What is the healthiest bread?

CHRONIC. Complete or integral, “traditional” baguette, with or without gluten… Here is how to make the right choice.

By Boris Hansel, with Guillaume Paret (video)

Published on 02/24/2023 at 6:30 p.m.

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Every Friday, find, on lepoint.fr, the nutrition chronicle of P^r Boris Hansel, endocrinologist and nutritionist at Bichat Hospital in Paris. He is also the host of the PuMS health channel on YouTube.

LBread is flour, water and salt. But in reality, there are an infinite number of varieties. And there are many misconceptions regarding the effects of this or that bread on health! We will understand this together.

From a nutritional point of view, there are essentially three elements that distinguish breads: their glycemic index, that is to say their ability to more or less raise the level of glucose in the blood; the salt content, which is quite high and the fiber content.

For frequent consumption, we will first recommend breads with a lower glycemic index and higher in fiber.

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And there is important little known information: wholemeal bread contains twice as much fiber as white bread, but its glycemic index is not necessarily lower. Because, in its manufacture, the fibers that envelop the grain were artificially added to the white flour. So we have refined flour mixed with bran.

And that has nothing to do with wholemeal bread prepared with wholemeal flour, obtained following grinding whole wheat, with fibers attached to the grains and therefore to glucose. This lowers the glycemic index.

Rich in seal

If you don’t like wholemeal bread, you can opt for sourdough bread. Again, the glycemic index is low. And if you choose an integral sourdough bread, you combine the richness in fiber and the low glycemic index.

This bread is renowned for its benefits on intestinal transit. It’s my first choice. There are alternatives: rye bread or spelled bread.

If you really like the baguette, go for the “tradition”, ideally without added gluten. Its glycemic index, although high, is lower than that of the “normal” baguette and its composition is regulated. You can’t add whatever you want as an additive!

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In any case, one of the disadvantages of bread is its high salt content: around 1 to 2 grams per 100 grams. In order to get your bearings, it is recommended not to exceed 6 grams of salt per day all inclusive. But the good news is that bakers are committed to reducing salt content over the next few years.

We must end with this question: which bread is the most fattening? You will sometimes read that it is white bread. However, on a scientific level, it has never been shown that such or such bread was less good than another for the line. Whatever the bread, the effect on weight depends solely on the quantity consumed!