Berlys

In a well-balanced diet, at least 50% of calories shout come from carbohydrates which give our body the energy it needs.  Bread is one of the best sources of carbohydrates, if we consume little our diet may become unbalanced.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid, the best-known dietary guide, recommends daily consumption of up to 6 servings of carbohydrates, bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta or rice, as an effective means of reducing possible cardiovascular risks and to combat obesity.

The medical community considers bread to be a cardio-healthy food because its consumption means the ingestion of nutrients which help to maintain our health and balance the diet.

In addition to carbohydrates, bread also contains a good quantity of proteins of plant origin, and little fat.  Bread provides resistant starch and other types of fibre (particularly whole fibre), group B water-soluble vitamins, and minerals such as phosphorous, magnesium and potassium, as well as iron, calcium, iodine and zinc.

Medical experts recommend average consumption of between 220 and 250 grams (in more than one meal), well above current consumption of about 150 grams.

It is important to remember that whole bread, made with flour produced from whole cereal grain, provides not just greater amounts of fibre but also more vitamins and minerals than white bread.

Table of nutritional values

Ten good reasons to eat bread

Common bread is a food made from a dough obtained by mixing wheat flour, water, salt and yeast.  Bread contains no nutrient whose consumption is linked to greater risk of the so-called Western diseases (obesity, diabetes, vascular and heart disease).

Basic ingredients

Flour

Flour is the most important raw material in bakery, made fundamentally from wheat whose grain is rich in starch, fibre and antioxidants, protecting our cells against free radicals.

Water

Water hydrates the flour, moistening the starch grains and proteins which, after transforming into gluten, act as an agent for making the dough. It also creates a moisture which is essential to the process for the development of the enzymatic medium and bread making fermentation.

Salt

Salt affects the bread’s flavour, enhancing the water-absorption and giving colour to the crust. It also improves the stability of the dough, controlling the growth of microorganisms and the fermentation rate.

Yeast

Yeast triggers the fermentation of the dough prior to baking, providing volume and flavour to the bread.

Cereals and seeds, allies in health

The exclusion of bread from a slimming diet is unjustifiable.

A recent study involving more than 122 women revealed that bread consumption makes it easier to maintain a diet because of its satiating effect, significantly improving the calorific profile.

Consumption of carbohydrates in a diet is associated with a reduction of the percentage of fats ingested, an outcome which puts an end to the myth so consolidated among the population that bread is fattening.

It is advisable when dieting to consume approximately 30/40 grams of bread with each meal.

Comparison of the utility of balanced hipocalorific diets including and excluding bread in treating overweight and obese patients

The influence of bread consumption on weight: systematic revision

Slim as you eat bread