Can whole wheat bread help you lose weight and control blood sugar? Eating it right will have an effect. Here are some tips for choosing it →

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Whole wheat bread is a good staple food in everyone's eyes. "Healthy whole grain", "weight loss" and "blood sugar control" are all beautiful labels given to it by people. Many people believe that eating whole wheat bread can help us lose weight and control blood sugar. Therefore, when they decide to change their diet, quite a number of people will replace their staple food with whole wheat bread, and then start a new "healthy" life.

But is the "whole wheat bread" you eat necessarily healthy? Can it really help you lose weight and control blood sugar? Let's take a look at whole wheat bread.

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Are all whole wheat breads low GI foods?

People who want to control their blood sugar levels switch their staple food to whole-wheat bread because they think it is a low-GI food and is good for blood sugar. But the reality is always very sad. The whole-wheat bread you eat may not be a low-GI food.

The GI value of whole wheat bread fluctuates widely. According to the data in the Chinese Food Composition Table, the GI value of ordinary whole wheat bread can reach 74. It should be noted that the GI value of white bread is 75. It can be said that there is not much difference between the two. They are both high GI foods (GI value>70 is high GI food). After eating them, blood sugar will rise. [1]

This may be because the whole wheat flour content in ordinary whole wheat bread is not high, and white flour, sugar, oil and other ingredients are added. Therefore, not only is the GI value high, but the calories are also not low, so it cannot be relied upon to help lose weight or control blood sugar.

The GI value will only decrease if the whole grain content in whole wheat bread is higher.

From the data in the table, we can see that: the higher the whole grain content, the lower the GI value. For example, bread containing 75% to 80% barley grains has a lower GI value than bread containing 50% barley grains. And the more complete the whole grains are, the lower the GI value is. For example, if they are both barley, bread containing 80% barley grains has a lower GI value than bread containing 80% barley flour.

Therefore, not all bread called "whole wheat bread" can help you lose weight and control blood sugar. If you eat it incorrectly, it can have a great impact on blood sugar and the calories are not low.

What are the benefits of real whole wheat bread?

Whole wheat flour is nutritionally superior to refined wheat flour.

Wheat flour is made by removing the outer layer of wheat grains, including the cortex, endosperm, germ, etc., and then processing and grinding the endosperm; while whole wheat flour is flour ground from the whole wheat, which includes all the components of the wheat, including the bran, endosperm, germ and so on.

Compared with the two, whole wheat flour has a rougher texture and taste, which retains the nutrients of wheat to the greatest extent. Whole wheat flour contains almost all the nutrients contained in various parts of wheat. The protein content can even reach more than 14%, and because it contains wheat bran, it has a higher dietary fiber content.

Therefore, foods made with whole wheat flour are rich in dietary fiber, which can enhance satiety, promote gastrointestinal motility, prevent constipation, balance intestinal flora, and prevent intestinal-related diseases.

Many vitamins and minerals in whole grains have been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. [2]

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In addition, a study was conducted on 60 men and women aged 30 years and above with type 2 diabetes in Arak, Iran. They were divided into a control group and an intervention group. The intervention group ate 180 grams of whole wheat bread as a staple food every day for 12 weeks, while the control group maintained the same diet and physical activity. The results showed that the intervention group significantly reduced body weight, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (good cholesterol) levels; while the control group did not change significantly in these indicators. [3]

Therefore, for people who need to control blood sugar, replacing the staple food with whole wheat bread has a positive effect on the control of various physical and chemical indicators of diabetic patients.

How to choose whole wheat bread?

However, although whole wheat bread is good for your health, it only works if you choose and eat the right one.

Most real 100% whole wheat breads taste terrible, with a dry, rough, and slightly sour texture that few people can accept.

At present, there is no mandatory standard for whole wheat bread in my country, nor is there a regulation on how much whole wheat flour must be in whole wheat bread, so the quality of whole wheat bread on the market varies. Although many of them taste good, most of them are "pseudo whole wheat breads", some of which have very low whole wheat flour content, and some have added sugar and oil to neutralize the taste. This has resulted in some "whole wheat breads" no longer having the characteristics of low GI and low calories.

Therefore, you must keep your eyes open when purchasing.

▶ Look at the appearance : The appearance of real whole wheat bread is not white and clean. Most of them are brown or dark brown. They look rough and rough. Some of them can even show the whole grains and bran.

▶ Check the ingredient list : Checking the ingredient list is the most direct way to buy bread with a high proportion of whole wheat. First, you need to pay attention to whether whole wheat flour is listed first in the ingredient list . This is because according to the "General Principles of Pre-packaged Food Labeling", the ingredient list of food packaging needs to be arranged in order from most to least, that is to say: which raw material is used the most in the ingredient list should be written at the front. If whole wheat flour is listed first, it means that the content is high.

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It would be better if the whole wheat flour content was displayed on the packaging label. Since not many people can accept 100% whole wheat bread, we can choose whole wheat bread with more than 51% whole wheat flour . This is because in 2021, the Chinese Nutrition Society formulated the group standard T/CNSS 008-2021 "General Principles for the Determination and Labeling of Whole Grains and Whole Grain Foods", which stipulates that the whole wheat flour content in whole wheat bread shall not be less than 51%.

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▶ Check the nutritional label : Checking the nutritional label is a critical step when buying pre-packaged food. When buying whole wheat bread, it is best to compare more and choose one with relatively high dietary fiber and protein content and low sodium content.

For example, the two products in the picture below are both claimed by the merchants to contain more than 80% whole wheat flour, but compared with the two, product A has higher protein and dietary fiber content than product B, and lower calories and sodium content.

Image source: e-commerce platform

in conclusion

If you want to change the quality of your diet, increase your intake of whole grains, control your blood sugar and lose weight, then follow the advice and buy a real whole wheat bread.

If you are very concerned about the taste and like to eat "whole wheat bread" with low whole wheat flour content, then spend more time on the combination, and eat it with vegetables and protein-rich foods, such as whole wheat bread + fried eggs + 2 lettuce leaves, whole wheat bread + braised beef + 10 cherry tomatoes + 7 cashews. This way you can enjoy the delicious taste, help control blood sugar, and also help lose weight.

Author: Xue Qingxin, registered dietitian

Reviewer: Han Hongwei, researcher at the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center

References:

[1] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[2]https://www.womansworld.com/posts/health/whole-grain-bread-heart-disease

[3]Nazari J, Yadegari N, Khodam S, Almasi-Hashian A, Amini S. Effect of Consumption of Whole-Wheat Breads on FBS, HbA1c, and Blood Lipids in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Prev Nutr Food Sci. 2021 Sep 30;26(3):269-274. doi: 10.3746/pnf.2021.26.3.269. PMID: 34737987; PMCID: PMC8531422.

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