Controlling bread portion size
The Basics
Bread is a valuable and nutritious food in our diets – it does contain calories, so you need to watch how much you eat if you are trying to lose weight. In spite of its bad press, bread is a staple part of many peoples diet and can still be enjoyed whilst control weight.
Bread is an excellent source of fibre and calcium, essential for any balanced diet and Wheat germ, contained in brown bread and some white, is a good source of vitamins E, B1, B6 and riboflavin.
So cutting it out altogether, like some fad diets and ‘Diet Guru’s’ suggest is not ideal. It is also very unlikely that you have an wheat allergy or intolerance. Do not rely on unreliable tests like hair analysis, health food shop tests and ‘nutritionists’ who ‘claim’ you’re intolerant (through weird and wonderful methods) and advise you to cut out wheat out of your diet.
The only true way of finding out is to go to you GP and/or see a dietitian.
Common Myths and Misconceptions
- “White bread is more fattening than whole-meal bread”. There is very little difference in calorie content between these breads. The seeded breads however, generally have slightly higher calorie content due to the oil in the seeds (although these provide extra fibre and vitamin E, essential fatty acids as well as a few more calories). Rather than worrying about the calories in different slices of bread, it is more important to think about cutting down the calories you spread on it (e.g. butter, mayonnaise), or place between the slices (e.g. high fat cheese).
Tips and Tricks
- Use a variety of different breads. Try using pitta bread and filling it up with lots of salad, or making an open sandwich i.e. using just one slice of bread topped with something tasty and healthy. Sandwiches don’t always have to be eaten with your hands – open faced sandwiches can be eaten with a knife and fork.
- Shop around at lunchtime. Instead of plumping for a sandwich, opt for a salad or jacket potato (with a low fat filling) from your local deli at least once a week.
- Make your own sandwiches using ready sliced thin bread.
- Don’t have bread as a side dish with your main meal – serve a larger portion of vegetables to help fill you up.
When eating out at restaurants eat the bread rolls only if they complement your choice of starter – don’t eat them just because they are there!
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