When trying to lose weight, people often decide to cut out bread completely- “I’m on a diet, I’m cutting out bread…it worked for ________”. While it may have worked for someone else what makes you think it will work for you I do wonder? Weight is based off so many different factors such as gender, age, height, activity levels, NEAT, calories intake- a lot more than just if you eat bread or not.
1 slice of pan loaf bread is around 70-90 calories, depending on the brand and size. This is similar to 1 large egg / 1 apple yet the apple and egg are never associated with weight
gain? The difference between an egg / apple and a slice of bread is that bread is palatable meaning it’s easy to eat. Over the course of a day the amount of bread we eat can add
up to a significant amount of calories- and this is where the problem lies. For example, if you were an individual who ate 6 slices of bread a day this could potentially equate to 540 calories alone per day and 3,780 calories per week. With this in mind you can now begin to see how cutting out bread will help some people lose weight. However, if you are just an individual who eats just 2 slices per day this is only 180 calories per day and 1280 calories per week why give up bread if it is a food you enjoy and is a handy option at lunch times or breakfast or as a snack.
Why not look at the other areas of your diet- are you drinking liquid calories from fizzy drinks/energy drinks/fancy coffees etc? Are you eating a lot processed foods such as ready made meals, sausages/rashers etc? Are you eating unnecessarily big portions at your main meals? Or have you a sweet tooth and over do it on snacking?
Another question I always ask about these types of diets is – yes sure you can go off bread for 2 months and lose half a stone… but what happens when you finish your diet
and revert to your old habits?
Short term diets are not the answer when it comes to weight loss – long term sustainable lifestyle changes are. While on the topic of bread – a regular question I get asked as a nutritionist is what is the difference between white and brown bread. The answer is there is no major differences apart from the fibre content. Brown bread has more fibre which means it will keep you feeling fuller for longer and therefore is more nutritious. This in itself is a positive not only for your health as you need to take in fibre but a high fibre food keeping you full can
keep you from overeating or snacking again soon after, thus helping you manage your weight better. However, with regards to calories you will see that there is little or no difference!
If you like bread, eat it! Just keep it in moderation like everything else 🙂
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