For years the belief has spread that bread makes you fat, but what is the truth? Know the nutritional value of bread, its qualities and if it really makes you fat.
The bread becomes a real staple in a healthy and balanced diet, because as we will see in the not too distant future, provides fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and proteins. Given its benefits, bread contains very important nutritional properties, so that bread becomes essential in the daily diet.
However, despite this highly prominent issue and clearly to be taken into account, its consumption has decreased significantly in recent years. And not only that, but it has done so to the detriment of the artisan bread that was prepared in the past, and today breads made with poor quality flours have become popular, in which quantity prevails rather than quality (it is quite likely that you may have already come across grocery stores that offer you offers of eight loaves for one euro).
Be that as it may, one of the main reasons why many people have stopped eating bread is that, over the years, the erroneous belief that bread is fattening has spread. The truth is that, as we will see, bread does not make you fat by itself, but what tends to make you fat is actually what we put inside it or accompany it.
Is it true that bread is not fattening?
Many nutritionists agree that, in reality, it is a complete myth and fallacy to say that bread is fattening, despite the fact that – unfortunately – it is a widespread belief among the population.
On the one hand, we must bear in mind that both bread and cereals are ideal foods in a varied and balanced diet , thanks to their contribution in carbohydrates, proteins of vegetable origin, and precisely because they are low in fat.
Wheat flour contains practically no fat, so it is not really true that bread is fattening because its caloric and fat intake is high. In fact, 100 grams of bread provides 1 to 3 grams of fat, a surprisingly low amount.
Specifically, the researchers analyzed the results of 38 epidemiological studies that evaluated whether eating patterns that included bread were associated with excess abdominal fat or obesity.
It was found that, indeed, those dietary patterns that included whole grain from bread did not influence weight gain. On the contrary, it was shown to be beneficial to health.
As many nutrition experts defend, you only get fatter than precisely what other foods make you fat, since it all depends on the amount you eat, and especially what you eat the bread with.
To give just one example, one hundred grams of white bread has a contribution close to 250 calories, which is a relatively low caloric value, and much less than that offered, for example, by one hundred grams of almonds or hazelnuts.
In addition, a slice of bread contains only one gram of fat and about 75 calories, the vast majority of which come from carbohydrates.
That said, it can be said almost with total security that bread is not fattening, although it must be taken into account what the bread is eaten with and in what quantity.
In addition, if we want to enjoy a much healthier bread, we can opt for wholemeal or organic breads, which in turn include cereals and seeds with high nutritional value in their ingredients.
The calories that bread gives us
Depending on the type of bread that we consume, its caloric intake will obviously be different, since it depends on the type of flour with which it has been made, and other added ingredients such as nuts and seeds.
- Normal bread: 230 kcal.
- Rye bread: 230 kcal.
- Town bread: 245 kcal.
- Cereal bread: 257 kcal.
- Wood bread: 258 kcal.
- Sesame bread: 255 kcal.
- Bran bread: 260 kcal.
- Baguette bread: 270 kcal.
- Sunflower seed bread: 300 kcal.
- Bread with olives (olives): 308 kcal.
- Loaf of bread: 349 kcal.
- Fig bread: 350 kcal.
Why bread is a very healthy food:
We are faced with a powerful food that, for millennia, became the basis of the diet of many civilizations, practically since prehistory. In fact, although the making of bread was already known before the 20th century BC, it is believed that the Egyptians accidentally discovered the fermentation process. From that moment, together with the Israelites, they began to make leavened bread (leavened bread).
Since then, bread has become an essential food in many homes, forming part of what we usually understand as a healthy, varied and balanced diet.
It becomes an excellent source of carbohydrates. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of starch, which provides our body with the energy we need when we consume it. If we take into account that at least 50% of the total calories we eat daily must come from these, there is no doubt that bread becomes a very good option (like rice, pasta and other cereals).
It has proteins of vegetable origin, although in less quantity compared to the proportion it provides us with carbohydrates.
Depending on the type of flour with which the bread is made, if for example you opt for some type of whole wheat flour and also add seeds and nuts, we will find that the bread will provide a very interesting amount of fiber, ideal to maintain an adequate intestinal transit, and prevent constipation.
But it also stands out for its vitamin and mineral content. Among the vitamins it provides, its contribution in vitamins of group B stands out above all, essential for a good health of our nervous system. While, among the minerals, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc and iodine stand out.
