The Skinny on Bread
by Tommy Smith

I have two weaknesses in this world, one is cheese and the other is bread. I absolutely love bread. I’ve been known to even go on a bread diet! Well, not really, but I can’t get enough of it. Rye bread, white, wheat, sourdough and everything in between. But how well does my obsession cater to my overall health and what’s the best bread for your diet? I decided to put my bias down and do a little research for myself. 

One of the biggest factors I came across was not how much fiber the bread contains, but it really came down to how much sugar is in your bread. We turn sugar into carbohydrates and the more sugar in your bread the more carbs you are consuming, without even knowing it.

Top Bread Types and Sugar Content

 To give you an idea of how much sugar is in our favorite breads, here is a list of the common types and rough estimate of sugars based on each type. While you can buy “sugar free” bread in many forms, the latent person many not know just how much sugar one is consuming when enjoying their favorite peanut butter and jelly “sammich”.

White Bread – One of the more popular forms of bread when preparing our kid’s lunches, a quick bite to eat, or morning toast, white bread is as common as having milk in the refrigerator. Often the cheapest of all bread types, it’s no wonder millions of Americans eat this staple food. A single slice of white bread contains 1.5 grams of sugar. Double that because the nature of a sandwich is to have two pieces of bread and you are consuming a minimum of 3 grams of sugar for that snack.

Wheat Bread – Wheat bread is considered a “step up” on the nutritional scale mostly because of the amount natural grains used to create the loaf. But sugar wise it actually has a bit more sugar per serving than the traditional wheat bread weighing in at 1.6 grams per slice. 

Rye Bread – Rye, a variation to wheat bread, instead using the rye grain offers a decent amount of protein per slice at 2.1 grams. It also does better on the scales when it comes to total sugars ranking at 1 gram per slice.

Sourdough Bread – My absolute favorite type of bread hands down. This sour, sometimes tough, and chewy goodness lasts only minutes in my presence. While it’s true it packs a punch in the protein factor, it also leads the pack in sugar content boasting 1.6 grams of sugar per helping. Making my favorite bread the most fattening, of course.

While I admit this is not all the types of breads out on the market, and believe me, there are plenty, finding the right balance of protein, grains, and fiber is key to picking out the healthiest of your breads. But many are unaware of the sugar content in their staple food, so next time you pick up your favorite brand or type of bread, check the label and see how your bread choice weighs in on the sugar scale. Believe it or not, your waistline will thank you if you opt in for the lower sugar count, or even give the sugar free bread a try.