A slice of bread with a little jam in the morning, a sandwich at lunchtime, a slice of bread to accompany your meal in the evening, and voilà, you’ve eaten bread at every meal!
Bread is often eaten on a daily basis, thanks to its versatility and ability to accompany a variety of dishes. Bread is particularly sacred in the French diet!
However, this habit of adding it to every meal is not really recommended!
White bread and baguettes, sources of sugar
Bread’s success also lies in its wide variety of types and flavors, from traditional white bread to wholemeal, cereal and gluten-free breads, and many more.
However, not all breads are created equal. For example, the baguette, apart from its good taste, has no major nutritional value!
It’s best to choose breads made with flours that aren’t too white! In fact, the less refined the flour, the better!
Because while it’s normal in France for bread to accompany us at every meal, we shouldn’t overdo it, especially if it’s white bread!
In fact, white bread contains up to 25 lumps of sugar! In fact, it’s the carbohydrates inside the bread that are the traitors!
It’s important to distinguish between simple carbohydrates, found in sweets and cookies, and complex carbohydrates, found in starchy foods like bread!
Refined white flours have a high glycemic index. This means that sugars enter the bloodstream very quickly, and the body has to store this overload of sugars in the form of fat.
Conversely, complex carbohydrates take longer to reach the bloodstream and contain more fibre, which lowers blood sugar levels!
The more complex the sugars in bread, the healthier it is.
Not all bread is created equal!
Eating bread every day isn’t necessarily bad for your health, but it does depend on the type and quantity of bread you eat.
Some industrial breads may contain additives, added sugars and saturated fats, which can be less beneficial for your health.
However, if you opt for wholegrain, wholemeal breads with no undesirable ingredients, bread can be a source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins and essential minerals.
In terms of quantity, you can eat up to 100 g of bread a day, i.e. 4 slices of 25 g each!
It also depends on the composition of your meals. If you eat proteins and vegetables at other meals throughout the day, your ratios will be balanced!
However, if you wish, you can do without bread on a daily basis, but you need a source of sugar for the day, because the brain feeds on 100% sugars!
You can replace bread with any food containing slow sugars, such as starches.