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Along with sugar, bread is often blamed for spreading obesity epidemic. Indeed, wheat bread contains a large amount of calories and little nutrients.
Does this mean that we should abandon bread at all? Are there any healthy baked goods?
Manufacturers vying to entice buyers with loud names: “Healthy”, “Grain”, “Diet”. The more information on the package of bread – the more confused the consumer.
Learn to choose the right bread.
A bit of theory
Whole grains – wheat, rye, and any other – consists of three main components: the grain skin or bran, the germ and the endosperm.
During processing the bran and germ are removed – the result is only the endosperm, rich in easily digestible “fast” carbohydrates. Fiber, essential fatty acids and other nutrients in such treatment are lost.
From the endosperm of wheat grain we get the fine white flour, which is used for the production of white loaves and pastries.
Whole wheat bread
Real whole wheat bread is very healthy. It contains about three grams of fiber in each slice.
To choose it is quite simple – in the list of ingredients the item “whole grain” should be in the first place. This suggests that for the production of bread flour was not cleaned, and it still has all the useful components.
Note: if the bread provides label with “natural wheat” or “natural rye”, it does not mean that bread is whole grain.
Most often, this product made from only one kind of flour, without the addition of other grain crops. Marked “natural” does not guarantee that the grain has not been cleared of shells and embryo.
Regular flour is able to hide more and such strange names as “enriched flour” and “multigrain”.
Bread with seeds and nuts
A loaf of bread, generously sprinkled with seeds or grains, it may seem a healthier option. But do not forget that these ingredients add more calories to the finished product .
For example, ten grams of sunflower seeds, evenly distributed in a “healthy” muffin, increase its calories by almost 60 calories.
In addition with seeds, nuts, dried fruit and vegetable supplements manufacturers often mask the bread made from plain white flour, giving it a dietary product.
Be sure to check how many calories in a bun with seeds, and look for the item “whole grain” in the ingredients list.
Fats and other sources of extra calories
In the composition of bakery products often include fats of vegetable or animal origin.
To avoid excess fat, try not to buy bread, which is composed of hydrogenated vegetable oils, partially hydrogenated oils, margarine or cooking fat.
Ingredients that adds calories include molasses, sugar syrup and caramel. They are often added to “healthy” bread with nuts or dried fruits. Carefully study the composition!
Salt
Almost all baked goods contain salt, which i gadded not only for taste but also to control the activity of yeast in dough.
According to various sources, only one slice of whole wheat bread contains about 200 mg of sodium. At first glance it is a little amount, but the recommended daily dose is about 1800 mg of the substance and normal diet not limited to one bun.
Lower salt composition is in the bread in which this ingredient is last on the list – and certainly after the flour and water.
The most important
A healthy bread that contains maximum amount of vitamins and fiber, baked from whole wheat, which includes bran and germ.
The addition of fat, nuts, seeds and dried fruit makes bread calorie.
More information on how to pick a healthy bread watch in the video below:
