Carbohydrates are an interesting topic within the weight
loss world. Some people swear by eliminating carbs except from veggie sources
and some will include a moderate to high amount. Typically, people who are
trying to lose weight, or live by a very “clean diet”, will try their best to
avoid most carbohydrates.
Bread - the typical staple of Aussie household - is usually
the first carbohydrate source to be eliminated. I personally agree with this
move but only when it applies to white bread. I live by a nutritional plan
which emphasises nutritionally dense products/produce thus eliminating any
highly processed foods and gluten. I eat everything as close to its natural
state as possible. Foods which are highly processed pretty much have all their nutritional
content stripped which sees companies having to replace these nutrients or add
completely different nutrients in to the product during the manufacturing
process.
Bread and carbohydrates are not bad for you. This is
especially true for children. A sandwich is a great way to bundle up lean
protein, dairy, veggies, and if you pick the right bread, some excellent carbs.
I have broken down the key nutritional factors of breads
below and ranked them accordingly. The highest nutritional bread is ranked
number 1 and lowest number 4.
4) One 30 gram thin slice of white bread (average all brands
according to Calorie King) has 73 calories, 2.5grms protein, 14.1 grams carbs,
0.8grams fat, 1.2grms sugar and 143mg sodium.
3) One 30grm thin slice of wholemeal bread (average all
brands according to Calorie King) has 71 calories, 2.6grm protein, 12.9grms
carbs, 0.9grms fat, 0.9 grams sugar and 143mg sodium.
2) One 30grm thin slice of multigrain bread (average all
brands according to Calorie King) has 62 calories, 2.5grms protein, 11.2grms
carbs, 0.8grms fat, 0.8grms sugar and 133mg sodium.
1) One 36grm slice of Sprouted Grain Rye & Spelt bread
(Lifestyle Bakery brand) has 80 calories, 5.3grms protein, 9.7grms carbs,
1.3grms fat, 0.1 grams sugar and 83mg sodium.
As you can see the bread I ranked number one actually has
the highest amount of calories and fats per slice, however it also has the
highest amount of protein, lowest amount of carbs and sugars. It is also more
nutritionally dense being made from sprouted whole grains, getting as close to
the grains natural state as possible. Additionally, sprouted bread will
typically contain no artificial additives or colours. Just as a comparison I
have provided ingredients below:
Lifestyles Bakery
Sprouted Grain Rye & Spelt
Certified Organic: Sprouted
Organic Spelt & Rye Grains, Sunflower Oil.
Conventional: Filtered Water, Gluten, Caraway Seed, Sea Salt, Yeast, and Vinegar.
Conventional: Filtered Water, Gluten, Caraway Seed, Sea Salt, Yeast, and Vinegar.
Popular White
Bread brand
Wheat flour, water, baker’s yeast, vinegar, iodised salt,
canola oil, wheat gluten, soy flour, emulsifiers (481, 472e, 471), Vitamins
(Thiamin&Folate).
(A side note; additive 481 is sodium
steroly-2-lactylate, additive 472e is diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of
glycerol and additive 471 mono/diglycerides of fatty acids, which are extracted
from various sources in a laboratory).
So overall based on nutritional content and health benefits
I would personally recommend sprouted grain breads over any others. However if
it is not viable for you to buy this type of bread, I would recommend
multigrain or wholemeal. Just watch out for the nasties: keep bad fats1
below 5 grams, sugar below 5 grams and 130 grams of sodium per 100 grams.
Remember as consumers we want the bread to be nutritionally
dense, providing lots of clean energy for our bodies. In order to do this we
need to pick a product which includes ingredients which are as close to their
natural state2 as possible.
1 Bad fats include trans fats and some saturated
fats; good fats are any types of unsaturated fats. I have posted some links to
articles below which is where I gathered my information from to define good
fats and bad fats.
2 Local foods define natural state foods as; food labelled "natural" does not
contain any artificial ingredients, colouring ingredients, or
chemical preservatives, and, in the case of meat and poultry, is minimally
processed
References:
American Dietetic Association Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC
ASSOCIATION . 2011. The Great Fat Debate: A Closer Look at the
Controversy—Questioning the Validity of Age-Old Dietary Guidance.ac.els-cdn.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/S0002822311002896/1-s2.0-S0002822311002896-main.pdf?_tid=e62da3db1d50550fa5370767521a1a0d&acdnat=1339597903_7b880dd6b27bcf43ce18df20e7eb0ee3
FATS AND OILS A H Lichtenstein, Tufts University, Boston
MA, USA 2005 Elsevier Ltd.
ac.els-cdn.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/B0122266943001149/3-s2.0-B0122266943001149-main.pdf?_tid=146007058cbf58aecce0c770d2579c9f&acdnat=1339597998_3503432278a0d230f8c25dda63bc25b9
Flavours and Flavour Enhancers: natural or artificial, what's the
difference? fedup.com.au/factsheets/additive-and-natural-chemical-factsheets/flavours-natural-or-artificial
Inge K. June 6, 2012. Are additives
bad for us? aww.ninemsn.com.au/dietandhealth/8467806/areadditives-bad-for-us
J. Preston Harley et al. Hyperkinesis and Food Additives: Testing the Feingold Hypothesis pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/61/6/818.short |
Mary Engig and Sally Fallon. 200. The Skinny on Fats. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fatsac.els-cdn.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/S0002822311002896/1-s2.0-S0002822311002896-main.pdf?_tid=e62da3db1d50550fa5370767521a1a0d&acdnat=1339597903_7b880dd6b27bcf43ce18df20e7eb0ee3
Richard J.
Ablina and Wen G. Jiangb. 2009. All Fats are Not Bad: A Smart Lesson
to be Learned. Departments of Immunobiology and Pathology, University of
Arizona College of Medicine, Arizona Cancer Centre and the BIO5 Institute,
Tucson, Arizona Metastasis & Angiogenesis Research Group, University
Department of Surgery, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United
Kingdom http://www.sciencedirect.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0022534709028870
