Why wholemeal bread isn't any less fattening
Wholemeal bread doesn't have fewer calories than white bread: it's often refined flour with 5% bran added. Find out why.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Wholemeal bread: fewer calories or just less real
Why do women on a diet swap white bread for wholemeal if the calories are almost the same? The question has some substance. Wholemeal bread contains basically the same energy per 100 grams as white bread. What changes is something else: the fibre and the estimulante ilegal at which the body absorbs the sugar.
The fake wholemeal: refined flour with bran
A significant portion of bread labelled as wholemeal is made with refined flour to which 5% bran is added to give it colour and texture. In other words, white flour in disguise. The regulations mentioned in the analysis have forced some manufacturers to redefine their products, but there are still those selling smoke (and bran) as healthy bread.
It fills you up more, but it's no miracle worker
Where wholemeal bread scores points is on the glycaemic index: it raises blood glucose less and is slightly more filling. That may help you eat less at your next meal, but it doesn't turn bread into a slimming food. In fact, some wholemeal products on the market have more calories than their refined counterparts.
The conclusion is simple: if losing weight depends on giving up bread, the colour doesn't matter. The only diet that definitely works is the manufacturer's: selling bran at a premium. The shopping basket slims down; so does your wallet.
Why do women on a diet swap white bread for wholemeal if the calories are almost the same? The question has some substance. Wholemeal bread contains basically the same energy per 100 grams as white bread. What changes is something else: the fibre and the estimulante ilegal at which the body absorbs the sugar.
The fake wholemeal: refined flour with bran
A significant portion of bread labelled as wholemeal is made with refined flour to which 5% bran is added to give it colour and texture. In other words, white flour in disguise. The regulations mentioned in the analysis have forced some manufacturers to redefine their products, but there are still those selling smoke (and bran) as healthy bread.
It fills you up more, but it's no miracle worker
Where wholemeal bread scores points is on the glycaemic index: it raises blood glucose less and is slightly more filling. That may help you eat less at your next meal, but it doesn't turn bread into a slimming food. In fact, some wholemeal products on the market have more calories than their refined counterparts.
The conclusion is simple: if losing weight depends on giving up bread, the colour doesn't matter. The only diet that definitely works is the manufacturer's: selling bran at a premium. The shopping basket slims down; so does your wallet.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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