What’s best for your Weight Loss: White, Brown, or Multigrain Bread?

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of our daily dietary cycle and Bread which is commonly available in three types - White, Brown, and Multigrain - is taken as the Standard breakfast food item on the breakfast table.

Which of these three types of bread is best suitable for Weight Loss?

To answer this question, we need to analyze the Raw Material used, the Nutrients retained and the number of Calories produced in each kind of above said Bread.

White bread is prepared from highly processed, refined flour which is rich in starchy endosperm (sugar) content but lacks in the barn and the germ parts of the grain, hence softer compared to other variants. It is high in sugar content and calories but low in essential nutrients (vitamins, proteins, minerals, and fiber) which makes it the least preferred choice for weight loss. Consequently, the consumption of white bread carries a huge risk of Weight gain, Diabetes, Hypertension, and bad Cholesterol. However, white bread, being rich in carbs is recommended for the healthy and young population who have engaged metabolism with daily activities.

Brown or whole grain bread is better than white bread because it is less processed and refined, and retains all three components of the grain i.e. barn, germ, and endosperm. Brown bread is low in sugar content, Calories ,rich in fiber and contains required vitamins (Vitamin B, Vitamin E), proteins, minerals (Iron, Magnesium, and Zinc), fibers, and antioxidants. Its nutritional Value assists in mitigating the ailments of High Sugar, High Cholesterol, Hypertension, and Obesity.

Multigrain bread, as the name suggests itself, is the mixture of multiple edible grains such as Barley, Wheat, Oats,  Ragi, Corn, Millets, soy grits and edible seeds such as flax, sesame, sunflower, pumpkin that adds on to its nutritional value . It is highly nutritious bread, loaded with minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper), proteins and fiber due to a variety of grains which makes it light and easily digestible. Also, it contains an ample amount of Omega3 fatty acids (essential fatty acids) which are good for the functioning of the heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system. Concurrently low sugar and calorie content make it perfectly suitable bread for losing weight, managing Diabetes, Cholesterol, Hypertension, and Constipation.

In the light of the above facts, we can safely conclude that if you are on the way to losing weight then better to switch to multi-grain bread and whole-grain bread to maintain a healthy weight with additional benefits.

Takeaway

In a recent review (based on research from 1970 to 2020) on improving the nutritional value of bread, it is suggested to use sourdough in baking bread as a substitute for Baker’s yeast.1 Sourdough is reported to retain the nutritional composition of bread and is equally potential to satisfy the daily nutritional requirements. In addition, it retains the sensory characteristics in terms of taste, flavor, volume, texture, and improved shelf life. Above all, the consumption of sourdough bread in routine will prevents major global health issues of diabetes, gluten intolerance, and mineral deficiency. Considering the disturbing lifestyle and increasing demand for healthier food, the applicability of sourdough in the bread-making industry is at its early stage but will become a future innovative technology. So, if you are a home baker and fond of baking bread at home, try and use sourdough instead of baker’s yeast and make your breakfast healthier.

Reference

1. Houssni, I. E. L., Zahidi, A., Khedid, K., & Hassikou, R. (2022). A Review of Spontaneous Sourdough as a Functional Ingredient for Improving the Sensory and Nutritional Quality of Wheat Bread. J. Mater. Environ. Sci., Volume 13, Issue 01, Page 9-28.