



Latest trends in bread go against the grain

Breaking bread: which slice is best?

Breaking bread: which slice is best? Photo: Eleonora Galli

Breaking bread was once a simple act. That was 30,000-odd years ago, when it was just flour and water, hot stone and love.

Now, you're at the store, staring at row upon row of the stuff, wondering whether it's really 'freshly baked', wondrous or as wholesome as it says. 

It's worth the wonder given each of us eats about 53.4 kg of it a year. 

The local industry, worth $2 billion annually despite a two per cent decline, wants to make sure we get our fill. And our fill, based on the Dietary Guidelines recommendation for grains, equates to about eight to 18 slices of bread per adult, per day.

So there is no shortage of choice to meet our nutritional concerns and the current foodie fads.

The latest trend, of course, goes against the grain. And with more than one in three (35 per cent) women restricting their carbohydrate intake, Helgas has just launched a 'low-carb' bread too.

There is also sprouted, seeded, fermented, fortified, wholewheat, wholegrain, gluten-free, ancient-grain, bakery bread and bread that's been blessed by Buddhist monks*.

"I see the fads come in and out over the years," says accredited practising dietitian Melanie McGrice. "You see the industry jumping on the bandwagon to reflect consumer desires."

How then do we choose the best thing in sliced bread?

To bread or not to bread

Bread is bad, based on the anti-gluten, anti-cereal grain school of thought. 

"It's not one particular nutrient that's the bad guy," McGrice counters. "It's our overall diet that's the problem."

Still our dietary guidelines, revised only last year, seem to recommend an awful lot of grains.

"It seems a lot if you think about it in terms of slices of bread," McGrice says.

The guidelines state that: "Cereal and cereal products, particularly bread and breakfast cereals, are an important low-fat source of energy, dietary fibre, carbohydrate, protein, thiamin, folate, iron and magnesium in the Australian diet."

Their recommendation to eat "plenty" of them is based on a review of more than 55,000 studies, McGrice explains.

"Wholegrains provide so much nutrients in our diet," she says. "Wholegrains make a big difference in regards to reducing the risk of cancer, weight management and micronutrients… iron, folate and iodine."

All consumer breads are fortified with folate and iodine, she says. 'Consumer breads' are those you find packaged at the supermarket, not organic or bakery bread.

If we choose to slice bread out of our life McGrice says we need to be careful that we're meeting the recommendations for folate (found in green leafy vegetables) and iodine (found in seafood, seaweed and eggs).

"Only six per cent of us are meeting the recommendation of vegetables. That's why the government has reverted to fortifying."

What to look out for

"There are two key things," McGrice says, "the most amount of fibre and the least amount of sodium."

Bread is often quite a high source of sodium, she explains, which can increase blood pressure.

She suggests a sodium content of less than 400 milligrams per 100 grams of bread.

Generally speaking, wholegrain or wholegrain sourdough contain the most fibre. If you're buying from the packet though, just beware of marketing, as some statements are deceiving. Choose only 100 per cent wholegrain and check it's actually sourdough, not just artificial flavouring.

Also, look for bread with lots of 'bits' in in. “Bread made with finely milled flour has a high GI (Glycaemic Index) rating, meaning it causes a rapid rise in levels of blood glucose, which can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” dietitian Dr Alan Barclay has previously said.

The more grainy bits in the bread, the longer it will take to digest, therefore reducing the blood sugar spike. If it has it on the label, Dr Barclay recommends looking for at least 20 per cent kibble, which is what the broken, 'bitty' grain is called.

"The best bread is very dense, grainy bread," agrees McGrice. "Look for lots of grains."

Bread broken down

Wholegrain is all parts of the grain and not necessarily wheat. 'True' cereal grains also include barley, corn, millet, oats sorghum and rye. 

Whole wheat, on the other hand, as the name suggests, is just the whole wheat grain.

Wholemeal is the ground, finely milled grain.

Brown bread has more fibre than white bread, but still has had 10 to 15 per cent of the fibrous bran removed. 

Rye has a high vitamin and low gluten content, but must be avoided by those with coeliac disease. McGrice says she would opt for dark rye over light rye, as it has more fibre. Rye, as with sourdough and even flat breads, can be whole grain.

Sourdough, when made properly, is fermented for up to 18 hours, giving the unique flavour and chewy texture. The process also makes the vitamins and minerals in the bread more bioavailable, while the acids mean it remains low GI.

Wholegrain or whole wheat versions of all breads are better choices, according to McGrice. That said, white bread - which isn't bleached in Australia - isn't necessarily the worst choice.

"It depends what you're comparing it to," McGrice says. "Brown rice with vegetables or tuna versus a meat pie. I'd prefer someone had a sandwich with white bread than a meat pie."

All bread contains carbohydrates for energy, folate for metabolism, fibre and works as a prebiotic, which is good for gut flora, she explains.

Whatever version of bread you choose, McGrice suggests mixing them up to get the most diverse range of nutrients and for her, fresh is best. "I personally like bakery bread, cooked fresh that day," she says. "There are less preservatives and less sodium."

*This is fairy bread in the true sense of the word. That is, it doesn't exist.


  • Human have not been eating bread for 30,000 years - "this comment seems calculated to mislead "Breaking bread was once a simple act. That was 30,000-odd years ago" Where the evidence? I doubt McGrice really has done any substaintial research other than what information is put out by the wheat board and the whole healthy grain movement - wheat is ubiquitous and is detroying human health, significantly contributing to an array of modern diseases (up to 300 including inflammation alzheimers, autoimmune etc can be directly linked to the consumption of gluien containing grains - The fact is grains and humans don't go together - There is an aabsolute epidemic of thyroid disease and auto immune disorders particularly with women (google Hshiomoto's) caused by Gliadin (gluten Intolerance) this is extraordinarily well established and is not limited to just Coeliacs or some small subset of the human population - If in any doubt watch any of these free videos and interviews by world leading medical researchers professors, doctors, immunologists etc at the

    Date and time
    June 25, 2014, 5:35AM
    • Oh give it a rest, you gluten people are worse than vegans.

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 8:04AM
    • @MamaJune...right, except for the fact that vegans confound themselves ideologically...but I get what you mean, why let research and scientific theory get in the way of people's paraphrase Marie Antoinette, 'let them eat bread'...if only the rest of society wasn't picking up the tab in healthcare costs.

      Also, quick note and side point - grains are fortified with folic acid, not folate - folic acid is the synthetic version of folate but is processed by the body quite differently...a small but subtle difference...

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 2:28PM
  • These are people who are at the absolute peak of their game in scientific circles - if you want to improve your health and avoid many of the diseases of old age like... dementia, arthritis, heart disease, eliminating grains will go a long way to helping you on the path and will dramatically improve your life in days by eliminating this insidious pest from your diet - I'm a male and have loved grain in all its forms, whether its sourdough bread, croissants, the occasional pizza or beer - I've eaten it without concern for 50 years, but grains don't love me - or its seems my family or my non genetically related friends and colleagues since dropping wheat and gluten containing grains - I've dropped 4 belt sizes I'm actually eating more total calories than before , I've slimmed down significantly from a 38" waist to just under 34, my ass is in shape, my body looks buffer and my brain is sharp, my lindo is stronger than in 20 years, and on and on... It's very sad that we have a whole community of paid liars promoting this product - my dad had his thyroid removed, I was close my sisters - I had a hitherto unknown autoimmune disease and inflammatory markers - The doctors didn't know what was the cause of my hormone declines, sagging energy, growing paunch despite significant levels of exercise and what I thought was a responsible dietician approved diet - Do yourself a favour and eliminate it from your diet and see, feel and experience it for yourself what the effects are

    Date and time
    June 25, 2014, 5:37AM
    • What's a "lindo"?.

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 7:20AM
    • +1

      I have had a similar experience. I have not been able to completely remove it, but have reduced my intake significantly. Best life choice i have ever made.

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 7:35AM
    • DNT: you've overlooked something. Had you not eaten grains in all forms for 50 years, you probably wouldnt have typed that comment let alone read the article. In its extreme, you'd probably be dead or be one very unhealthy person.

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 9:51AM
    • @PeterC...are you suggesting that humans cannot survive to 50 years of age without eating grains? That's a pretty big claim...I bet you've got a good study to back it up. But, I guess you're right, if eating grains was causing DNT to develop an autoimmune condition and put on weight then no doubt it was prolonging his life...that makes a whole lot of sense...thanks for the info Peter.

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 2:34PM
    • Have you, perchance, read "The Road to Wellville"? It's a hoot and goes some way to supporting your argument of the grain producers and cereal makers turning the consumtion of fibre into a relgious movement!!

      Date and time
      June 25, 2014, 2:54PM
  • I was surprised that no mention of net or effective carbs which is Total Carbs less Fibre. Generic cheap bread is about 65%-4%=61% compared to a common stone milled bread of 40%-20%=20%.
    Not only is it much better for you it also tastes much better!

    Date and time
    June 25, 2014, 5:41AM

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