• By Emily Amelia Inglis
• Published 01/3/2012

With bread being a staple of most diets, it’s important that we make the right choices when shopping at the supermarket to reap the benefits at home.

Like it’s carbohydrate friend, pasta – healthy bread can quickly become not-so-healthy depending on what you spread on it. This is something to keep in mind with most foods.

Containing many of the nutrients required for normal development and good health, it is a significant contributor to a healthy diet.

Here we consider just a few ways in which bread can help us, and you’ll no doubt find that whatever your lifestyle – you could gain a lot from having bread in your diet.

Dietary

On the most part, bread is a low fat food. As mentioned above, it’s what you put on it – let alone in it – that can make it fatty. So watch those spreads!

This being said, a little fat is used and is ultimately needed in bread to help keep it fresh and tasty with a fluffy texture.

Some manufacturers only use vegetable oils in small amounts where necessary – avoid those who use hydrogenated fat.

Note. This should be easy enough by simply turning over the packet and reading the ingredients!

In addition, most breads are low in sugar.

If you are not only looking to follow a diet, or healthy lifestyle but also want strong teeth – a diet low in sugar is important for you.

Fibre

Following on from being dietary, if you are looking to lead a healthy lifestyle with little effort, bread – in particular wholemeal – is a significant source of dietary fibre.

Some manufacturers’ wholemeal loaves provide nearly one third of an adult’s daily requirement of fibre (that’s 24g, just so you know).

How fibre helps us is by keeping our digestive system healthy and happening.

Controlling our blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels, we feel fuller for longer meaning we’re less likely to snack between meals meaning a more balanced diet all round.

About the Author: Emily Amelia Inglis is a fan of healthy bread