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Is it true that bread makes you fat?

Judy Davie

Is it true that bread makes you fat? I love bread and don’t think I’d be able to cut it out of my diet altogether.

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Elaine Willoughby

Bread is one of these easy foods that many of us rely on too much. Toast and jam for breakfast; a quick sandwich at lunch; a serve with the evening meal, and when we feel a little peckish throughout the day, it’s back to the toast and jam.

There’s no one food that will make you fat but what’s important is how much you eat and the quality of the food. If you’ve been following my weekly eating plans you’ll notice that bread is included but the type of bread is always specified and the intake always limited. Wholegrain (soy and linseed is a great one), sourdough, wholemeal pita, mountain bread, dense fruit bread or wholegrain sourdough are all excellent choices. These breads are specialty breads and while they might be a bit more expensive than the standard Tip Top loaf, they can work for you. By spending more on your “daily bread” you should value it more and eat less of it. In fact, the nature of the bread means you will eat less of it. Each has a lower GI than most white (and wholemeal) breads and most are higher in fibre. Low GI bread means it will raise your blood sugar levels slowly and keep you sated and feeling full for a longer period of time.

So how much should you be eating? It’s a good idea to try and get out of the habit of eating bread every day. Find some other carbohydrates to replace bread from time to time. Good choices include savoury oatcakes, grain crackers, soba noodles, fresh rice noodles and vermicelli noodles, sushi rice, chickpeas, cannelini beans, kidney beans and lentils, and pasta. On the days you eat bread, restrict your intake to two slices each day, or one pita, sheet of mountain bread, or bread roll.

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