods that we eat, bread doesn’t constitute a problem or a threat to our health and well-being. In other words, bread doesn’t make you gain weight, as long as you don’t exceed the recommended amount per day.
In fact, it is generally low in fat and not too high in calories either; as we can see, being conscious of our daily intake is the key to maintaining a healthy weight.
Don’t replace foods with bread
Although bread isn’t a threat to our health, it’s important not to use it to replace your main meals. A healthy meal should include proteins, vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates and dairy.
In conclusion, bread can be a healthy food as long as you eat it moderately. Apart from there being a huge variety of breads to choose from, they also offer fiber and awesome nutrients to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
