"One slice of a whole grain bread, with no added sugar, per day is okay," say nutritionist Keri Glassman. Oprah Winfrey has made a bold statement: you can eat bread and still lose weight.
Bread can be a means of helping with weight loss when you opt for bread made with whole-grain flour—not enriched, which can be sourced from wheat, oats, barley, and rye. These [types of] bread provide nutrients and fiber that can aid in your weight-loss goals."
Don't cut bread out completely – Eating grainy bread doesn't slow down your rate of weight loss. In fact, people who cut bread out of their diet find it harder to stick to a healthy eating plan. Don't eat too much – Bread is a relatively high kilojoule food, so it's still important to manage the amount you eat.
So if you're trying to maintain your current weight, you can consume up to 12 slices of whole wheat bread per day. But if you're aiming to lose weight, you might want to stick to 8 slices per day and that is depending on your carbohydrate intake throughout the day.
Following a healthy diet rich in whole foods can help prevent the accumulation of belly fat, but eating certain unhealthy foods will cause it. One of the foods that science has most closely linked to belly fat is white bread—and it's something you should consider giving up to rid yourself of this dangerous fat.
The vast majority of the evidence supports the latest US Dietary Guidelines, which state that a “healthy” 1,800-to-2,000-calorie diet could include six slices of bread a day—including up to three slices of “refined-grain” white bread.
Stick to whole grain breads and you can enjoy 2-4 slices a day, depending on your individual carb and calorie needs. In the end, it is up to you to decide which variety of bread to consume – the nutritious one or the one full of preservatives and added flavours.
A high intake of refined carbs is associated with excessive belly fat. Consider reducing your carb intake or replacing refined carbs in your diet with healthy carb sources, such as whole grains, legumes, or vegetables.
Cut the carbs—When you cut out refined carbs like white bread, rice, bagels, pasta, cookies, candy and chips and focus on nutrient- and fiber-rich carbs such as vegetables, and low-glycemic fruits, you start to lose belly fat, because, once again, your body is burning fat for fuel.
Choosing refined grains instead of whole grains.
Speaking of carbs, experts across the board agree that whole grains (like oats, quinoa, farro, and whole-wheat pasta and bread) are much better choices for a flat belly than their refined counterparts (like white bread and pasta).
That said, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found toasting bread does have one health benefit. It lowers the glycemic index, so it is less likely than regular bread to spike blood sugar. Toasting bread does not lower calorie count. If you want to toast your bread, lightly toast it.
Stick to whole grain breads and you can enjoy 2-4 slices a day, depending on your individual carb and calorie needs. In the end, it is up to you to decide which variety of bread to consume – the nutritious one or the one full of preservatives and added flavours.
According to a 2014 study published in BMC Public Health, individuals who ate two or more portions of white bread a day were significantly more likely to become overweight or obese than those who ate one serving of white bread or less per week.
The highly processed flour and additives in white, packaged bread can make it unhealthful. Consuming too much white bread can contribute to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.
When the body's consumption of carbohydrates decreases, it begins to burn energy stored in the form of “glycogen”, which is the image in which it is stored carbohydrates in the liver and muscles), and this leads to water loss, and weight loss.
One of the primary reasons white bread causes bloating is because it contains gluten, a protein found in wheat. It is not just gluten that causes bloating though. White bread also contains fructans. In some people, lacking certain gut enzymes may contribute to bloat while eating bread.