Khaberni -Bread is a staple food around the world and is an indispensable part of the table in many diets.
With the increasing trend towards reducing carbohydrates, debates have arisen about the healthiness of consuming bread daily, especially given the variety of types such as white, brown, and sourdough bread.
Bread contains important nutrients such as fiber, proteins, natural sugars, and B vitamins (thiamine, niacin, and folic acid), and minerals like iron and zinc. However, its high carbohydrate content may cause feelings of hunger shortly after eating it.
Therefore, nutrition expert Kristi Roth recommends choosing whole grain bread, which provides a longer-lasting feeling of fullness due to its high fiber content, with one slice containing about 7% of the recommended daily fiber intake. She added that combining bread with protein sources, such as sprouted grain bread (whole grains that have been soaked in water for a short period until they begin to sprout, like wheat, barley, and quinoa), enhances the effectiveness of satiety.
Multigrain bread also emerges as a healthy choice, containing more fiber (5 to 7 grams per slice) compared to whole wheat bread (about 2 grams only). Fiber helps reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and bowel cancer.
Ilana Natker from the Grain Foods Foundation highlighted the importance of grains as a major source of dietary fiber, stressing that excluding them from the diet can lead to a significant lack of fiber.
Natker also emphasized the importance of folic acid, an essential vitamin for pregnancy, as women who follow low-carbohydrate diets may reduce their chances of getting sufficient amounts, increasing the risk of giving birth to children with neural tube defects (a group of congenital anomalies affecting the brain and spinal cord, occurring due to the improper closure of the neural tube early in pregnancy, typically between the third and fourth weeks after fertilization).
For those who engage in physical exercise, the British National Health Service (NHS) recommends consuming bread as part of a balanced diet, unless there is an allergy or intolerance to wheat. The NHS considers whole grain and brown bread as excellent energy sources, noting that while white bread contains vitamins and minerals, its fiber content is lower, thus it is preferable to look for fiber-rich types.
In terms of preventing heart attacks, the NHS encourages following a Mediterranean diet involving more intake of whole grain bread, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, and fish, while reducing meat. The NHS confirms that diets rich in fiber help lower blood pressure and boost overall health.
However, nutrition experts warn that fiber-rich foods, including bread, may cause symptoms such as bloating and gas, thus it is advisable to gradually transition to a fiber-rich diet while possibly trying white bread or sourdough bread to minimize these symptoms.
Experts also caution that bread raises blood sugar levels quickly, which may pose a challenge for diabetes patients who need to adjust their insulin doses accordingly.
Ruth concludes by emphasizing the importance of not categorizing foods as "good" or "bad," encouraging people to read nutritional labels before purchasing to choose the most suitable for them, pointing out that bread can be part of a healthy diet when consumed with healthy fats or light proteins.
