Breads are usually made from flour of a grain, including grains, like wheat, maize or corn, rye, oat, etc. Grains contain starchy carbohydrates which break down into glucose in the bloodstream and raise blood glucose. How much they raise glucose depends on how quickly they break down into glucose (glycaemic index (GI) of the bread) and how much bread is eaten (portion).
The lower the GI of the bread, the lower the glucose response and the better the blood glucose.
Wholegrain and seed breads are recommended over white varieties as the fibre and seeds usually lowers the GI score. However, portion control is still imperative irrespective of the GI.
Different recipes have different amounts of sugar so always check how different brands of breads affect you.
Gaining popularity are breads that are made from nut flours, like almond- and coconut flour. These flours are low in carbohydrates, therefore don’t raise blood glucose as much as breads made from grain flours. However, in large amounts the carbs in nut flours can add up, so portion control is still necessary.
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