Going sugar-free definitely doesn’t mean banning the bun. Or the baguette. Or a beautiful fresh loaf of bread!
In fact, some of the most popular meals on our I Quit Sugar: 8-Week Program are a Reuben Sandwich, a Sausage Sarnie and a BLATT (beetroot, lettuce, avocado, tomato, tahini) Burger. Here’s why you can still eat bread when you quit sugar.
Why you don’t have to break up with bread when you quit sugar.
Generally speaking bread is pretty low in sugar. And while carbohydrates do eventually convert to glucose, unlike fructose, this is actually our body’s preferred fuel source for almost all its cells and is used rapidly, or stored as glycogen.
However, it’s important to pick the right kinds of bread to encourage a steady release of glucose and avoid a rapid insulin spike.
“The type of grains used in a bread can affect how much is needed to create the same level of response in the body, and how quickly it will respond,” says our in-house nutritionist and 8-Week Program expert Emily.
Eating wholegrain bread means that there is more fibre and roughage for your body to work through as it breaks the carbohydrates down. Consequently, the body converts those carbohydrates into glucose more slowly and is more equipped to deal with this steady release. White bread on the other hand could cause rapid “dumps” of glucose, which the body doesn’t deal with as well.
What you serve with your slice also has an effect on blood sugar levels. By choosing nutrient-dense wholegrain breads and pairing them with fibrous veggies, healthy fats and protein, you can fuel your bodies with energy and provide a wide array of essential vitamins and minerals without the dramatic spike and crash in sugar levels that simple carbohydrates can create. Hello, avo on toast!
Use your loaf in the supermarket.
If you’re stocking up on store-bought varieties, it’s best to aim for bread with 4g of sugar (per 100g) or less.
Our preference is for wholegrain varieties made with oats, seeds and free from as many artificial ingredients and as possible.
Abbott’s Village Bakery Oats, Grains and Sunflower Seeds, $3.40
We also love true sourdoughs, baked traditionally (without baker’s yeast) and allowed to sit and ferment. This process can improve gut health and benefit blood sugar levels.
Bill’s Sourdough in Power Protein, $6.99
The best breads you can bake.
Go one better and whip up your bread from scratch. Here are three of our most popular gluten-free bread recipes.
Zucchini Coconut Lunchbox Bread
We originally published this article in April 2016. We updated it in August 2016.
0 comments :
Post a Comment